2025 Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Immuno-Informatics Postdoctoral Fellowship

Eligibility

Project Criteria 

Project must be hypothesis-driven in basic or translational cancer immunology or immunology. The applicant should make every effort to demonstrate the potential of the proposed study to directly impact our understanding of the immune system’s role in cancer by leveraging the use of innovative technologies and/or computational methods including high throughput “omic” methods and data analyses. A successful proposal will include how the project intends to address the current gaps in cancer immunology.

The application should also address new skills expected to be gained by the applicant in either immunology and/or computational biology including theoretical knowledge and practical skills. Applicants are encouraged to identify a secondary co-mentor in addition to their primary sponsor that addresses the gaps in their knowledge of either immunology or computational biology.

Applicant Eligibility

• Applicants for the CRI Immuno-Informatics Postdoctoral Fellowship must be working in areas directly related to immunology or cancer immunology. An eligible project must fall into the broad field of immunology with relevance to solving the cancer problem.
• Applicants must have a doctoral degree by the date of award activation and must conduct their proposed research under a sponsor who holds a formal appointment as an assistant professor or higher rank at the host institution.
• Applicants with 5 or more years of relevant postdoctoral experience at the time of award activation are not eligible, with the exception of MD applicants, who should not include years of residency in this calculation.
• Only in exceptional circumstances will applicants who have already spent 3 or more years in a sponsor’s laboratory by the start date of fellowship be considered for a fellowship award.
• The fellowship must be performed at a non-profit institution in the United States or abroad. There are no citizenship restrictions.
• Only one fellow per sponsor may apply per application round, and faculty sponsors may not have more than three CRI-supported fellows at any time.

Before you can access the online application form, you will first be asked to answer six questions that will help determine whether you are eligible to apply for a CRI Fellowship. If you meet the required criteria, you will be directed to the online application. If you do not meet the required criteria, please do not apply, as your application will be eliminated for administration reasons. 

Summary

There is a burgeoning need in cancer immunology for scientists with expertise and understanding in both quantitative and biological sciences. The combination of these two areas of research is seen as critical next steps to fuel the discovery of new immunotherapies. 

The Cancer Research Institute (CRI) Immuno-Informatics Postdoctoral Fellowship Program aims to support qualified young scientists at academic research institutions around the world who wish to receive dual training in immunology and data science. The fellowships will support both computational biologists who seek to strengthen their knowledge of immunology and cancer immunologists who seek training in computational biology, data science, and/or genomics under the mentorship of world-renowned scientists in these disciplines. We will also consider applicants from diverse PhD fields who will train at the interface of cancer immunology and computational biology. The program is designed to train and equip the next generation of scientists with the knowledge and practical tools to pursue novel research ideas bridging immunology and computational biology. 

Newly awarded fellowships provide a stipend of $74,000 for the first year, $76,000 for the second year, and $78,000 for the third year. An allowance of $5,000 per year is allotted to the host institution for use at the sponsor’s discretion to help pay for the fellow’s research supplies, travel to scientific meetings, health insurance, and/or childcare. 

Overhead

Deductions for administrative overhead are not allowed from either the stipend or the institutional allowance. Payments are made monthly in U.S. currency to the host institution.

Application deadlines

RSO detailed review deadline

RSO final internal review deadline

Program application deadline

NOTE: Consult your Faculty Associate Dean (Research) (ADR) regarding Faculty-specific deadlines and submission processes.

Principal Investigators: Complete a Research Management System (RMS) record, including a copy of your complete application, and submit this for approvals in RMS.

Postdocs, students, and trainees: For fellowships and externally-sponsored research training awards or opportunities, you must complete the Research Funding Application Approval (RFAA) Trainee PDF form, and submit it, along with a complete copy of the application, to Research Services at rsotrainee@ucalgary.ca. Trainees should not use RMS at this time.

Approvals: The University of Calgary requires that all funding applications be approved prior to submission. Approval requires signatures via either RMS or the RFAA Trainee form, in the following order:

• Principal Investigator
• Department Head
• Faculty ADR/Dean
• Research Services (on behalf of the Vice-President Research)

Read the Meaning of Grant Signatures policy to understand what your approval means. Please see the agency guidelines for details about which signatures are required on your application, as it may differ from internal requirements.

Late submissions: Late submissions will only be accepted in cases of medical or family emergencies, or other exceptional circumstances. If you submit your RMS record to Research Services after the internal deadline has passed, you must secure additional approvals. Please read: Late Applications Process.

CRI Immuno-Informatics Postdoctoral Fellowship Program Application Form