Biomedical Sciences Blog

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is pleased to announce a national competition to select as many as 70 outstanding early career scientists. This competition will enable HHMI to identify the nation's best biomedical scientists at a critical early stage of their faculty careers, and to provide them with flexible funding to develop scientific programs of exceptional merit. HHMI seeks scientists in all areas of basic biological and biomedical research, and in areas of chemistry, physics, computer science, and engineering that are directly related to biology or medicine.

Applicants must:

• Have a doctoral degree.
• Hold a tenure-track position as assistant professor or higher academic rank at one of the eligible institutions. If the applicant is at an institution that does not have tenure, he or she must hold an equivalent appointment. Federal government employees are not eligible.
• Have between two and six years of experience since first appointment as an assistant professor (or equivalent). To meet this requirement, the applicant's first faculty position as assistant professor must have begun no earlier than June 1, 2002, and no later than September 1, 2006. An applicant who has been granted a tenure clock extension or a leave of absence by his or her institution for reasons such as family care needs, illness, or military service may request a comparable extension of the career-stage range. Such applicants should provide information about the tenure clock extension or leave of absence received from their host institution in an email to compsupport@hhmi.org.
• Non-tenure-track appointments such as instructor and research assistant professor do not contribute at either end of the two- to six-year career-stage range. Professional employment in industry before beginning an academic career and at a level higher than postdoctoral researcher will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine if the experience would be considered as part of the two- to six-year range.

Level of Support

Those selected will become full-time HHMI employees, and their full salary and benefits will be paid by HHMI. In addition, HHMI will provide a research budget for salary support of personnel and supplies. In the first, second, and third years of an early career scientist's six-year term, the laboratory budget will be $150,000, $200,000, and $250,000 per year, respectively. In the final three years, the laboratory budget will be $300,000 per year. Periodically, HHMI will provide opportunities to purchase critical research equipment that may be needed for new projects.

A prospective applicant must indicate his or her intention to apply by April 30, 2008, at 2 p.m. ET, through the electronic application available through the HHMI website.

Source: HHMI