| | | Updates from the UCI Office of Research |
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| Federal Research Policy Updates Townhall |
| The UCI Office of Research will be hosting a virtual Federal Research Policy Updates Townhall to provide an update on the impacts of changes in various federal agencies that support UC Irvine researchers. You can submit questions in advance to events@research.uci.edu. No registration is required to attend.
Wednesday, May 21, 9 to 10:30 a.m.
Via Zoom | |
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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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| 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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| 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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| Robert & Sylvia Mapel Research Innovation Awardees |
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| | Aileen Anderson, PhD, and Zeina Elrachid, graduate student researcher. | |
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This funding opportunity supports groundbreaking research of a PhD mentor and PhD student team in the areas of biomedical and translational sciences. Research that seeks to establish new paradigms, develop innovative new technology and/or methodology, remove roadblocks that restrict progress in a field, or answer intractable problems, is given priority. This program is intended to develop research in any biomedical area that requires preliminary data necessary to compete for extramural funding, NIH funding in particular. | |
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| Physician Scientist Collective Network Hosts the PSTP Research Showcase |
| The Physician Scientist Collective Network supports physician scientists by offering networking, mentorship and career development resources to advance their professional journeys.
This forum provides an opportunity for Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP) Scholars to showcase their research progress and share insights into their journey as physician-scientists.
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Patrick M. Chen, MD
Assistant Professor, Neurology
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Jeffrey Wong, MD
Associate Professor, Medicine
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| - Coffee & Refreshments – 3:30 to 4 p.m.
- Presentation – 4 to 5 p.m.
School of Medicine Research Development staff will be present to address any research-related questions.
Wednesday, June 4, 4 to 5 p.m.
Location: UCI Medical Center, Building 55, Conference Room 212, 101 The City Drive South, Orange, CA | |
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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 Wednesday, May 21.
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| Samantha Bradford, PhD (Ophthalmology), received an NIH R21 titled, “Amplified femtosecond laser permeabilization and poration for nonviral corneal gene delivery.” The major objective of this proposal is to test the hypothesis that subthreshold LIOB FS pulses focused through cells is sufficient in transporting plasmid DNA into the cells, and when combined with our current epithelial MC technique will result in a truly transepithelial, non-invasive, and vector-free gene therapy delivery system. We propose that replacement of MHz repetition rate FS light with KHz repetition rate (which is capable of utilizing higher pulse energies without increasing average power) used at a power below the LIOB threshold will result in transient poration of multiple cells simultaneously without relying on destructive heat accumulation, resulting in a much faster and safer procedure, expanding the therapeutic benefits of corneal gene therapy.
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: Training in the Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease |
| Nominations are requested for new and renewal applications to fill five predoctoral and three postdoctoral positions on the Training in the Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease NIH T32 with a start date of no sooner than July 1, 2025. Learn more in this Call for Nominations (PDF).
Deadline: May 29, 2025, Noon | |
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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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Limited: Burroughs Wellcome Fund Cimate + Health Excellence (CHEX) Centers
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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| 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 Biological Chemistry BC Seminar Series |
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Differential Lipid Absorption by Bile Acids and its Effects on Systemic Metabolism, by Thomas Quad de Aguiar Vallim, PhD, Associate Professor, Division of Cardiology, Department of Medicine, and Department of Biological Chemistry, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Director, UCLA Molecular Biology Institute
Wednesday, May 21, 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: Plumwood House / Showa Denko Lecture Hall
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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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| Muscle Biology & Disease Research Center MyoSeminar |
| Uncovering Links Between Hematopoietic and Neuromuscular Aging to Reverse Sarcopenia, by Will Wang, PhD, Assistant Professor, Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute
Thursday, May 22, 1:30 p.m.
Location: Plumwood Lecture Hall
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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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| Center for Neural Circuit Mapping Seminar |
| | Functional Genomics in the Era of Pangenome, by Ting Wang, PhD, Distinguished Professor of Medicine and Head of Department of Genetics, Washington University School of Medicine. Hosted by the UCI Center for Neural Circuit Mapping.
Tuesday, May 27, 10 a.m. PT
Location: ISEB 1200
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| FY25 CDMRP Funding Opportunities – Webinar |
| The Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs (CDMRP) is releasing FY25 funding opportunities and hosting a webinar on the Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, Melanoma, Peer Reviewed Cancer, Peer Reviewed Medical, Prostate Cancer and Toxic Exposures Research Programs.
Wednesday, May 28, 9 to 10 a.m.
Via Webinar | |
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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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| Avantor | VWR UCI Vendor Show |
| You're invited to connect with your local Avantor | VWR team and top supplier representatives at our UCI Vendor Show on May 28. Come explore the latest lab products and technologies from leading suppliers including Eppendorf, Cytiva, Molecular Devices, Azenta, Quantum-Si, Ohaus and more. Enjoy a complimentary breakfast, coffee and treats! We look forward to seeing you there and supporting your research needs.
Wednesday, May 28, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Location: Courtyard between Gross Hall and Hewitt Hall | |
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| Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics Seminar |
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|  Catherine Diamond, MD, MPH
Professor, Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine
|  Paul Gershon, PhD
Professor, Department of Molecular Biology & Biochemistry
UC Irvine Charlie Dunlop School of Biological Sciences
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Thursday, May 29, 9 a.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House, Room 166, and via Zoom
Meeting ID: 977 8256 2417
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| Department of Physiology & Biophysics Dissertation Defense |
| Host and Antigen Features as Drivers of Heterogeneity in Human Vaccine-Induced Immune Responses, by Zach Wagoner, Graduate Student, Lisa Wagar, PhD, Lab, Department of Physiology & Biophysics, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Thursday, May 29, 3 p.m.
Location: Thorp Conference Center 4001, Gross Hall 4th Floor | |
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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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| Experimental Pathology Dissertation Defense |
| Mitochondrial Protein MAGMAS as a Target for GBM Therapy, by Javi Lepe, Graduate Student, Bota Lab, Department of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine
Monday, June 2, 1 p.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Gross Hall, Thorp Conference Center Room 4001, and via Zoom
Meeting ID: 981 2118 0195
Passcode: 329579
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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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| Department of Physiology & Biophysics Research in Progress Seminar |
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|  Mari Soto
Graduate Student
Shivashankar Othy, PhD, Lab
|  Eleonora Risaliti
Graduate Student
Krzysztof Palczewski, PhD, Lab
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A Humanized C1qtnf5 L-ORD Mouse Model for Reliable Phenotyping and Development of Genetic Editing Therapeutics, by Eleonora Risaliti
Wednesday, June 4, 4 to 5 p.m.
Location: Plumwood House Lecture Hall | |
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| Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics Seminar |
| Identifying Pathways to HIV Latency Reversal for Improved Kick and Kill Cure Approaches, by Tessa Chou, Graduate Student, Department of Microbiology & Molecular Genetics, UC Irvine School of Medicine
Thursday, June 5, 9 a.m. PT
Location: Hybrid event at Plumwood House, Room 166, and via Zoom
Meeting ID: 995 7356 8114 | |
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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 SKIN: A Skin Biology Resource Center Distinguished Speaker Series |
| Appendage Regeneration, by Haley Naik, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Dermatology, UCSF. Hosted by the UCI Sue & Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center.
Friday, June 20, 11 a.m. to Noon
Location: Thorp Conference Center, 4001 Gross Hall, and via Zoom | |
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| UCI Center for Neural Circuit Mapping (CNCM) 2025 Conference — Register by June 1 |
| 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 June 1.
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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