NIH F31 grants: recently funded projects and award sizes

Project length

Up to 5 years in total, depending on the institute

Who applies

Doctoral students enrolled in a research doctoral program

Research Strategy

Usually 6 pages, plus a 1-page Specific Aims

Budget

Stipend and allowances at the current NRSA rates

Limits change between notices: the notice you apply to is what counts.

• OpenPA-25-422

  Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award (NRSA) Individual Predoctoral Fellowship (Parent F31)

  Deadline May 7, 2028

• Identification of causal DNA variants that influence gene expression in trans

  Kevin H Zhan · University of Minnesota, MN · NHGRI · $50K · Sep 23, 2026

  Genetic variation underlies much of the phenotypic variation in important traits, including morphological and physiological phenotypes as well as risk for common diseases, among individuals. Population-scale genome- wide association studies (GWAS) have identified thousands of genetic loci containing variants…

• Regulation of Cardiac Fibrosis by Substance P Receptors

  Kallie Schafner · West Virginia University, WV · NHLBI · $50K · Sep 17, 2026

  This proposal aims to explore cellular and molecular mechanisms of cardiac fibrosis and diastolic dysfunction, key contributors to heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF), a condition with a poor prognosis and no effective treatments. The focus of this proposal is on the Mas-related G protein-coupled…

• Examining Real-World Uptake and Effectiveness of GLP-1 RA in an Urban Population with Type-2 Diabetes

  Christian Victoria · New York University School of Medicine, NY · NIDDK · $37K · Sep 17, 2026

  Type 2 diabetes (T2D) affects nearly 30% of Americans aged 65 and older, with significant variation in treatment quality across healthcare settings. Recent American Diabetes Association (ADA) guidelines recommend GLP-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1 RAs) as preferred second-line agents due to their cardiovascular and weight…

• Establishing the Mechanisms of Antiretroviral Induced Osteoporosis and Obesity

  Itzel Lazcano · Rush University Medical Center, IL · NIAMS · $50K · Sep 17, 2026

  Antiretroviral therapy (ART) effectively suppresses HIV infection but continues to contribute to long-term comorbidity risks, including osteoporosis and obesity. In this fellowship training proposal, I will examine how two commonly prescribed antiretrovirals, tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) and tenofovir…

• Development of Chemical Tools to Probe the Role of CHD1 in Viral Proliferation

  Adam Funk · Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC · NIAID · $41K · Sep 17, 2026

  Influenza is contracted by upwards of a billion people within a single season. Influenza proliferation is promoted by Chromodomain Helicase DNA Binding Protein 1 (CHD1), a human chromatin remodeling factor, and this phenotype extends across multiple subtypes of influenza A. While the exact mechanism of how CHD1…

• Investigating the Role of Gustatory Cortical Dynamics in Foraging Behaviors

  Rafael Gabriel · Brandeis University, MA · NIDCD · $36K · Sep 17, 2026

  This project addresses a fundamental question in neuroscience: how does the brain integrate sensory experience into memory systems to support adaptive behavior? Although the hippocampus is widely recognized as a cognitive map, it remains unclear what features of experience are incorporated into this representation and…

• Molecular mechanisms and neural impact of human microglia immune tolerance

  Victoria Cuevas · Baylor College of Medicine, TX · NEI · $50K · Sep 17, 2026

  Proper brain development requires the precise pruning of excess synapses by resident innate immune cells called microglia. Proper microglial responses to immune stimuli are therefore essential for normal brain function, and disruptions in microglial activity and synaptic connectivity contribute to autism, epilepsy,…

• Using a Cataract Model to Investigate Redox Imbalance, Cellular Senescence, and Inflammation in Aging and Age-Related Cataracts

  Ying Qin · University of North Texas Hlth Sci Ctr, TX · NEI · $44K · Sep 16, 2026

  Age-related cataract (ARC) is the most common age-associated eye disease and the leading cause of reversible blindness worldwide. Although cataract surgery is effective, it neither targets disease mechanisms nor prevents progression, and access, especially for older and underserved populations, remains limited.…

• Naturalistic Film-Based Memory: Links to Tau Burden, LC Integrity, and Network Dynamics

  Daisy Martha Kiyemba · Brandeis University, MA · NIA · $36K · Sep 16, 2026

  Episodic memory is among the earliest cognitive functions affected by aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), with subtle deficits often emerging before clinical diagnosis. Two key biomarkers of early AD pathology including tau accumulation and locus coeruleus (LC) degeneration have been independently associated with…

• Unraveling microglia-intrinsic sex-specific properties and their contribution to Alzheimer's disease pathology

  Lia Calcines Rodriguez · University of Rochester, NY · NIA · $50K · Sep 14, 2026

  In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, women are more susceptible with greater rates of cognitive decline, brain atrophy, and increased global pathology compared to men. AD is characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) plaques, neurofibrillary tangles and neuroinflammation. In multiple rodent models of…

• The role of astrocytes in TRN dysfunction and sleep disruption in Alzheimer's disease

  Joseph Robert Campbell · Baylor College of Medicine, TX · NIA · $50K · Sep 14, 2026

  The occurrence of age-related illnesses such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) is globally on the rise. Yet, effective strategies to treat or alleviate its devastating consequences are still lacking. This is due to the fact that significant pathological changes in the brain have already occurred by the time individuals are…

• Longitudinal examination of subsystem-specific decline in speech motor control and functional communication in Parkinson's disease

  Daphne Toglia · Boston University Medical Campus, MA · NIDCD · $50K · Sep 14, 2026

  Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a debilitating and progressive brain disorder affecting 1 million Americans and is the fastest growing neurodegenerative disorder in the world. Because PD currently has no cure, its toll on patients, families, and the healthcare system continues to mount. Although widely recognized for…

• Investigating the role of CD63 in microglia tau clearance

  Jonathan Hacker · Tufts University Boston, MA · NIA · $46K · Sep 14, 2026

  Establishing effective disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) remains a major medical challenge. Neuron death and cognitive decline in AD correlate strongly with the pathological spread and accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau aggregates. Emerging evidence implicates microglia, the primary…

• Neural and Computational Mechanisms of Subjective Perceptual Precision

  Jeffrey Allen Nestor · Boston University (Charles River Campus), MA · NEI · $40K · Sep 14, 2026

  Human observers are constantly faced with unreliability in their internal sensory signals, either due to internal or external noise. Remarkably, we are able to metacognitively access this sensory uncertainty through our intuitive sense of subjective uncertainty, which facilitates decision-making in situations…

• Isoform-Specific Functions of Espin Variants in Auditory and Vestibular Hair Cells

  Andrew Faris Paquette · University of Virginia, VA · NIDCD · $40K · Sep 11, 2026

  Hearing loss is the third most common chronic condition in the United States, affecting approximately 30 million adults and contributing to social isolation, depression, and cognitive decline. Hearing and balance depend on the proper formation and maintenance of stereocilia, the mechanosensory projections of inner ear…

1. 1University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, MI36
2. 2University of Pennsylvania, PA36
3. 3Yale University, CT33
4. 4Emory University, GA32
5. 5Univ of North Carolina Chapel Hill, NC29
6. 6Vanderbilt University, TN29
7. 7University of Colorado Denver, CO26
8. 8Duke University, NC21
9. 9University of California, San Diego, CA21
10. 10Harvard Medical School, MA19

• How to Write an NIH Grant Application: Specific Aims, Research Strategy and the 2026 Rules