April 30, 2024
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Announcements
Good News!
Funding Opportunities
Upcoming Seminars & Events
Open Research Positions
Research Resources
 
Announcements
 
School of Medicine Dean's Research Council Meeting
School of Medicine Dean Michael Stamos and Associate Dean for Research Administration William E. Bunney invite you to attend this quarterly meeting featuring two distinguished research presentations. 

The Cognitive Neuroscience of Schizophrenia: Bridging Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Serious Mental Illness by Cameron S. Carter, MD, distinguished professor and chair, Psychiatry & Human Behavior

Hippocampal Codes for Fast Updating of Changes in Reward Magnitudes by Laura Ewell, PhD, assistant professor, Anatomy & Neurobiology

Tuesday, May 14, 5 to 6 p.m. 
Via Zoom

Meeting ID: 968 2620 4626 | Passcode: 109533

Join Zoom
 
Clinical Research Networking Event
All faculty are invited to attend this clinical research networking event to meet peers who are conducting clinical research at UCI. Representatives from institutional committees, including ICTS, Research Development Unit, and the Human Research Protections office, will be available to answer questions about research protocols and resources. Light bites and refreshments will be provided.

Wednesday, May 8, 5 to 6:30 p.m. 
Location: UCI Samueli College of Health Sciences, 2nd Floor Terrace
856 Health Sciences Road, Irvine, Calif. 


Register
 
2024 Core Facilities Survey
UCI School of Medicine and the UCI Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center are partnering on a survey regarding core research facilities in the School of Medicine. Your answers are helpful and important; all responses will be factored in to optimize our research support structure. After answering a few basic questions, you will only be asked questions pertaining to the facilities and services used by you and the researchers under your supervision. This survey is anonymous. For questions, contact Claire Brainard Draper. Please complete the survey by May 10, 2024

Complete Survey
 
Register for an NIH Grant Writing Workshop!
The School of Medicine Office of Research is hosting a full-day, in-person workshop, “Planning and Writing Successful NIH Proposals” hosted by Dr. Jon-Michael Knapp of Luminint Consulting Group. The workshop will offer valuable insights into the grant application process, covering topics from developing a project plan to reviewing proposal feedback.  

Wednesday, May 29, 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Location: UCI School of Medicine, Irvine campus 


Registration is limited. To participate, faculty, research staff and postdoctoral scholars must register by Wednesday, May 1, by completing this form and submitting a draft of their specific aims page.
 
Join AAAS for Future Honorary Fellow Eligibility
Researchers are encouraged to become members of AAAS (American Association for the Advancement of Science). There are many member benefits and membership in this esteemed organization has been a time-honored tradition in the scientific community.

An important benefit of membership in AAAS is to position yourself to be elected as an AAAS Honorary Fellow. AAAS Fellows are a distinguished group of scientists, engineers and innovators who have been recognized for their extraordinary achievements. In a tradition stretching back to 1874, Fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council.

The UCI School of Medicine Awards Nominations Committee would like to nominate our researchers for consideration for election to AAAS Fellowship. One must be a continuous member of AAAS for the four-year period leading up to the year of nomination. Please make yourself eligible for this honor and become a member.
 
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Good News!
 
We have been collecting information about new awards sent in by the School of Medicine research community and have created this space to share the news.

Onwodi Ifejeokwu (Anatomy & Neurobiology, Acharya Lab) received first prize at the 10th Anniversary Grad Slam Celebration and was awarded $6,000 for her presentation on “Kill the cancer: Spare the brain.” Onwodi will now compete at the UC systemwide finals on Friday, May 3. In addition to that success, Onwodi was recently awarded a NIH diversity supplement to support her PhD thesis work on immunotherapy drugs, neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction.

Have you or someone on your research team received research funding or an award? The School of Medicine Office of Research would like to know! Please fill out this short New Research Funding or Award Survey form.
 
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Funding Opportunities
 
Find funding opportunities for trainees, postdocs and early career faculty, and all faculty.

For more funding opportunities and resources to help in your funding search, visit the Funding Opportunities page

For a curated, searchable and filterable list of funding opportunities announced by NIH in their weekly NIH guide listserv, check out the School of Medicine Funding Search Tool.

Considering applying for a Limited Funding Opportunity? Typically, you submit a pre-proposal to the Office of Research via UCI Review. If the opportunity is not listed, email the Research Development Unit (RDU)
Postdocs & Early Career Faculty Funding Opportunities
 
NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) Program - Track 1
The NSF Research Traineeship (NRT) program is designed to encourage the comprehensive development of graduate students as versatile STEM professionals for a range of research and research-related careers within and outside academia. UCI may submit no more than two proposals in response to this call. 

Interested applicants are asked to submit an internal proposal to the Office of Research (via the UCI Review application portal). Please also alert the School of Medicine Research Development Unit (RDU) at somrd@hs.uci.edu if you intend to submit an application. 

Deadline: Thursday, May 9, 2024, 11:59 p.m. 
All Faculty Funding Opportunities
 
Alfred P. Sloan Foundation  Equitable Pathways to STEM Graduate Education
Grantees awarded the Equitable Pathways to STEM Graduate Education grant via this initiative will engage the expertise of MSIs, and the unique experiences of their faculty and students, to model effective systems and practices that remove barriers and create opportunities for equitable learning environments in STEM graduate education so all students can thrive. Three types of grants will be funded: planning grants, seed grants and implementation grants.

UCI is allowed to submit only one application. Interested applicants are asked to submit an internal proposal to the Office of Research via the UCI Review application portal

Register here for the informational webinar on Thursday, May 9, noon to 1 p.m.

Deadline: Friday, May 10, 2024
 
W. M. Keck Foundation Research Program Grants
The W. M. Keck Foundation asks, “What’s new science?” Concept papers should provide a compelling argument that new knowledge discovery will result from the proposed project. The foundation focuses on basic research enabling pioneering discoveries that overturn prevailing paradigms or promote new solutions to old problems. They encourage development of new technology, but also want to know what new science it will enable. Competitive LOIs will clearly articulate the specific problem you want to explore and how your approach is unique. Make a direct link between the new technology/methodology you are developing and the new questions you can ask with that technology. Budget requests may be for up to $1.5 million and may be expended over three years.

Interested applicants are asked to submit a preliminary concept paper to the Vice Chancellor for Research’s (VCR) office via InfoReady.

Deadline: Monday, May 13, 2024
 
UC Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives (MRPI) RFP
UC Research Initiatives in the UC Office of the President has issued the UC Multicampus Research Programs and Initiatives Request for Proposals, which includes opportunities for both Planning/Pilot Awards and Program Awards. The MRPI opportunity is open to UC faculty and researchers in any field of research and scholarship. Proposals require collaboration among at least three UC campuses to pursue pioneering research in thematic, multidisciplinary, or inter-disciplinary areas that enhance the UC research enterprise, strengthen UC’s position as a leading public research university, and benefit California and its people. Find additional program information on the UCOP website

Letter of Intent deadline: Thursday, May 16, 2024, noon
 
California HIV/AIDS Research Program (CHRP) Funding Opportunities 
The California HIV/AIDS Research Program (CHRP) is pleased to share two requests for proposals:
  • Low Barrier Technology Interventions for HIV Prevention and Care
  • Economic Justice Interventions to Address HIV and HIV Syndemic Factors in California.
Each of these opportunities require a letter of intent, and these will undergo competitive merit review to limit the pool of potential applicants who are invited to submit full applications. Learn more

Letter of Intent Deadline: Thursday, May 16, 2024
 
ARPA-H and Its Funding Programs 
The Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) accelerates better health outcomes for everyone by supporting the development of high-impact solutions to society's most challenging health problems. ARPA-H advances high-potential, high-impact biomedical and health research that cannot be readily accomplished through traditional research or commercial activity. ARPA-H awardees are developing entirely new ways to tackle the hardest challenges in health. The FY24–26 Strategic Plan provides a blueprint, detailing the agency's approach to catalyzing the next generation of lifesaving treatments to improve the health and well-being of all Americans. Review past and active ARPA-H funding programs to get a sense of this agency’s research interests.  
 
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Upcoming Seminars & Events
 
Department of Biological Chemistry BC Special Seminar
Molecular Mechanisms that Instruct the Assembly of Polymorphonuclear Genomes, by Cornelis Murre, PhD, distinguished professor, Department of Molecular Biology, School of Biological Sciences, UC San Diego

Wednesday, May 1, 11 a.m. to noon  
Location: Plumwood House / Showa Denko Lecture Hall


 
Research in Progress Seminar by UCI Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and Cancer Research Institute 
A New Approach to Target the Vascular Microenvironment in Tumors, by Anand Ganesan, MD, PhD, professor, Departments of Dermatology, Biological Chemistry and Surgery, UCI School of Medicine

Wednesday, May 1, noon to 1 p.m.  
Via Zoom 


Join Zoom
 
CHOC Research Seminar: Study Design Success & Challenges — Mechanisms of Right Ventricular Failure
Speaker: Sushma Reddy, MD, associate professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Cardiology at Stanford School of Medicine, with an expertise in cardiovascular intensive care caring for pre- and post-operative and critically ill children

Wednesday, May 1, noon to 1:15 p.m.   
Via Zoom 


Register
 
Physiology & Biophysics Research in Progress Seminar 

Headshot of Paige Halas

Paige Halas
Graduate Student
Devon Lawson, PhD, Lab
Department of Physiology & Biophysics
UCI School of Medicine  

Headshot of Sean Tang

Sean Tang
Graduate Student
Lan Huang, PhD, Lab
Department of Physiology & Biophysics 
UCI School of Medicine


Unraveling the Pro-Metastatic Role of PHLDA2 in Breast Cancerby Paige Halas
Developing a Complex-centric XL-MS approach to Delineate the Human Interactome, by Sean Tang

Wednesday, May 1, 4 to 5 p.m. 
Location: Tamkin Hall F114
 
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner in 2024? How Partisan Identity Politics is Taking Over America
Speaker: Darren Shreiber, PhD, JD, senior lecturer in politics, University of Exeter. Learn more about this event hosted by the UCI Center for Neuropolitics.  

Friday, May 3, Noon to 1:15 p.m. PT
Via Zoom 


 
Molecular Biology & Biochemistry Seminar
Harnessing T cell surveillance by CDK4/6 inhibition in lymphoma therapy, by Selina Chen-Kiang, PhD, professor of microbiology and immunology, Weill Cornell Medical College 

Friday, May 3, Noon
Location: 1114 Natural Sciences 1 


 
Experimental Pathology Research Conferences
Multispectral short-wave infrared imaging for equitable assessment of disease or trauma-associated changes in skin, by Leo Shmuylovich, MD, PhD, assistant professor, Dermatology, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis 

Monday, May 6, 11 a.m. to noon 
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House / Showa Denko Lecture Hall and via Zoom


Contact Pat Sommer to join via Zoom. 
 
Genomics, Biomedical Computing and Genetics Monthly Meeting
Translational Science at UCI Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center — Opportunities for Collaboration and Clinical Trials, by Farshid Dayyani, MD, PhD, professor, Division of Hematology/Oncology, Department of Medicine, UCI School of Medicine. Meeting hosted by the Genomics Research and Technology Hub (GRT Hub).  

Tuesday, May 7, 10 to 11 a.m.   
Via Zoom 


Join Zoom
 
Monthly on Mondays | Faculty Development Series 
Overcoming Imposter Syndrome, presented by Deepti Pandita, MD. Monthly on Mondays, presented by Nimisha Parekh, MD, and Brian J. Cummings, PhD, associate deans of faculty development, is a monthly seminar series covering a wide range of topics focused on faculty development. 

Monday, May 13, 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. 
Location: Via Zoom 


Register
 
NIH Grants Process: A Brief Walk-Through for Beginners
Are you new to working with the NIH grants process? If so, make plans to join your peers as the NIH walks through essential aspects of applying for funding. This event offers participants an opportunity to gain insights into the NIH’s organizational structure and how it funds research, finding the right fit for your research (including NIH Notices of Funding Opportunity - NOFOs), the grants process overview, peer review, NIH and applicant institution roles and responsibilities, and resources to help along the way.

Wednesday, May 15, 10 to 11:30 a.m. PT
Virtual Event 


Register
 
Physiology & Biophysics Seminar Series
Career options after your PhD, by Albert ZlotnikPhD, professor emeritus, Physiology & Biophysics, UCI School of Medicine

Wednesday, May 15, 11 a.m. to noon  
Location: Hybrid event at Tamkin Hall F114 and via Zoom 


Contact Dorota Skowronska-Krawczyk to join via Zoom. 
 
CHOC Research Seminar: Discussions on improving identification of high-risk injuries associated with child physical abuse
Speaker: Gunjan Tiyyagura, MD, MHS, associate professor of Pediatrics and Emergency Medicine, director of Pediatric Quality and Safety Education, Pediatrics at Yale University.

Wednesday, May 15, noon to 1:15 p.m. 
Via Zoom 


Register
 
Vision Research Mixer
We are excited to invite you to our Vision Research Mixer organized by the UCI Gavin Herbert Eye Institute. We hope you will join us for an opportunity to engage with other vision research colleagues from across UCI. The event will include several brief vision research talks during the first hour, followed by a reception.

Wednesday, May 15, 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. 
Location: Gross Hall, 4th Floor Conference Room 

 
UCI School of Biological Sciences | Department of Developmental and Cell Biology Spring 2024 Seminar Series
Revisiting the role(s) of netrin1 in the establishment of spinal cord circuitry, by Samantha Butler, PhD, professor and vice chair for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Department of Neurobiology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles. Faculty who are interested in scheduling time with Dr. Butler can contact Katie Thompson-Peer.  

Thursday, May 16, 11 a.m. PT
Location: 4201 Natural Sciences II
 
ICTS Brown Bag Lunch Series Workshop
Come on, Feel the Noise: A Look at Signals, Noise, and Uncertainty in Biological Research, by Mitchel Colebank, PhD, postdoctoral researcher, Chesler Lab (biomedical engineering)

Tuesday, May 21, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. 
Location: UCI College of Health Sciences Building, Room 2110


Register
 
UCI Conte Center Seminar Series
The Midline Thalamus and the Control of Goal-Oriented Behaviors, by Mario Penzo, PhD, senior investigator, Unit on the Neurobiology of Affective Memory, National Institute of Mental Health  

Tuesday, May 21, 4 to 5 p.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House lecture hall and via Zoom

Passcode: 764583 


Join Zoom
 
21st Annual EpiCenter Symposium 
The 2024 EpiCenter Symposium will celebrate the 20th year of the NIH T32 program in epilepsy research. Talks will feature speakers working to solve important problems related to epilepsy in the laboratory, the clinic and the community. The keynote speaker will be Tracy Dixon-Salazar, PhD, executive director of the Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome (LGS) Foundation. 

Wednesday, May 22, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. 
Location: Sue Gross Auditorium 


Register
 
Grand Opening of UCI’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Facility
Join this cocktail reception and celebration for the grand opening of UCI’s state-of-the-art Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) Facility. The GMP Facility houses seven specialized manufacturing rooms, a quality-control lab and process development services. It is uniquely poised to specialize in the production of cell and gene therapies for clinical trials in neurological diseases and cancer, significantly expanding treatment options for our patients and positioning UCI at the forefront of pioneering novel regenerative treatments into clinical practice.

Wednesday, May 22, 4 to 6 p.m. 
Location: Thorp Conference Center, Gross Hall — 4th Floor  


Register
 
Budgeting for Clinical Trials Workshop
Speaker: Jackie Dalke, Navigation Services Finance Manager, Clinical Trials Office, UC Davis Clinical and Translational Science Center. Workshop presented by the Western CTS Education Consortium (WCEC). 

Designed with K scholars in mind, this overview will help you gain a better understanding of protocols for feasibility, determine critical parameters that may affect study outcomes, identify protocol-related items that contribute to the costs, and define the cost structure for the grant budget. The attendees will review a hypothetical National Institutes of Health (NIH) study using a Feasibility Template and convert the findings into a grant budget.

Thursday, May 23, 2 to 3:30 p.m. 
Via Zoom

Meeting ID: 931 3390 9953 | Passcode: 884357


Join Zoom
 
UCI Gavin Herbert Eye Institute's 10th Annual Bench to Bedside Symposium
The Gavin Herbert Eye Institute’s 10th Annual Bench to Bedside Symposium is a FREE one-day symposium focused on exciting advances in translational research to treat eye diseases. Learn more about the poster presentation competition for a cash prize. Posters due May 10.  

Saturday, June 1, 7:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Location: Arnold and Mabel Beckman Center, 100 Academy Way, Irvine, CA 92617

Register
 
Grand Rounds and CME Symposia
For Continuing Medical Education (CME) opportunities, view the weekly Grand Rounds & CME Symposia email.
 
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Open Research Positions
 
Postdoctoral Scholar - Immuno - Virology and Vaccine Development
The Laboratory of Cellular and Molecular Immunology of the UCI Gavin Herbert Eye Institute has two postdoctoral scholar openings. Applications are being sought from recent PhD, or MD/PhD graduates in the Biological/Immunological Sciences. Interdisciplinary skills and approaches in Genomics, Bioinformatics, RNA Sequencing, CyToF, FACS, Advanced Imaging, Biochemistry, Immunology and Cell Biology are strongly desired.

PI: Lbachir Benmohamed, PhD
View the posting in AP Recruit
Closing date: May 15, 2024 
 
Project Scientist - Otolaryngology 
The Department of Otolaryngology seeks a part-time or full-time project scientist with experience in CRISPR to work on inner ear therapeutics in cell culture and animals. The successful candidate should have a background in molecular genetics and will be overseeing the design and implementation of inner ear therapeutics in cell culture and eventually animal models.

PI: Hamid Djalilian, MD
View the posting in AP Recruit
Closing date: May 31, 2024 
 
Postdoctoral Scholar-Della Martin Fellowship / Psychiatry and Human Behavior
An exciting and unique opportunity to study neuropsychiatric disorders at the molecular level and develop translational research programs in clinical populations using state-of-the art technologies including single cell RNA-seq, spatial transcriptomics, and cellular models derived from patients and controls. Successful candidate will be familiar with molecular and cellular laboratory methods and bioinformatics.

PI: William E. Bunney, MD 
View the posting in AP Recruit.
Closing date: Sunday, June 30, 2024
 
Postdoctoral Scholar in the Marazzi Lab / Biological Chemistry
The Marazzi Lab is seeking a highly motivated and talented individual to fill the position of Postdoctoral Researcher. A successful candidate will join a dynamic and innovative research team dedicated to advancing our understanding of epigenetic mechanisms and their role in human health and disease.

PI: Ivan Marazzi, PhD 
Contact Dr. Marazzi if interested. View the posting in AP Recruit
Closing Date: Sunday, June 30, 2024 

 
Postdoctoral Scholar in Neuroscience / Conte Center 
Wish to manipulate new stress-sensitive projections? Discover how early-life stress/adversity impacts brain maturation? Postdoc in amazing South California? Join the team!

PI: Tallie Z. Baram, MD, PhD
View the posting in AP Recruit
 
Do you have an open research-related position you would also like announced in Research Insider? Please fill out this form to have your open position listed.

Submit Form
 
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Research Resources
 
New FAQs for Early Stage Investigators
Are you an Early Stage Investigator (ESI)? A new FAQ is available. Read more
 
Exploring the Difference Between Exempt Human Subjects Research and Expedited IRB Review
There can be some confusion about exempt human subjects research and expedited IRB review. Expedited review is not the same as exempt research. Here are a few points to provide clarity. Read more
 
NIH Early Career Reviewer (ECR) Program
The program aims to help early career scientists become more competitive as grant applicants through first-hand experience with peer review and to enrich and diversify CSR’s pool of trained reviewers. Read more about the requirements for the Early Career Reviewer Program and enroll. 
UCI Resources
 
Did you know about these UCI-offered resources?
These three books can be downloaded fromUCI Libraries (must be on campus or using VPN): UCI Apporto Virtual Computer Lab VCL (free)
  • Apps available now: Stata, SPSS, Cran R, R Studio and Matlab
  • Apps available soon: ArcGIS and Eviews
School of Medicine Research Development Unit Resources
 
What kind of grant support does the Research Development Unit (RDU) provide?
 
NIH Training Grant Incentive Program
Training Grants (e.g., NIH T32) play a key role in supporting graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and increases our ability to recruit the best among them. The School of Medicine Office of Research appreciates the time commitment required to prepare and direct training grants and has the Training Grant Incentive Program for first-time submissions of new or competing renewal applications. Read the guidelines on the intake form.

Also, the School of Medicine Research Development Unit supports the preparation of training grant proposals; email somrd@uci.edu to get started. View current UCI Training Grants. View active NIH T32 funding calls.
 
Interested in submitting for an NIH multi-component grant?
If you are interested in submitting for an NIH multi-component grant, such as the P or U mechanism, please remember to reach out to Dr. Al La Spada, Associate Dean for Research Development (alaspada@uci.edu). He can guide you through the process and connect you with potential collaborators.

Also, remember that the Research Development Unit (RDU) provides
project management support for these mechanisms.
To request RDU services, submit this Grant Support Request intake form. There is also an incentive program for these submissions, with more details in this Incentive Program intake form.
 
Intramural & Foundation Funding Opportunities Lists
The Research Development Unit (RDU) has created lists of intramural funding opportunities and foundation funding opportunities. If you have additional opportunities that should be included, please do not hesitate to email at somrd@hs.uci.edu.
 
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COVID-19 Information
 
Respiratory infection reminders
  • Employees are encouraged to stay home when ill to help reduce the spread of infections.
  • Employees, including student employees, are strongly encouraged to report cases of COVID-19 to Contact Tracing and Vaccine Navigation Services at contacttracing@uci.edu or 949-824-2300.
  • Free COVID-19 antigen tests continue to be available to employees at various locations on campus.
All employee-related information can be found at Human Resources Working Well webpage. For UCI Health updates, please visit UCI Health's COVID-19 page on SharePoint.
Contribute to Research Insider!
 
Submit your funding opportunities and events to next week's email here: Seminar/Event or Funding Opportunity.

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