Pending sufficient funding provided from NIEHS, four predoctoral trainee positions will be available starting July 1, 2025 thru June 30, 2026, with the possibility of renewal for a second year with good progress for a US citizen or permanent resident. A predoctoral fellowship typically includes a yearly stipend matched to the trainee's current recommended compensation rate at 50% time.  The support is dependent on the amount we receive and any adjustments in compensation that are ongoing on the UC Davis campus. The fellowship also includes an allowance for trainee-related expenses, supplemental child support and covers 100% of fees.

To be eligible, the student must be matriculated in a UC Davis graduate program and must be working on a dissertation project with a clear relationship to environmental health sciences. In general the project should include both an environmentally relevant exposure and should investigate an area with human health relevance. If you have questions please contact the training grant director, Dr. Laura Van Winkle lsvanwinkle@ucdavis.edu.  Priority is given to PhD students early in their graduate career, including first year students.  PIs can have only one trainee supported by this fellowship at a time.

Four of the open positions are funded by NIEHS and, therefore, to be considered eligible, the candidate must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. A complete application consists of the following:

• The applicant's biographical sketch or CV.
• The mentor's current NIH biosketch including other support
•  A concise plan (1-3 pages excluding references) describing the proposed research, its relevance to environmental health science and the applicant's career goals.
• A copy of graduate and undergraduate academic records.
• Three letters of recommendation, one of which is from the PI supervising the trainee's research. The PI must include a statement of how the applicant's project will contribute to the mission of NIEHS and how the PI will help the student achieve this goal. The PI must also indicate how many other trainees (graduate students and postdoctoral fellows) are currently in the laboratory. If the PI is listed as trainee faculty on the current T32 training grant then s/he can upload the letter of recommendation on the application website. If not, the letter should be forwarded to So Jung Yoon at sjyoon@ucdavis.edu.
• A statement from both the applicant and the mentor that if an applicant is awarded a fellowship, they will accept and meet the expectations spelled out in the attached Letter of Agreement.
• A statement on how the applicant will address the program requirement for didactic training in mechanistic toxicology if the trainee is from a graduate group that does not include toxicology training.
•  A personal statement paragraph (not more than half a page) on how the applicant has overcome personal and/or scientific challenges and that also addresses the applicant's motivation to do research in EHS.

To apply, go to https://niehs.etox.ucdavis.edu/apply/. Applications should be submitted by April 4, 2025.

Applications will be reviewed by the NIEHS T32 Executive Committee. Selection is based on academic qualifications and thus is an honor. Other criteria for selection include academic promise, scientific interest, mechanistic focus of the research proposal, use of cutting-edge technology, translational relevance, PI past and/or future participation in awarded trainee activities, mentoring experience of the PI, PI funding support relevant to EHS.  Overall relevance to the mission of NIEHS will be assessed as NIEHS has established this granting mechanism to train the next generation of scientists to further the institute's mission of protecting environmental health.