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| 2026 UC Irvine School of Medicine Research Awards |
| The School of Medicine Office of Research is pleased to announce our 2026 call for nominations for our sixth annual research awards to recognize research excellence and outstanding academic achievement in the School of Medicine. Each awardee will receive a monetary award and an individual plaque of recognition, and their names will be added to an enduring plaque on display in Irvine Hall.
Submit your nominations to Emily Dawidoff, edawidof@hs.uci.edu.
For more information, please refer to the call for nominations or the website.
Nominations Deadline: Monday, March 23, 2026
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| 2026 UC Irvine School of Medicine Faculty Mentoring Awards |
| The Office of Academic Affairs is pleased to announce the 2026 call for nominations for our sixth annual faculty mentoring awards to recognize excellence and innovation in mentoring at UC Irvine School of Medicine — specifically in the domain of faculty mentoring other faculty (not students). Each awardee will receive $1,500 and a plaque. Winners’ names will be added to enduring plaques displayed in Irvine Hall.
Department chair and/or mentee nominations for each award category are due by March 23, to Senior Associate Dean Brian Cummings, cummings@hs.uci.edu, and Katherine Perez, katheap4@hs.uci.edu.
For more information, please refer to the call for nominations or the website.
Nominations Deadline: Monday, March 23, 2026
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| The School of Medicine Research Development Unit is hosting a virtual workshop designed for trainees interested in applying for NIH fellowship funding opportunities, specifically the Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Individual Predoctoral (F30, F31) and Postdoctoral Fellowship (F32) awards. This session will highlight best practices for developing a competitive application, provide an overview of the application components, and offer an overview of application resources and support available through the School of Medicine. This workshop is ideal for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars considering NIH fellowship opportunities.
Wednesday, Feb. 11, Noon to 1 p.m.
Via Zoom | |
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| School of Medicine Dean's Research Council Meeting |
| School of Medicine Dean Michael J. Stamos and Associate Dean for Research Administration William E. Bunney invite you to attend this quarterly meeting featuring two distinguished research presentations:
Oxytocin Effects in a Congenital Model of Intellectual Disability, by Christine Gall, PhD, Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr. Endowed Chair, Distinguished Professor and Chair, Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, UC Irvine School of Medicine
UCI SKIN – A New UCI Organized Research Unit (ORU), by director Bogi Andersen, MD, Professor, Departments of Biological Chemistry and Medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine, and co-director, Anand K. Ganesan, MD, PhD, Professor, Departments of Dermatology and Biological Chemistry, Associate Dean for Physician Scientist Development, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Tuesday, Feb. 10, 5 to 6 p.m.
Via Zoom
Meeting ID: 968 2620 4626 | Passcode: 109533 | |
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| Graduate Writing Hub’s Winter Quarter Support Programs |
| Each quarter, the Graduate Writing Hub program hosts a wide variety of programming for graduate and postdoctoral scholars, ranging from regular and occasional opportunities to write in community to a selection of interactive workshops, and other professional development opportunities.
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| Call for Applications: Alpha Clinic Clinical Research Coordinator Certificate Training Program |
| The AC Clinical Research Coordinator Training Program (CRCTP) is a 10-week hybrid program that aims to support the workforce development in clinical research by introducing the job duties and responsibilities of a Clinical Research Coordinator and all training to become a certified CRC. Upon completion of the program, each trainee will have received training and in-depth knowledge of cell and gene therapy research and clinical trials for those interested in pursuing or continuing a clinical research career at UCI.
Candidates who have successfully completed lower division courses in biology, chemistry, or the SCRC stem cell techniques course. This program will also be beneficial for new clinical research coordinators as they start their clinical research career at UCI. We hope to enroll up to 8-10 candidates each session. The tuition for this program will be $5,000 USD. Scholarships will be available.
The summer program runs from June 22 to Aug. 28, on weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon.
Application Deadline: March 13, 2026
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| Apply for the UCI NIH Boot Camp |
| UC Irvine's National Institutes of Health (NIH) Boot Camp is a comprehensive, multifaceted mentoring program designed to help university faculty and career researchers successfully apply for their first research grants from NIH. The program includes team meetings, workshops and 1:1 support designed to provide mentees with the tools and knowledge they need to write a successful NIH research grant application. The UCI NIH Boot Camp has proven highly effective, with 75% of its participants securing grant funding following completion of the program. For questions, contact somrd@hs.uci.edu.
Deadline: Feb. 10, 2026 | |
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| Learn About the UCI Biobank and Experimental Tissue Resource (ETR) |
| Join this webinar to learn about these two resources: UCI Biobank and the Experimental Tissue Resource (ETR) and the scenarios to utilize one versus the other. The UCI Biobank is an IRB-approved initiative that advances translational research by providing high-quality, clinically annotated biological samples to researchers. The Experimental Tissue Resource (ETR) provides basic, translational and clinical cancer center researchers access to, and analysis of, human and animal tissues.
Presenters:
UCI Biobank: Maheswari Senthil, MD, FACS, Medical Director of UCI Biobank & Peter Horvath, PhD, CRA, CCRP, Director of ICTS Laboratory
Experimental Tissue Resource (ETR): Robert A. Edwards, MD, PhD, ETR Co-Director & Delia Tifrea, PhD, MBA, ETR Manager
Tuesday, Feb. 24, Noon to 1 p.m.
Via Zoom | |
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| The UC Irvine Center for Neurotherapeutics Announces Early Phase Drug Development Support Program |
| The UC Irvine Center for Neurotherapeutics (UCI CNT) is pleased to announce a call for applications focused on the discovery and development of small molecules intended to therapeutically modulate targets or pathways implicated in neurological diseases (i.e., any disorder affecting the brain, spinal cord, neuromuscular system, or retina, including neuropsychiatric disorders).
Note: Funds are not being provided to applicants and there is no budget section requirement in the application. Rather, all research experimentation performed at the UCI CNT will be fully supported during the duration of the project period. Proposals are opportunities for partnership development with the UCI CNT. The goal of this program is to support research projects and further integrate talented CNT staff with PI projects.
See the UCI CNT’s Request for Proposals for all details.
Deadline: Friday, Feb. 27, 2026, at 5 p.m.
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| Call for Applications: School of Medicine Junior Faculty Research Grant |
| The School of Medicine Research Committee is pleased to announce the School of Medicine Junior Faculty Research Grant competition. It is the policy of the committee to support seed research projects from new investigators who have a high probability of obtaining extramural funding as a result of this award. To qualify, the applicant must be a senate faculty member (Assistant or Associate level). Please submit inquiries to somrd@hs.uci.edu.
Deadline: March 12, 2026 | |
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| Join us for the School of Medicine’s 2026 Faculty Research Retreat |
| You’re invited to attend the UC Irvine School of Medicine’s 2026 Faculty Research Retreat, “The Next Chapter: Future Directions for Biomedical Research.”
Thursday, March 5, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. | Check-in & Breakfast begins at 8:30 a.m.
Location: Beall Applied Innovation | | Back to top | | | |
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| 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.
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, contact the RDU.
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, contact the RDU.
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| | Postdocs & Early Career Faculty Funding Opportunities | |
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Robert A. Winn Excellence in Clinical Trials: Career Development Award (Winn CDA)
The Winn Career Development Award (Winn CDA) provides $120,000 annually for two years, intended to cover a portion of the scholar’s salary — approximately 40% of their time — allowing them the protected space needed to fully engage in the program’s intensive training and research activities.
Deadline: May 4, 2026
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| | All Faculty Funding Opportunities | |
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Limited: Campbell Foundation Grants for HIV/AIDS ResearchThe Campbell Foundation supports nonprofit organizations conducting clinical, laboratory-based research into the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS, and related conditions and illnesses. Most grant funding is between $60,000 to $90,000. UC Irvine may nominate one candidate to apply per year. Apply via UCI Review. Deadline: Feb. 2, 2026 | |
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| Request for Proposals: 2026 California Healthcare Payments Database Affordability Research Fund |
| California Health Care Foundation (CHCF) has created a funding pool for researchers interested in using California’s Healthcare Payments Database (HPD) to study consumer healthcare affordability challenges, systemwide cost drivers in the state, or both. The HPD is California’s all-payer claims database. It’s a research database comprised of healthcare administrative data, including claims and encounter data generated by transactions among payers and providers on behalf of insured patients. The HPD includes billions of claim and encounter records submitted from California payers, including Medi-Cal-managed care plans.
Up to $500,000 in funding (in total) is now available for up to five grantees. Learn more about CHCF’s request for proposals.
Deadline: March 2, 2026 | | Back to top | | | |
| | | Upcoming Seminars & Events |
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| Department of Biological Chemistry BC Seminar Series |
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Safe Immunosuppression-Resistant Pan-Cancer Immunotherapeutics by Velcro-Like Density-Dependent Targeting of Tumor-Associated Carbohydrate Antigens, by Michael Demetriou, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Neurology, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: Plumwood House / Showa Denko Lecture Hall
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| Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology Dissertation Defense |
| Early-Life Adversity Reveals Synaptic Mechanisms for Behavioral Flexibility in Striatal Circuits, by Gregory De Varvalho, PhD candidate, Chen Lab, Department of Anatomy & Neurobiology, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2 p.m.
Location: 2200 Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building
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| Experimental Pathology Research in Progress |
| BKβ1 Sulfhydration in Estrogen-Induced BKCa Activation and Uterine Artery Dilation in Pregnancy, by Olamide Fategbe, Graduate Student, Dongbao Chen, PhD, Lab, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Monday, Feb. 2, 11 a.m. to Noon PT
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House / Showa Denko Lecture Hall and Via Zoom
Meeting ID: 955 3602 9351 | Passcode: 998046 | |
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| Center for Neural Circuit Mapping Seminar |
| | mRNA Lipid Nanoparticles: Past, Present and Future, by Philip L. Felgner, PhD, Professor in Residence, Director of the UC Irvine Adeline Yen Mah Vaccine Center, Department of Physiology and Biophysics, UC Irvine School of Medicine. Hosted by the UC Irvine Center for Neural Circuit Mapping.
Tuesday, Feb. 3, 10 to 11 a.m.
Location: Falling Leaves Foundation Medical Innovation Building, Room 2200, 847 Health Sciences Road, Irvine, CA 92697
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| Department of Physiology & Biophysics Research in Progress Seminar |
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|  Theresa Vu
Graduate Student
|  Kasandra Khiev
Graduate Student
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Development and Characterization of Cross-linkers to Expand Proteome Coverage, by Kasandra Khiev, graduate student in Lan Huang, PhD, Lab, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Wednesday, Feb. 4, 4 to 5 p.m.
Location: Plumwood House / Showa Denko Lecture Hall | |
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| Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics Seminar |
| Interdependent Regulation of Alternative Splicing by SR and hnRNP Splicing Factors, by Megan Holmes, Graduate Student, Hertel Lab, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Thursday, Feb. 5, 9 a.m. PT
Location: Medical Education Building, Room 4020, and Via Zoom
Contact Katrina Pagdayunan to join via Zoom.
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| Monthly on Mondays | Faculty Development Series |
| Advancement, Giving and Foundation Relations, presented by Angelique Andrulaitis, Jamie Landman, MD, and Tim Prelletz. Monthly on Mondays, presented by Nimisha Parekh and Brian Cummings, Senior Associate Deans of Faculty Development, is a monthly seminar series covering a wide range of topics on faculty development.
Monday, Feb. 9, 5:15 to 6:15 p.m.
Via Zoom | |
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| 9th Annual Skin Symposium |
| Skin in Motion: Forces, Signals & Renewal. Explore the latest advancements in skin research at the 9th Annual UC Irvine Skin Symposium, hosted by UC Irvine Skin, A Skin Biology Resource Center. Connect with renowned experts from across the globe as they unveil cutting-edge research findings, breakthroughs in skin health and innovative treatment approaches. Delve into the forefront of skin science with the distinguished speaker lineup. Register by Feb. 4.
Friday, Feb. 13, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Location: Hybrid event at UC Irvine Sue & Bill Gross Hall, Thorp Conference Center, 845 Health Sciences Road, Irvine, CA 92617 and Via Zoom
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| Rady Children's Health and UC Irvine Distinguished Lecture Series |
| Parental Legacies: How Stress and Trauma Shape Offspring Biology, by Brian Dias, PhD, Associate Professor, Developmental Neuroscience & Neurogenetics Program, The Saban Research Institute, Division of Endocrinology, USC Keck School of Medicine
Wednesday, Feb. 18, Noon to 1 p.m. PT
Via Zoom
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| Stata: Missing Data and Multiple Imputation |
| This free noontime workshop hosted by the UC Irvine Center for Statistical Consulting (ICTS) introduces different kinds of mechanisms that lead to missing data such as missing at random (MAR), missing completely at random (MCAR), and missing not at random (MNAR), followed by a demonstration of how to use Stata's -mi- commands to impute missing data and fit models using the imputed datasets. Questions? Email statconsulting@uci.edu.
Instructor: Chuck Huber, PhD
Wednesday, Feb. 18, Noon to 1:15 p.m. PT
Via Zoom
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| Noel Drury, M.D. Institute for Translational Depression Discoveries Monthly Seminar Series |
| Discovering and Regulating Brain Dynamics Relevant for Emotions, by Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD, Chief Vision and Values Scientist, The Collective for Psychiatric Neuroengineering; A. Eugene and Marie Washington Presidential Distinguished Professor, Departments of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Neurobiology, Biomedical Engineering, Duke University School of Medicine. Hosted by the UC Irvine Noel Drury, M.D. Institute for Translational Depression Discoveries.
Thursday, Feb. 19, 10 to 11 a.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Thorp Conference Center (4001, Gross Hall) and Via Zoom | |
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| UC Irvine Center for Neuropolitics Lecture Series |
| Skepticism and Politicization of Science: Causes, Consequences and Cures, by Roderik Rekker, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science, Radboud University, The Netherlands. The UC Irvine Center for Neuropolitics hosts this event. Register today for this FREE, virtual lecture! Friday, Feb. 20, Noon to 1:15 p.m. PT
Via Zoom
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| This 3-hour paid intermediate-level training, hosted by the UC Irvine Center for Statistical Consulting (ICTS), is designed for participants who are already familiar with basic SPSS functions and are ready to advance their statistical analysis skills. This workshop focuses on applied modeling techniques used in research, evaluation and data-driven decision-making. Attendees will learn how to conduct, interpret and report multiple regression, logistic regression and key diagnostic procedures essential for high-quality quantitative analysis. Questions? Email statconsulting@uci.edu.
Instructor: Marissa Ericson, PhD
Monday, Feb. 23, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. PT
Via Zoom
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| Experimental Pathology Research Conferences |
| Therapeutic Macrocyclic Peptides Bioinspired by Theta-defensins from Nonhuman Primates, by Michael Selsted, MD, PhD, Professor of Pathology, Seth MacFarlane Professor of Immunopathology, USC Keck School of Medicine
Monday, Feb. 23, 11 a.m. to noon PT
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House / Showa Denko Lecture Hall and Via Zoom
Meeting ID: 955 3602 9351/ Passcode: 998046 | |
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| 2026 Stem Cell Science Symposium & Featured Community Lecture |
| Join the UC Irvine Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center for the 13th Annual Science Symposium & Featured Community Lecture. Register by Feb. 13.
Featured Community Lecture | Gene Therapy for Blood Cell Diseases
Keynote Speaker: Donald B. Kohn, MD, Distinguished Professor, Microbiology, Immunology and Molecular Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA – Tuesday, Feb. 24, 7 to 8 p.m.
Location: Beall Applied Innovation – The Beach
13th Annual Stem Cell Symposium – Wednesday, Feb. 25, 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. (tentative)
Featured Speakers: Donald B. Kohn, MD, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Molly Shoichet, PhD, University of Toronto; Clive Svendsen, PhD, Cedars-Sinai; Vivian Gama, PhD, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine; Lisa Flanagan, PhD, Robert Hunt, PhD, Munjal Acharya, PhD, and Piyanuch Kongtim, MD, PhD, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Location: Gross Hall, Thorp Conference Center
Feb. 24 & 25
Location: Beall Applied Innovation – The Beach (Feb. 24) and Gross Hall, Thorp Conference Center (Feb. 25)
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| Call for Abstracts: National Kidney Foundation Southern California Medical Symposium |
| Join this in-person professional symposium hosted by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF). This year’s theme is “Using Innovation to Elevate Standards of Care in Kidney Health.” Consider submitting abstracts for the Poster Session. Poster presenters will receive complimentary registration to attend the full-day symposium. Posters that have been previously presented — or are planned for presentation — at other meetings are welcome. Participation in the poster competition is optional, and cash prizes will be awarded to the top three posters. Please review the poster guidelines and submit your abstract via the online application. For questions, reach out to NKF contact, Patty McCormac. Submit abstracts by Feb. 11.
Friday, Feb. 27, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Program: 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. | Poster Session & Reception: 5 to 7 p.m.
Location: Marriott Long Beach Downtown, 111 East Ocean Boulevard, Long Beach, CA 90802
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| Grand Rounds and CME Symposia |
| | For Continuing Medical Education (CME) opportunities, view the weekly Grand Rounds & CME Symposia email. | | Back to top | | | |
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| 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.
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| What are the Differences Between Highlighted Topics and Funding Opportunities? |
| Applicants, take advantage of this overview to learn how NIH Highlighted Topics differ from Notices of Funding Opportunities (NOFOs). There are significant distinctions you should understand when planning a project for your next application.
Highlighted Topics are a communication tool to promote a particular area of science within the NIH mission and encourage investigator-initiated applications from the community. They provide quick, simple information that is specific to the research topic area.
In contrast to NOFOs, Highlighted Topics:
- Give the applicant more freedom and creativity in responding to a topic.
- Are less prescriptive than a science-specific NOFO.
- Do not direct the applicant to use a particular NOFO, a particular due date or budget, or set other eligibility or application criteria.
- Provide topic inspiration. Applicants use an appropriate funding opportunity, such as one of the NIH Parent Funding Announcements or other broad NIH opportunities on Grants.gov.
- Are not funding opportunities. NIH may or may not have dedicated funding for applications in any given topic area.
- Do not impact referral or peer review of applications.
- Expire after one year. However, NIH may choose to update or renew a topic.
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| NIH is now REQUIRING the use of Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support |
| Starting Jan. 25, 2026, a unified Common Biographical Sketch and Common Current & Pending (Other) Support format is required using SciENcv. In SciENcv, you will need to create the NIH Biographical Sketch Common Form and the NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement.
These forms must be used for all NIH submissions, which include all applications, JIT, RPPRs and other documents.
Instructions for the Biographical Sketch Common Form and NIH Biographical Sketch Supplement, as well as an FAQ, are available.
Instructions for the Current and Pending (Other) Support Common Form, as well as an FAQ, are available.
Additional resources, including training videos, will be posted on Common Forms for Biographical Sketch and Current and Pending (Other) Support as they become available.
Reminder: Applicants are required to have an ORCID ID and link it with their eRA Commons profiles. Review the notice.
The RDU has posted slides to walk you through the process, which include a list of differences between the “old” and “new” Biosketch, along with pointers on how to optimize your Biosketch. If you need assistance, contact us at somrd@hs.uci.edu.
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| Sign up for the Office of Research Listserv & Keep Updated |
| | To keep up to date with the latest updates from the Office of Research amidst all of the federal funding changes, be sure to subscribe to the CG-News listserv. You can sign up by sending a blank email to: cg-news+subscribe@uci.edu. Also, bookmark the Office of Research Impact of Federal Executive Orders and Directives on Federal Grants and Contracts. | |
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| What kind of grant support does the School of Medicine Research Development Unit provide? |
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| What kind of grant support does the RDU provide to Physician Scientists? |
| Along with the general grant support the RDU provides (outlined above), there are multiple programs available outlined on the Physician Scientist Resources page. - Physician Scientist Collective: Monthly seminar series with visiting speakers
- Physician Scientist Pathways Certificate Course: Six-week, 12-hour hybrid course that introduces clinicians to research pathways
- Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP): Helps physician scientists apply for their first K award
- Dean’s K Scholar: Provides awardees the protected time and mentorship needed to obtain NIH K/ equivalent funding
- Clinical Trialist Training Program (CTTP): Supports junior faculty on externally funded clinical trials through a 2-year partnership program with senior investigators already running clinical trials
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