| | | Updates from the UCI Office of Research |
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| Updated NIH Processes for No-Cost Extensions |
| This notice alerts the extramural community that NIH has temporarily disabled the No-Cost Extension functionality in eRA Commons. The Director of NIH has directed NIH staff to review all existing grants and cooperative agreements to ensure that NIH awards do not fund off-mission activities or projects. At this time, all requests for NCEs must be submitted as a prior approval request in eRA Commons for NIH review and approval.
Questions regarding the notices should be directed to your Federal Contract and Grant Officer. | |
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| Sign up for the Office of Research Listserv |
| | To keep up with the latest updates from the Office of Research amid all the federal funding changes, be sure to subscribe to the CG-News listserv. Sign up by sending a blank email to cg-news+subscribe@uci.edu. | |
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| NIH Changes to Foreign Collaboration Award Structure |
| | Effective immediately and until the details of the new foreign collaboration award structure are released, NIH will not issue awards (new, renewal or non-competing continuation) to domestic or foreign entities that include a subaward to a foreign entity. NIH will no longer accept prior approval requests to add new foreign components or subawards to ongoing projects. Recipients may renegotiate awards with NIH to remove subawards to foreign entities. Where possible, funds may be rebudgeted for use by the prime recipient or a domestic subrecipient. For projects that are no longer viable without the foreign subaward, NIH will work with recipients to negotiate a bilateral termination, considering patient safety and animal welfare needs. | |
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| Due to shifts in the federal agency funding landscape, do not sign any certifications or acknowledgments, complete any surveys, or respond regarding grant compliance, change in abstract or scope of work, or project activities. Instead, forward such communications to Jeff Warner, Senior Director, Sponsored Projects Administration. Authorized Organizational Representatives (AORs) in the Office of Research will handle these matters. If you have trouble getting in touch with your Sponsored Programs offices/Contracts and Grants office, contact Nancy Lewis, Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration. Learn more about the impact of federal executive orders and directives on federal grants and contracts.
For other questions or concerns, contact Paul Lekutai, Director, Federal and Non-Federal Sponsored Projects, or Jeff Warner.
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| 2025 Core Facilities Survey |
| UC Irvine 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 about the facilities 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 21, 2025.
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| Robert Hunt, PhD, and Lulu Chen, PhD (Anatomy & Neurobiology), received an NIH R01 titled, “Targeting synaptic dysfunction in lissencephaly.” Malformations of cortical development are extremely common, but there are no therapies. The proposed research will test a novel gene therapy approach for treating lissencephaly that targets the underlying synaptic dysfunction associated with the disorder.
Do you or someone on your team have research-related good news to report (e.g., research funding/award, publication, other accolade)? We would like to know! Please fill out this short Good News submission form. | | 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.
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.
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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Predoctoral Trainee Slot: Interdisciplinary Training Program in Skin Biology
Deadline: May 23, 2025
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| Limited: American Diabetes Association Pathway to Stop Diabetes Grants |
| The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is inviting nominations for the Pathway to Stop Diabetes initiative, which supports innovative basic, clinical, translational, epidemiological, behavioral or health services research relevant to any diabetes type, diabetes-related disease state, or diabetes complication. The ideal applicant will propose innovative research that will be an important step towards the eventual goal of improving the lives of people at risk of diabetes or living with the disease — and the pathway to this impact is clear.
Each institution is allowed a maximum of two nominations: one (1) nomination spanning basic through preclinical research and one (1) nomination spanning clinical through public health research. The nominations can be in one of the two available Pathway award types:
- Initiator – For researchers in postdoctoral training (up to 7 years from PhD). Phase One: request up to $100,000 per year, 2 years max. Phase two support (contingent): up to $325,000 per year, 5 years max.
- Accelerator – For early-career diabetes investigators (prior to submitting R01/U01 renewal or second R01/U01 regardless of outcome; may hold first R01 or other NIH funding). Up to 5 years of funding support, not to exceed $325,000 per year (including 30% indirect costs) for a maximum total budget up to $1,625,000 USD over 5 years.
Interested applicants (or their nominator) are asked to submit a preliminary application to the Office of Research via UCI Review.
Deadline: May 27, 2025 | |
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| Trainee Slots: MAXImizing Training in MUScle Research (MAXIMUS) T32 Training Program |
| The Muscle Biology and Disease Research Center is pleased to announce the call for applications for the MAXImizing Training in MUScle Research (MAXIMUS) T32 Training Program with funding beginning Oct. 1, 2025. They aim to support three PhD students and one postdoctoral scholar or clinical fellow. Learn more about MAXImizing Training in MUScle Research (MAXIMUS) and apply here.
Deadline: May 30, 2025 | |
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| | All Faculty Funding Opportunities | |
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Pilot Grant: Sickle Cell Disease Pain Analgesia & Integrative Network (SCDPAIN)
High Priority Areas are:
- Innovative measures and methods to study sickle cell disease pain
- Novel mechanistic insights of pain-affected organ(s)
- Whole person health approach to sickle cell disease pain
Learn more and apply here for pilot grants.
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| Limited: The Harold S. Geneen Charitable Trust Awards Program for Coronary Heart Disease Research |
| The Harold S. Geneen Charitable Trust Awards Program for Coronary Heart Disease Research supports research into the prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease or circulatory failure. The program focuses on basic and translational scientific research. Clinical studies are ineligible.
UCI may nominate only one candidate; therefore, interested applicants are asked to submit a preliminary application to the Office of Research via UCI Review.
Deadline: May 19, 2025
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| Limited: Burroughs Wellcome Fund Cimate + Health Excellence (CHEX) Centers |
| The Burroughs Wellcome Fund has announced Climate + Health Excellence (CHEX) Centers awards of up to $10 million (5 years at $2M/year, maximum) to increase awardees’ capacity for innovation at the interface of climate and health by enhancing research collaborations, training professional students and valuing outward focus/communications. The centers will facilitate collaboration between fields and organizations that aim to understand and mitigate the impact of climate change on human health.
UCI can only submit one application, though individual faculty may also participate in a consortium with other institutions. Applications from institutions just starting to integrate Climate + Health into their planning will not be competitive. Learn more about internal application process via UCI Review.
Internal Deadline: May 27, 2025
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| NIAMS P30 Skin Biology Resource-based Center Seed Grants |
| These seed grants are for new and innovative projects in skin research — in any area of research that falls within the scope of the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS). Projects should not have current funding from other sources, but rather represent new ideas and bring new investigative approaches to biology and diseases of the skin. Seed grants are intended to help develop projects to the stage where they are competitive for extramural funding, NIH funding in particular. The seed grants are not renewable. Learn more and apply for P30 Skin Center Seed Grants
Proposals Deadline: June 2, 2025
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| MDs & MD/PhDs: 2026 Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award |
| This is a unique program for physician-scientists to advance promising discoveries into medicines. The award offers successful applicants multiple opportunities for funding in addition to expertise from pharma-experienced leaders with a track record of bringing drugs to market. Intellectual property rights are retained by the award recipient and/or their institution. Learn more and apply for the Harrington Scholar-Innovator Award.
Letter of Intent deadline: June 4, 2025
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| FY25 DOD CDMRP Funding Announcements |
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| | | Upcoming Seminars & Events |
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| Seminar & Chalk Talk by the UCI Institute for Clinical & Translational Science |
| Join the UC Irvine Institute for Clinical & Translational Science May 14–15 for this seminar and chalk talk by Jonathan LoTempio, PhD, Fellow in Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Genetics and Genomics at the University of Pennsylvania.
Seminar: Human-Centered Genomics: Realizing Computational and Ethical Opportunities in the Pangenome Era
Wednesday, May 14, 9 a.m.
Location: Sprague Hall, Room 105
Chalk Talk: BAC to the Future: Building Enhanced, Ethical Reference Resources
Thursday, May 15, 11 a.m.
Location: Plumwood, Room 166 | |
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| Department of Biological Chemistry BC Seminar Series |
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Lavanya Manjunath
Graduate Student
Rémi Buisson Lab
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Ambrocio Sanchez Pineda
Graduate Student
Rémi Buisson Lab
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Alisa Mahieu
Graduate Student
Selma Masri Lab and
Nicholas Pannunzio Lab
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Regulating PKR to Protect Cells Against Viruses Without Harming Themself, by Lavanya Manjunath
Understanding How Mesoscale DNA Features Impact APOBEC3A and APOBEC3B Deaminase Activity and Shape Tumor Mutational Landscapes, by Ambrocio Sanchez Pineda
Environmental Circadian Disruption Accelerates Colorectal Cancer Progression, by Alisa Mahieu
Wednesday, May 14, 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: Plumwood House / Showa Denko Lecture Hall
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| Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics Seminar Series |
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Ming Tan, MD
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Matthew Marsden, PhD | |
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Wednesday, May 14, 4 p.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Tamkin F114, and via Zoom
Meeting ID: 949 4454 1706 | |
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| Physiology & Biophysics Seminar Series |
| In Search of New Medicines From Plants, by Geoffrey W. Abbott, MSc, PhD, Professor, Department of Physiology & Biophysics; Vice Dean, Basic Research; Senior Associate Dean, Academic Personnel, UC Irvine School of Medicine Wednesday, May 14, 4 to 5 p.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House Lecture Hall and via Zoom
Contact Claire Chen to join via Zoom.
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| Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics Seminar Series |
| Elucidating the Role of IFN-λ in Alpha Herpesvirus Neuroinvasion, by Stephanie Salazar, Graduate Student, Koyuncu Lab, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Thursday, May 15, 9 a.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Tamkin F114, and via Zoom
Meeting ID: 952 4521 7622 | |
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| Gene Editing for Functional Interrogation and Therapeutic Development in Neurodegenerative Diseases, by Subhojit Roy, PhD, Professor, Department of Pathology, University of California, San Diego. Hosted by the UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders. Learn more about UCI MIND’s Spring 2025 Seminar Series.
Thursday, May 15, 11 a.m.
Location: Natural Sciences I, Room 1114
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| Scientist Solutions Vendor Fair |
| Join Scientist Solutions and UC Irvine School of Medicine for a life science vendor show. Register today to reserve your lunch from Mendocino Farms. Learn more (PDF Flyer).
Thursday, May 15, 11:30 to 1:30 p.m.
Location: Grassy area between Sprague Hall and Gillespie Neuroscience
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| MS-BATS Science Communication Showcase: Featuring TED-Style Talks |
| Join us for an inspiring showcase of science communication where 10 students from the BATS 240: Science Communication Skills course will present their final projects — 6-minute TED-style talks modeled after NPR’s The Loh Down on Science.
Thursday, May 15, 3:30 to 5 p.m.
Location: Thorp Conference Center, Room 4001, Gross Hall
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| Experimental Pathology Research Conferences |
| Research in Progress Session:
Investigating Impact of APOE Isoforms on Choroid Plexus Epithelial Function and Transcriptome, by Viky Espericueta, Graduate Student, Monuki Lab, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Monday, May 19, 11 a.m. to noon PT
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House / Showa Denko Lecture Hall and via Zoom
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| Center for Neural Circuit Mapping Seminar |
| | Epigenetics of Cell Senescence, Cancer and Aging, by Peter Adams, PhD, Director and Professor, NCI-designated Cancer Genome and Epigenetics Program, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Institute. Hosted by the UCI Center for Neural Circuit Mapping.
Tuesday, May 20, 10 a.m.
Location: ISEB 2020
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| AI Tools and Proposal Development: Navigating Federal Agency Policies and University Best Practices |
| The AI landscape is rapidly shifting, and the proliferation of generative AI tools have broad ramifications for the research enterprise. It is more important than ever for researchers to understand federal agency policies governing the use of these tools in the grant writing and review processes, as well as best practices for engaging with AI. Join McAllister & Quinn for an insightful webinar which will provide an overview of current federal agency AI policies, highlight the tools and resources available to UCI researchers, and discuss important considerations for using these tools.
McAllister & Quinn Presenters: Kelsey Hassevoort, PhD, Managing Director, Research Universities Practice, and Cameron ter Horst, Director, Research Universities Practice
Tuesday, May 20, Noon PT
Via Zoom
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| Department of Biological Chemistry| Dissertation Defense |
| | Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase is a Causal Factor in the Formation of Chromosomal Rearrangements Associated with Ph-Like ALL, by Valerie Rangel, Graduate Student, Nicholas Pannunzio, PhD, Laboratories, Department of Biological Chemistry, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Tuesday, May 20, 2 p.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Gross Hall Rm 4001, Thorp Conference Center, and via Zoom
Meeting ID: 924 3331 0452
Passcode: 129109
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| Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics | Dissertation Defense |
| | Broken Circuits: How Diet and Genetics Rewire Liver and Kidney Metabolism to Fuel Disease, by Cuauhtemoc (Temoc) Ramirez, PhD Candidate, Gina Lee, PhD & Cholsoon Jang, PhD Laboratories, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Tuesday, May 20, 3 p.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Med Ed Room 4020, and via Zoom
Meeting ID: 956 1576 5202
Passcode: 152680
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| Noel Drury, M.D. Institute for Translational Depression Discoveries Speaker Series |
| Predictors and Mechanisms of Change in the Treatment of Depressed Adolescents, by Christian A. Webb, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Director, Treatment and Etiology of Depression in Youth Laboratory, McLean Hospital. Hosted by the UC Irvine Noel Drury, M.D. Institute for Translational Depression Discoveries.
Wednesday, May 21, 10 to 11 a.m.
Location: Hybrid event at Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, Palmer Conference Room, and via Zoom | |
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| Beyond Cancer Speaker Series: Carolyn Y. Fang, PhD |
| Cutting-Edge Research: Changing the Future of Cancer Prevention, by Carolyn Y. Fang, PhD, Professor, Cancer Prevention and Control, Associate Director for Population Science, Fox Chase Cancer Center, Temple University Health System. Hosted by the UC Irvine Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Wednesday, May 21, 11 a.m. to Noon
Via Zoom
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| Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics Seminar Series |
| Microbial Cancer Therapies — Mechanisms of invasion and activation of innate immunity in tumors, by Meggie Danielson, Graduate Student, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Thursday, May 22, 9 a.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House, Room 166, and via Zoom
Meeting ID: 962 5711 7238 | |
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| Faculty Mentoring Academy – UCI Academic Personnel |
| The Faculty Mentoring Academy will be delivered via a series of five workshops held during the course of each academic year. Faculty who attend three of the five workshops (over a two-year period) will be eligible to receive a certificate, reflecting the designation of having attended the “Faculty Mentoring Academy.” The fifth workshop will be on “Effective Communication.”
Thursday, May 22, 10 a.m. to Noon
Location: Donald Bren Hall 6011, 6th Floor Seminar Room
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| A New Era of Experiential Medicine: Cognitive Enhancement Technologies, by Adam Gazzaley, MD, PhD, Professor, Department of Neurology, UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, UCSF School of Medicine. Hosted by the UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders. Learn more about UCI MIND’s Spring 2025 Seminar Series.
Thursday, May 22, 11 a.m.
Location: Natural Sciences I, Room 1114
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| Seminar & Chalk Talk by the UCI Institute for Clinical & Translational Science |
| Join the UC Irvine Institute for Clinical & Translational Science May 22–23 for this seminar and chalk talk by Satoshi Koyama, MD, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Mass General
Seminar: Decoding Millions of Genomes: Insights Across the Common-to-Rare Variant Spectrum
Thursday, May 22, 11 a.m.
Location: Plumwood, Room 166
Chalk Talk: Beyond Association: Translating Genetic Signals Into Biological Mechanisms
Friday, May 23, 11 a.m.
Location: Sprague Hall, Room 105 | |
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| Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics Special Seminar |
| Biogenesis and Potential Application of Circular RNA, by Ling-Ling Chen, PhD, MBA, Principal Investigator, Chinese Academy of Sciences Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology. Sponsored by the UCI Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics.
Friday, May 23, 4 p.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House, Room 166, and via Zoom
Meeting ID: 990 6281 7633
Passcode: 714876 | |
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| Seminar & Chalk Talk by the UCI Institute for Clinical & Translational Science |
| Join the UC Irvine Institute for Clinical & Translational Science May 28–29 for this seminar and chalk talk by Ying Wang, MD, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard and Mass General
Seminar: Advance Precision Medicine for All: Polygenic Prediction Across Biobanks and Populations
Wednesday, May 28, 9 a.m.
Location: Sprague Hall, Room 105
Chalk Talk: Advance Precision Medicine for All: Integrating Genetics and Socio-Environmental Factors to Predict Disease Progression
Thursday, May 29, 11 a.m.
Location: Plumwood, Room 166 | |
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| UCI SKIN: A Skin Biology Resource Center Distinguished Speaker Series |
| Probing the Single-Cell Spatial Landscape of Human Skin, by Andrew Ji, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Dermatology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Hosted by the UCI Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center.
Friday, May 30, 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: Thorp Conference Center, 4001 Gross Hall
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| MS-BATS Program Now Open: Excel as an Effective Clinical Researcher with a Degree in Biomedical and Translational Science |
| The Master of Science in Biomedical and Translational Science (MS-BATS) program trains students to conduct high-quality multidisciplinary clinical research at the intersection of basic science and clinical medicine.
Deadline: May 30, 2025 | |
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| Experimental Pathology Research Conferences |
| Research in Progress Sessions:
Investigating White Matter Degeneration in Down Syndrome with Alzheimer’s Disease, by Justine Silva, Graduate Student, Head Lab, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Examining the Effects of Calcineurin & NFAT Inhibition on Alzheimer's Disease Pathology in Beagles, by Zoe Treadwell, Graduate Student, Head Lab, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Monday, June 2, 11 a.m. to noon PT
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House / Showa Denko Lecture Hall and via Zoom
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| Latent Class Analysis Using Stata (90 minutes), presented by Chuck Huber, PhD, StataCorp. The UCI Center for Statistical Consulting and ICTS Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Research and Design units are pleased to announce our series of FREE virtual courses on Stata! Stata is a popular statistical analysis software that many researchers find useful.
To learn more about our services, visit the UCI Center for Statistical Consulting and the ICTS Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Research and Design websites.
Wednesday, June 4, Noon
Via Zoom
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| 9th Annual UCI Postdoctoral Scholar Research Symposium — Register by May 15 |
| Don't miss the chance to share your research and connect with postdocs at UCI’s 9th Annual Postdoctoral Scholar Research Symposium. This year’s theme is TED Talk Your Research — a full day of oral and poster presentations, professional development and networking.
Register as a guest and join the fun. Deadline: Thursday, May 15
You’re welcome to join the event at any time at the UCI Student Center. Breakfast and lunch will be served to registered guests on a first-come, first-served basis.
Thursday, June 5, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Location: UCI Student Center, Emerald Bay DE
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| Experimental Pathology Research Conferences |
| Research in Progress Sessions:
Tandem Repeat Expansion in PLEKHA1 is a Novel Genetic Risk Factor for Alzheimer’s Disease, by Michael Colwin, Graduate Student, La Spada Lab, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine
A Novel Proteomics Approach to Interrogating the Galectin-3 Interactome, by Blake Krisko, Graduate Student, Mkhikian Lab, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Monday, June 9, 11 a.m. to noon PT
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House / Showa Denko Lecture Hall and via Zoom
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| UCI Center for Neural Circuit Mapping (CNCM) 2025 Conference — Register by May 19 |
| The Changing Brain. Co-sponsored by the UCI Center for Neural Circuit Mapping (CNCM), Cajal Club and the Allen Institute for Brain Science. We aim to host a leading-edge conference in 2025, bringing together thought leaders in neuroscience who will offer unique perspectives on integrating the different facets of neural circuits — structure, function, development and disease. Learn more about the speaker lineup and conference details at 2025 CNCM Conference. Register by May 19.
Aug. 18–21
Location: Irvine Marriott, 18000 Von Karman Ave., Irvine, CA 92612 | |
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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 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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