To:          School of Medicine Faculty

From:     Katherine L. Nathanson, MD  

                Chair, PSOM Limited Applications Selection Committee

Re:          Searle Scholars Program

               https://searlescholars.org/competition/

 Date:    June 15, 2023

The University has been invited to nominate two candidates for the Searle Scholars Program. The Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) is managing the final candidate review and selection process; each school within the University may submit the names of up to two candidates.

• Applicants are expected to be pursuing independent research programs in biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, neuroscience, pharmacology, and related areas in chemistry, medicine, and the biological sciences.
• Applicants should have begun their appointment as an independent investigator at the assistant professor level on or after May 1, 2022. The appointment must be their first tenure-track position.
• The Searle Scholars Program does not ordinarily support purely clinical research but has supported research programs that include both clinical and basic components. Potential applicants who are unsure if their research is appropriate for the Program are encouraged to examine the research interests of present and former Searle Scholars on their website.
• Applicants who were nominated for awards in the previous competition year but were not awarded may still meet the eligibility criteria for the current competition.
• Grants are currently set at $300,000 for a three-year period, with $100,000 payable in the first year and equal sums payable in the second and third years
• Complete program description: https://searlescholars.org/competition/
• List of Searle awardees by institution: https://searlescholars.org/current-scholars/

PSOM Review Process

Each candidate must submit the following in the order below:

• Cover Page: Candidate name, academic rank, school, department, email address, phone number, and month and year of appointment to the PSOM faculty

• Letter of nomination from Department Chair or Division Chief
• Research proposal (must include proposal title) no longer than two pages (references not included in the two-page limit).
• CV, and current, expired and pending funding with award amounts (direct dollars per year)

Please submit all materials in a single pdf file in the order above to Kaitlyn Hagarty at kaitlyn.hagarty@pennmedicine.upenn.edu by 9:00am on Friday, July 7, 2023.  Subject line should read SearleScholar__Applicant’s surname_Applicant’s first name. For Examples: SearleScholar_Doe_John.pdf.

Please contact Kaitlyn Hagarty at Kaitlyn.hagarty@pennmedicine.upenn.edu with any questions.