Some postdoctoral fellowships in Biology

When I was looking I had a heck of a time finding a summary of postdoctoral fellowships to apply for, so thought my compilation might assist others. This list is by no means comprehensive, but it’s a start. I’m happy to update this post with other suggestions (and links and descriptions). I especially tried to include whether the fellowships are available to international students or not. I’ve ordered them by approximate submission date, but as submission dates change every year, please don’t rely on these. Similarly, the links were active at the time of this posting. If they aren’t working, you can probably find the fellowship with a simple google search.

Lists Compiled by other people:

UC Berkeley: Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Biological Sciences

Life Sciences Research Foundation Fellowship 

- Due ~October

- LSRF awards fellowships across the spectrum of the life sciences: biochemistry; cell, developmental, molecular, plant, structural, organismic population and evolutionary biology; endocrinology; immunology; microbiology; neurobiology; physiology; virology.- Similar structure as NSF postdoc- Only one LSRF fellow allowed in a lab at any given time- U.S. citizens are eligible to work in any geographic location while holding an LSRF fellowship. Non-U.S. citizens must work in a U.S. laboratory to be eligible for an LSRF fellowship. 

NSF postdoctoral fellowship 

- Due ~October 

- The focus this year is, “Intersections of Biology and Mathematical and Physical Sciences“.- applicants must be U.S. citizens (or nationals) or permanent residents of the United States (i.e., have a “green card”) at deadline. 

NIH postdoctoral fellowship (using form SF424) 

- Due ~December 

- Applicants must be citizens or non-citizen nationals of the United States, or have been lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence.

L’Oreal Fellowships for Women in Science 

- Due ~December 

- Has both US and International options 

Graduate Women in Science Grants/Fellowships 

- Due ~January 

- All women scientists that are conducting research in the natural sciences regardless of nationality are eligible for application for any of the SDE/GWIS Fellowships.

Branco Weiss fellowship 

- Due ~March 

Helen Hay Whitney Foundation Fellowship 

- Due ~July 

- Fellowships may be awarded to US citizens planning to work in laboratories either in the US, Canada, or abroad and also to foreign citizens for research in laboratories in the US only.

EMBO Fellowships 

- Due 15th August and 15th February 

- The EMBO Long-Term Fellowships are awarded for a period of up to two years and support post-doctoral research visits to laboratories throughout Europe and the world. International exchange is a key feature in the application process. All fellowships must involve movement between countries and one of those countries must be an EMBC Member State. 

Human Frontier Science Program 

- Due August 

- Long-Term Fellowships (LTF) are reserved for applicants with a Ph.D. in a biological discipline to embark on a new project in a different field of the life sciences. Preference is given to applicants who propose an original study in biology that marks a departure from their previous Ph.D. or postdoctoral work so as to learn new methods or change study system.