Six doctoral students selected for health-related research fellowships 

Six doctoral students in the University of Maine Graduate School of Biomedical Science and Engineering make up the first cohort supported by a $1.07 million National Institutes of Health’s Institutional Research Training Grant (T32).

Awardees receive fellowships that include a stipend, tuition, university fees, health insurance coverage, as well as an allowance for travel and other training-related expenses. Eligible students submitted proposals, which were reviewed for overall impact, significance, innovation, approach and transdisciplinary nature. 

The cohort includes: Nicklaus Carter, whose mentor is David Neivandt of UMaine; Sarah Holbrook, whose mentor is Greg Cox of The Jackson Laboratory; Connor S. Murphy, whose mentor is Michaela Reagan of Maine Medical Center Research Institute; George C. Murray, whose mentor is Robert Burgess of The Jackson Laboratory; Jesse Rochester, whose mentor is Dustin Updike of MDI Biological Laboratory; and Katie Stieber, whose mentor is Lucy Liaw of Maine Medical Center Research Institute.

The five-year grant is the first of its kind to be awarded in Maine by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences. 

The T32 program supports broad and fundamental early-stage research training for predoctoral participants in centers that make significant impact on the health-related research needs of the United States.

The grant is for transdisciplinary predoctoral training in biomedical science and engineering. In addition to the $1.07 million from NIH, UMaine contributes $500,000 to the award, resulting in $1.57 million in support of this initiative.

GSBSE is a statewide education and research consortium dedicated to the training and professional development of graduate students in biomedical science and engineering. The program provides an innovative multidisciplinary and personalized learning environment that prepares students for careers in diverse professional fields critical for Maine and the nation’s future.