Autism Speaks

Postdoctoral Fellowships in Translational Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders

AS / Autism Speaks
ASD / Autism Spectrum Disorders
RGP / Research Grants and Projects

WEBSITE: Access the AS website.

AWARD MECHANISM: Awards will be for 2 years and will include a competitive stipend, and a $10,000 annual allowance for professional conference travel, research costs and supplies, and/or fringe benefits. Indirect costs are not allowed.

SCIENTIFIC AREAS: The fellowship will support research training that involves translation of biological discoveries toward novel and more effective methods or strategies for treating or diagnosing ASD. The fellowship requires a multidisciplinary setting and training plan that includes experience in both the laboratory and clinical settings. Trainees are required to have a primary mentor as well as one or more secondary mentors, who will provide integrated training experiences in different disciplines.

ELIGIBILITY: Applications are strictly limited to one per postdoctoral fellow or mentor per review cycle.

SUBMISSION DATE(S):

  • Letters of Intent: 24 January 2012
  • Full Applications: 6 March 2012 - for those invited to submit

MODE OF APPLICATION: The Fellowship candidate must first send an email from their institutional email address to grantadmin@autismspeaks.org (with a CC to RGP office). Please see the guidelines for more details. Letters of intent and full applications should be submitted online. A copy of the application should be submitted to the RGP for review at least one week in advance of the submission deadline for follow-up purposes. Applications require the following endorsements:

  • From the Feinberg Graduate School: Confirmation that if and when the fellowship is approved, the candidate will be eligible to be a post-doc at the Weizmann Institute for the entire duration of the proposed fellowship.
  • From the candidate's supervisor (a Weizmann Institute researcher of rank Senior Scientist or higher): Confirmation that the supervisor agrees to host the post-doc for the entire period of the fellowship.

Please note that according to Weizmann Institute procedures, fellowships are paid as stipends at a fixed rate. Consequently, if the amount provided by the funding source is lower than this rate, the difference will have to be supplemented (with an a priori written commitment to this effect to the RGP) by the host researcher at the Institute.

If the fellowship on offer is higher than the Weizmann Institute standard rate, the Institute will be able to receive a stipend only up to its standard rate. Alternatively, if allowable by the funding agency, the fellowship can be paid by the agency directly to the bank account of the recipient. In such a case, the host researcher should apply for post-doctoral status for the fellow at the Institute, either with or without the additional standard Weizmann Institute post-doctoral stipend (as allowable by the external funding source, and according to the resources available to the prospective Weizmann Institute host). For further information and/or clarifications, please contact the Feinberg Graduate School or the RGP.

Please note that foreigners are required to obtain the relevant visa (i.e. for a fixed-amount stipend: category A2; or for an employment contract: category B1 = work permit) prior to taking up an appointment at the Weizmann Institute:

  • Non-Israeli fellows receiving a post-doctoral fixed-amount stipend at the Weizmann Institute standard rate are required to obtain a category A2 [student] visa, with the assistance of the Feinberg Graduate School.
  • In the case of an external funding source which is willing to provide support only in the form of a salary with social benefits (as opposed to a stipend), the fellow must be engaged by the Institute as a Visiting Scientist on an individual contract. In order to obtain approval for Visiting Scientist status, the prospective host must contact the Visiting Scientists Section at the Housing Directorate and follow their guidelines in this regard. The Visiting Scientsts Section will also assist in the procedures required for obtaining a B1 work permit visa. Please note that the procedures will be different, depending on the location of origin of the prospective Visiting Scientist:
    1. Foreigners intending to come to the Weizmann Institute from abroad, without having previously completed studies in Israel: the Visiting Scientists Section at the Housing Directorate must be contacted to initiate the B1 work permit visa application procedure, long enough in advance for the prospective Visiting Scientist to receive the visa at an Israeli embassy/consulate (outside of Israel), prior to his/her arrival in Israel.
    2. Foreigners who are currently in Israel and hold a category A2 [student] visa: According to the laws of the State of Israel as regards foreign citizens (who do not possess Israeli citizenship), engagement by the Institute of such researchers will only be possible if they a priori leave Israel and then return to an appointment as a Visiting Scientist (conditional upon approval of the Ministry of the Interior, which must agree to issue a category B1 work permit visa for this purpose).
    It should be noted that the work permit approval process - a prerequisite to the approval of the status of Visiting Scientist - usually takes several months. Consequently, a Weizmann Institute researcher intending to host a Visiting Scientist who is not an Israeli citizen should begin the relevant procedures several months in advance of the desired start date. For further details regarding the issue of obtaining a work permit for a Visiting Scientist, contact the Visiting Scientists Section at the Housing Directorate.
OTHER TYPES of AWARDS OFFERED by the AS: Research Grants are available.
KEYWORDS: Life Sciences
LAST UPDATED: 29 November 2011