Program Description
The ITI Postdoctoral Fellowship is a two-year funding opportunity for postdoctoral researchers working in ITI-affiliated laboratories. The fellowship will provide funding for approximately 50% of stipend and benefits (up to $39,000/year), $6,500/year in career development and research funds, and $3,000/year for travel. In addition to their research, ITI Fellows participate in structured career development in either Translational Entrepreneurship (industry-focused) or Translational Discovery (academia-focused) training. Fellows conduct research in an ITI-affiliated laboratory and will connect with mentors and fellow trainees across ITI through coursework and seminars tailored to their own career interests. Each ITI Fellow is supported in their training by a three-person mentorship team comprised of their Scientific mentor (postdoc mentor), a Collaborating mentor (preferably outside of the postdocs’ department), and in the second year of funding, pick a Networking mentor from industry (biotech or pharmaceutical professional) or academia to aid with career progression. ITI Fellows are expected to attend the ITI symposium and are encouraged to attend ITI-supported social gatherings and networking events. Click here to learn more about the program and the current ITI Fellows.
ELIGIBILITY
Applicants should have no more than 36 months of postdoc research experience at the time of the application.
Ph.D. candidates that do not have their degree at time of the application deadline are eligible to apply. If awarded, the applicant’s Ph.D. degree must be conferred prior to the start of the fellowship.
Applicants who have accepted a privately funded postdoctoral research fellowship award not eligible for full stipend support, but may apply to obtain additional funds for research and training expenses. Applicants who are current SeaBridge Fellows are ineligible to apply.
Applicants may be citizens of any country.
Intellectual Property is subject to the University of Washington IP guidelines.
Applicants must have identified a UW-affiliated sponsoring faculty member prior to applying. This faculty member must be affiliated with the ITI or become a mentor with the ITI. Faculty members can apply to be an ITI mentor below. Please note that the ITI cannot provide funding to fellows whose primary faculty mentors are not affiliated with the UW Department of Immunology.
IMPORTANT DATES
| Event | Date/Time |
|---|---|
| Call for Applications released and application portal opens. | January 16, 2026 |
| Application Deadline | March 20, 2026 at 5pm PST |
| Application Review | March – April 2026 |
| Award Notification | May 2026 |
| Enrollment | July 1, 2026 |
| Fellowship begins | September 1, 2026 |
| Fellowship ends | August 31, 2028 |
APPLICATION
Detailed Instructions for Application:
CV. Provide a pdf of your CV that includes your current and pending support, including funding source(s) and the amount from each support source. No page limit.
Letter of Recommendation.
Letter of Recommendation from Ph.D. mentor. (two-page limit): Provide a signed letter from your PhD advisor.
Letter of Recommendation from scientific mentor (postdoc mentor). (two-page limit): Provide a signed letter from your chosen scientific mentor for the ITI fellowship. The letter must clearly state how the mentor will support the scientific and career goals of the applicant.
Letter of Support from collaborating mentor. (one-page limit): Provide a signed letter from your chosen collaborating mentor for the ITI fellowship. The letter must clearly state how collaboration with this mentor will enhance the scientific and career goals of the applicant.
Review criteria and process. To determine scientific and technical merit, all applications will be evaluated by an ITI-appointed committee. Projects that take advantage of the ITI network will be prioritized.
Project Proposal
Limit to 2 pages including up to 2 figures (optional). In the proposal, answer the following questions:
- What are your training objectives for the ITI fellowship? Choose a track (Translational Discovery or Translational Entrepreneurship) and expand on what types of training you are most interested in obtaining. Learn more about each track here.
- What are your scientific and collaborative goals for this fellowship (include specifics on proposed collaboration). Keep in mind this is a two year fellowship, so propose a reasonable amount of work for this timeframe. Justify your scientific and collaborative goals to provide perspective on why these goals will move your science forward. Define how the proposed project is viewed as translational.
- How do you plan to apply what is learned from the fellowship to the next steps of your career?
| File | File Naming Convention |
|---|---|
| CV | [Winter2026]_[last name]_CV.pdf |
| Letter of recommendation from Ph.D. mentor | [Winter2026]_[last name]_LORPhD.pdf |
| Letter of recommendation from Scientific mentor (Postdoc mentor) | [Winter2026]_[last name]_LORPostDoc.pdf |
| Letter of support from Collaborating mentor | [Winter2026]_[last name]_LOS.pdf |
| Project Proposal | [Winter2026]_[last name]_Proposal.pdf |