A seated man and two standing women look at a computer screen in a lab

Call for Fellows

A seated man and two standing women look at a computer screen in a lab

The ADSC is currently recruiting applicants for a two-year fellowship in an ADSC lab. More info below!

The Alana Down Syndrome Center (ADSC) at MIT is pleased to announce a new graduate and post-doctoral fellowship program in support of the recruitment and development of promising young researchers to the field of Down syndrome research. Fellowship awards will be offered to center labs until funds are expended and require nominations from a center faculty lead together with an approved application packet. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until all opportunities are filled.

Areas of interest for ADSC scientific research include: the cell biology of aneuploidy and the cellular stresses that result from it, computational analysis of genetic and epigenetic contributions to health and disease in Down Syndrome, tool development to improve investigation of the neuroscience of DS, and the systems and molecular neuroscience connections between DS, cognitive abilities, and Alzheimer’s disease. A list of the ADSC faculty is here, and more details on the ADSC faculty research interests can be found here.

 

The Alana Down Syndrome Center engages the expertise of scientists and engineers in a research effort to increase understanding of the biology and neuroscience of Down syndrome. Together, the center and technology program work to accelerate the generation, development, and clinical testing of novel interventions and technologies to improve the quality of life for people with Down syndrome.

Eligibility

Nominees must meet all of the following criteria to be considered for an Alana Fellowship:

  • Be nominated by an Alana Down Syndrome Center faculty member.
  • May not hold any other equivalent fellowship or career development awards equivalent in scope or purpose to a K08, K23, or K99 at the time this fellowship is awarded.
  • Be committed to the inclusion and accessibility causes
  • Applicants from Brazil and other Latin American countries are strongly encouraged to apply

Required Application Materials

To apply for an Alana Fellowship, please e-mail the following to ADSC Strategic Director Dr. Emily Niederst (niederst@mit.edu). Incomplete applications will not be accepted.

  1. Letter of support – not to exceed one page, from the nominating ADSC faculty member detailing their support of the post-doctoral fellowship candidate.
  2. Current CV – detailing research accomplishments of the candidate and date (or projected date) of PhD completion
  3. One-page fellowship proposal. This should include a brief description of the rationale, research project, and research methods that will be used during the expected fellowship tenure. The narrative must be no more than one page, single-spaced, using Arial 11 point font. One extra page will be allowed for a listing of referenced literature and/or figures. Appendices will not be accepted. The letter must include how your project is connected to the MIT and Alana mission statement (click here to read it).
  4. One-paragraph lay project summary briefly explaining the project and potential importance/impact to human health and the community to be used on the center website and donor related materials.
  5. Other Support document listing all current and pending support for the candidate.
  6. Two letters of recommendation from references familiar with the candidate’s expertise in the field of interest

For interested applicants not yet affiliated with an ADSC faculty lab, please contact the faculty member of interest directly, mention the ADSC Fellowship, and cc: Dr. Niederst at niederst@mit.edu.