Applications are not currently being accepted.

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Keck Virus Imaging Training Program Application Information

Graduate and Postdoctoral Fellowship Application Form

• this application form cannot be saved; it must be completed and submitted at one time
  
  
• your mentoring plan can be identical to that used in the mentor recommendation forms of your primary and secondary mentor
  
  
• do not use any Greek letters; write out the name (e.g. alpha, beta), as the system turns Greek text into an unreadable symbol
  
  
• keep a separate copy of the text portion of your application; you will not receive a final copy after submission, and a printout will not show all of the text in the text fields.
  
  
  
  Mentor Recommendation Form
  
  
• both the primary and secondary mentors must fill out this form; they may use the identical mentoring plan as the applicant
  
  
• this form cannot be saved; it must be completed and submitted at one time;
  
  
• keep a separate copy of the text portion of your recommendation; you will not receive a final copy after submission, and a printout may not show all of the text in the text fields
  
  
• do not use any Greek letters; write out the name (e.g. alpha, beta), as the system turns Greek text into an unreadable symbol
  
  
• the secondary mentor does not need to complete the financial and departmental contact information at the bottom; just type something meaningless into these required fields
  
  
• both mentors must be members of the KVI Training Faculty
  

TRAINING GRANT APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS,

ELIGIBILITY AND SUPPORT LEVELS, and

REQUIRED COMMITMENTS

OVERVIEW

The overall goal of the project is to establish a unique research and training facility to study the assembly, replication, and structure of emerging viruses that represent a threat to the United States and other regions of the world. State-of-the-art cryo-electron and confocal microscopy facilities are being created in biosafety level 3 containment to create the first resource of its kind in the U.S. The confocal microscopy facility is already in place in the Keiller BSL-3 Suite, and the cryoEM facility is under development. The Keck Center for Virus Imaging provides predoctoral and postdoctoral training programs to train a new generation of scientists who can take full advantage of the Keck Center’s unique opportunities to develop new strategies for antiviral therapies and vaccines.

Fellowships are available for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees (U.S. citizens, Permanent Residents, and Foreign Nationals) in virology interested in the assembly, replication and structure of emerging viruses that present a threat to the U.S. and other regions of the world. Trainees will be required to participate in specialized training in virology, including training in high containment facilities, cryoEM, and confocal microscopy. Predoctoral trainees will be in years 2-4 of graduate school and have a primary mentor; postdoctoral trainees will have a primary mentor and a secondary co-mentor. Other requirements include participation in the Keck Center programs such as the weekly Keck Seminar series, and the Keck Annual Research Conference held each fall.

Applicants must be enrolled in or affiliated with a GCC member institution. Trainee mentors must be members of the Keck Virus Imaging (KVI) Training Faculty. Faculty not already members of the KVI training faculty who are interested in sponsoring an applicant may submit a brief (100 words) description about their research to Scott Weaver (sweaver@utmb.edu).

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

• Online Fellowship Application (link above). In the research plan, special attention should be paid to the study of the assembly, replication and structure of emerging viruses.
  
  
• Online Mentor Recommendation (link above) from your primary mentor
  
  
• Online Mentor Recommendation (link above) from your secondary mentor
  
  
• 2 Letters of Recommendation (letterhead optional) from people other than your mentors. They should email the letters directly to glueck@rice.edu.
  
  
• Current resume (Word or PDF format) outlining your academic history and professional work experience: email to glueck@rice.edu. 
  
           
• Transcripts: official copies are preferred, but unofficial copies are accepted. If the transcript is in a foreign language, you must submit an English translation. Email glueck@rice.edu the following as PDFs:
  

• GRE scores; TOEFL scores if you are a non-native English speaker
  
  
• Undergraduate transcript
  
  
• Master's degree transcript (if you have a Master's)
  
  
• Current institution's transcript, if you are a predoc
  
  
• PhD diploma showing the date you received your PhD 
  
  
• If you do not have access to a scanner, mail the transcripts to:
  
  Melissa Glueck
  Administrative Program Director
  Gulf Coast Consortia, MS-141 
  Rice University
  P.O. Box 1892
  Houston, TX 77005-1892
  
  Tel. 713-348-4563
  glueck@rice.edu
  
  

ELIGIBILITY AND SUPPORT LEVELS

Predoctoral Trainees:  Up to 3 predoctoral fellows will be supported for the April 2009-March 2010 period. Graduate students in the laboratory of any faculty member conducting relevant virus imaging research are encouraged to apply. Applicants should have been enrolled in graduate school for a minimum of one year. Predoctoral fellows will be appointed for a period of one (1) year, with support for an additional year requiring a competitive renewal application. Support includes $25,000 (or the current UTMB stipend) per year. Depending on the number of appointments, partial support for tuition and fees, and for travel expenses may be available.

Postdoctoral Trainees:  Postdoctoral research fellows in the laboratory of any faculty member conducting relevant virus imaging research are encouraged to apply. In addition, UTMB faculty and outside faculty are encouraged to jointly mentor applicants, where the combined faculty provides training and expertise in virus imaging. Support is available for one year. Fellows will receive a stipend of up to $45,000 (depending on experience) per year. Depending on the number of appointments, partial support for travel expenses may be available.

SUMMARY OF REQUIRED COMMITMENTS

1)  Trainees are required to take a courses and engage in specialized training as described in the curriculum section of this website.

2)  All trainees (both pre- and postdoctoral) are expected to attend the Friday Keck Seminar series. 

3)  All trainees are expected to attend the Keck Center Annual Research Conference in October and present a poster. 

4)  All trainees are expected to submit written progress reports, including future plans, every six months. If appropriate, graduate students may submit reports required by their home institutions and append any additional material requested by the TG. Progress reports will include a mentor's evaluation and recommendations as well as the trainee's self-evaluation and plans for the next reporting period.

5)   All trainees are required to take approved training in ethics. In most cases, this will be done at the trainee's home institution using established courses/training sessions.

The Keck Center is committed to providing a wide range of career development opportunities to its trainees. In some cases, opportunities are developed and provided via the Center, but Center staff also informs trainees about opportunities at all six GCC institutions that are available to them. Trainees will be invited to participate in appropriate outreach, summer undergraduate training activities, and professional and social events from time to time. Trainees are also expected to provide ongoing evaluation to the PIs, and to submit a more extensive evaluation when they complete the program.