The Triangle Center for Evolutionary Medicine (TriCEM) is partnering with the Duke Microbiome Center (DMC), the North Carolina State University (NCSU) Global One Health Academy (GOHA) and the NCSU Genetics & Genomics Academy (GGA) to support research conducted by graduate students at Duke University and NCSU. Graduate Student Awards provide one year of funding for Ph.D. students to pursue research in evolutionary medicine.
Funds should be used for direct research expenses; tuition, fees, and stipends are not allowable expenses. Award amounts will vary depending on funding availability, up to $7,500.
As part of the application, students have the option to apply for additional funding to (1) involve undergraduate trainees in the research project and/or (2) engage the public via scientific outreach at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences related to the proposed research.
We are especially interested in proposals that connect microbiome research to any of the four Research Tracks in TriCEM – pathogenic organisms, cancer, brain sciences, and social & biological determinants of health – or that engage with One Health research at the intersection of humans, animals, and the environment. To be eligible, a student must be enrolled at Duke and have completed one semester of their graduate program at the start of funding. We expect the graduate student to lead and author aspects of the proposed research under the mentorship of their advisor. The research can be independent of or related to their dissertation research.
Proposed research activities should engage with (1) evolutionary medicine, broadly interpreted to involve research that uses evolutionary and ecological perspectives to understand health and disease in humans, animals, and plants, and (2) symbiotic microbes and their communities, including those found in humans, other animals, plants, or the environment. Examples might include the connections between microbial communities and health conditions, such as cancer or neurodegenerative diseases; the role of microbial diversity in competitive suppression of pathogens, such as Clostridioides difficile.
Deadline: Jan. 10, 2025