Sponsor Deadline
Posted: 12/8/2025

Young Investigator Grant

BBRF Young Investigator Grants provide each scientist with up to $35,000 per year for two years totaling $70,000 to enable promising investigators to either extend research fellowship training or begin careers as independent research faculty. The Brain & Behavior Research Foundation awarded the first Young Investigator Grant in 1987. The goal of the YI program is to help researchers launch careers in neuroscience and psychiatry and gather pilot data to apply for larger federal and university grants. Since 1987, we have awarded more than $337 million in Young Investigator Grants around the world.


Deadline: March 12, 2025

Eligibility Requirements

1. Applicants must have a doctoral level degree (e.g., M.D. with [minimum PGY-IV] training, Ph.D., Psy.D., Pharm.D., etc.) and already be employed in research training, or be in a faculty research position. The YI Grant is intended to support advanced post-doctoral fellows, instructors and assistant professors (or equivalent). Pre-doctoral students, first year post-doctoral fellows, faculty who’ve serve(d) as a P.I. on a NIH R01 grant are not eligible. Investigators at the rank of associate professor or equivalent are also not eligible (assistant professors who serve(d) as a P.I. on a NIH R01 or equiv. grant are now eligible for the NARSAD Independent Investigator Grant);

2. Applicants must have an on-site mentor or senior collaborator who is an established investigator in areas relevant to psychiatric disorders. The mentor/sponsor role is usually extensive for fellowship extension (mentor), and more senior colleague/advisor (sponsor) for an applicant prepared to initiate independent science.

3. Applicants may only apply twice for an initial NARSAD Young Investigator Grant.

Amount Description

Funding is for one or two years and is up to $35,000 per year.

 

Duke Awardees

2015

Kimberly Lynn Hills Carpenter, Ph.D

Min Fu, Ph.D

Merideth Alice Addicott, Ph.D

Andrada Delia Neacsiu, Ph.D

George McConnell, Ph.D

2003
John Beyer, M.D.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Changes in Late Life Bipolar Disorder

Thomas Blanpied, Ph.D.
Receptor-mediated Signaling and the Endocytic Machinery of Neuronal Dendrites

Aki Laakso, M.D., Ph.D.
Striatal hyperphosphorylation of Tau as a possible mechanism for tardive dyskinesia

Joseph McClernon, Ph.D.
Effects of Nicotine on Depression Symptoms: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Trial

2002
Michael Ehlers, M.D., Ph.D.
Intracellular Trafficking of AMPA Receptors

Warren Taylor, M.D.
Diffusion Tensor Imaging Changes of the Prefrontal Cortex in Late-Life Depression

2001
Frederick Cassidy, M.D.
Medications, Alcohol Abuse and Vascular Risk in Bipolar Patients: Focus on Elevated Homocysteine

Scott Compton, Ph.D.
The Effects of Exercise Training on Adolescents with Major Depression

Jill Compton, Ph.D.
Couple Interaction and Intimacy in the Treatment and Maintenance of Major Depression in the Elderly