The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program is a prestigious fellowship opportunity for STEM graduate students, including PhD students in the biosciences. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Fellowships provide 3 years of funding for graduate education in a STEM field, and PhD students must apply no later than fall of their first year in their PhD program.
BRET Career and Professional Development is hosting informational workshops about the NSF GRFP, and facilitating a peer review of draft application essays for biosciences PhD students who plan to apply this fall.
If you miss the workshops, you can still take advantage of the compendium of NSF GRFP resources we've compiled on the Funding Resources website, to help support you in your application. This includes examples of successful NSF GRFP applications donated by previous VU fellows that are available to view in the Grant Repository.
Workshop #1 – Overview of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
Wednesday, August 19, 3:00-4:00p
Light Hall 202
In this session, Dr. Stephanie Richards will give an overview of the NSF GRFP and strategies for developing a competitive application, followed by a Q&A panel with recent GRFP award recipients from life science-related disciplines. Topics will include eligibility criteria, the application process, which “field of study” to choose, writing compelling essays, and resources for becoming a competitive applicant and writing your application. This event is part of the ASPIRE UP career and professional development series. All interested graduate students are welcome.
Workshop #2 – Writing Compelling Essays for the NSF GRFP
Tuesday, September 15, 3:00-4:30p
Light Hall 415
In this session, NSF GR Fellows Madison Yarbrough and Amit Sela will dive deeper into the requirements for the NSF GRFP Personal Statement and Research Plan essays, including ways to address Broader Impacts and Intellectual Merit. This event is part of the ASPIRE UP career and professional development series. All interested graduate students are welcome.
Peer Review of NSF GRFP Applications
Vanderbilt applicants for the 2027 NSF GRFP program will be paired with a previous NSF GRFP Winner or Honorable Mention to receive written feedback on their draft personal statement and/or research plan essay. To be eligible to participate in peer review, applicants must be PhD students applying to one of the life sciences-related fields of study, or be in a PhD program affiliated with the Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
To participate in the peer review process facilitated by ASPIRE, applicants should have advanced drafts of their essays. Peer reviewers will be assigned on a rolling basis. Check back soon for details about signing up to have your application reviewed.