NITMB Research Trainee Program

<>The National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB), jointly founded by Northwestern University and the University of Chicago with support from the National Science Foundation and the Simons Foundation, stands as the first national center dedicated to mathematical biology in the United States. Located in downtown Chicago, NITMB is a hub for transformational research at the interface of mathematics and biology. At NITMB, a collaborative research community pioneers new mathematical approaches and unlocks the “rules of life” through theoretical insights, mathematical models, and novel computational and statistical tools. Foundational advances in biology and mathematics driven by NITMB’s research community deepen our understanding  of human intelligence, catalyze biomedical advances, and illuminate how plants and animals adapt to novel and changing environments. The institute’s collaborative culture ensures that discoveries in biology motivate new developments in mathematics, and vice versa.

As the premier hub for mathematical biology, NITMB supports a diverse spectrum of projects (led by faculty from Northwestern and/or UChicago). To be funded, projects must: (1) bring academics together in collaborative research partnerships across  academic disciplines and sub-disciplines; (2) enrich the breadth of NITMB’s research portfolio in biology and mathematics; (3) encourage creative, bold, high-risk, high-reward research; and (4) support the development of new mathematical concepts and methods

Proposals may be submitted for funds for 12 months of support at most.

1. 2.0 FTE graduate research assistants OR 1.0 FTE graduate research assistant plus 1.0 FTE postdoc, and
2. $10,000 direct costs for materials and supplies
3. $5,000 direct costs for travel

The research proposal must include the following:

1. A statement defining the problem or phenomenon (mathematical or biological) that the research will address.
2. A description of how the research will advance understanding of the biological phenomenon.
3. A description of how the research will advance the development of new mathematics.
4. A statement of which NITMB research themes are touched upon by the proposed research and why.
5. A detailed description of the approaches that will be taken, methods used, anticipated outcomes, and contingency plans for all thrusts of the proposed research.
6. A description of the participants in the research and how they will work together to achieve the project goals.
7. A mentoring plan for trainees.
8. A description of how investigators will engage with the NITMB.

The 2026 Call for Proposals has closed.

Merit Review Criteria:

1. Advancement of the NITMB mission to create a nationwide collaborative research community that will generate new mathematics inspired by biology and new biological discoveries driven by the application of mathematics.
2. The extent to which the research will develop new mathematics (including pure and applied math, algorithms, computation, and statistical methods). This must be clearly articulated in the proposal. Applying existing computational tools to a new dataset is, on its own, insufficient to qualify as new math. Illustrative examples of “new mathematics” include (but are not limited to):
   1. Novel use of some branch/type of math in the study of a phenomenon (e.g., applying topology to a problem previously only addressed with regression models)
   2. The first time a phenomenon is quantitatively addressed (e.g., establishing a metric for 2d shapes)
   3. New pure and applied mathematics addressing theoretical holes (e.g., relaxing simplifying assumptions)
3. The extent to which the research will have a high reward or impact, even if it is high risk.
4. The extent to which the project will broaden the portfolio of NITMB-supported research.
5. How well the research integrates mathematics with biology, with investigators providing complementary expertise.
6. Collaborations between mathematicians and experimentalists are encouraged, but projects are not required to have an experimental component and may use pre-existing datasets.
7. The quality of the mentoring plan for trainees. Trainees funded through NITMB will be expected to participate in professional development activities, workshops, and present at work-in-progress meetings, annual retreats, and conferences.
8. Collaborations between researchers at Northwestern University and the University of Chicago are preferred (though not required).
9. Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound (SMART) goals for team engagement with NITMB activities outside the funded research. Examples might include:
   1. Contributing to synergies and interactions among NITMB research projects
   2. Organizing a workshop
   3. Mentoring summer undergraduate research
   4. Serving on NITMB committees (e.g., postdoctoral fellow search, external grant proposal review and selection)
   5. Running a training activity or collection of tutorials
   6. Helping to organize meetings with the External Advisory Board and Scientific Advisory Board
   7. Substantive engagement with teaching-intensive institutions (TII) or Primary Undergraduate Institutions (PUI) partnering with NITMB
   8. Helping to organize and actively engaging with the NITMB Seminar Series and Work-in-Progress meetings.

1. The submitting investigator must be an NITMB Faculty (this corresponds to the membership list https://www.nitmb.org/nitmb-faculty) and their collaborators at Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, or other universities. Funds for project personnel and supplies may only be distributed to Northwestern or the University of Chicago.
2. Investigators and collaborators can be funded by at most two active Research Trainee Award projects at one time and serve as PI for at most one active project total. Note that the NITMB mission is to increase engagement among diverse disciplines, so proposals to support investigators already funded by NITMB during the new proposal funding period (Sept 2026 – Aug 2027) may receive lower priority.
3. Funds can be used to support the stipend/salary/fringe/tuition/fees of graduate Research Assistants and salary/fringe of postdoctoral scholars. Funds cannot be used to support tenure-track faculty salaries, non-tenure track faculty salaries, research staff, or administrative staff.

1. Funds cannot be used to purchase capital equipment. No more than $10,000 (direct costs) may be spent on experimental supplies and services. Funds cannot be used to purchase computer equipment or purchase/lease software.
2. The term of funding is 12 months. There is a competitive renewal process by which awardees may request another 12 months and commensurate funding. Renewal will depend on the Merit Review Criteria evaluated above as well as progress made towards project goals, and the engagement of the project’s investigators in NITMB activities (education, outreach, convenings, etc.).
3. Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) training is required for all personnel funded on this award to be completed within the first 6 months of the award. RCR training completed within the last four years counts toward this requirement, but must not expire during the funding period. This includes faculty, senior personnel, undergraduate students, graduate research assistants, and postdoctoral researchers.
4. At the end of the funding period (i.e., at the end of the initial 12-month period or at the end of any renewal period):
   1. A final written progress report is required from the investigators, documenting research progress, key findings, new mathematical results and their impact on biology, any grant applications made as a consequence of the project, and future directions. This report must also provide information (level of support and research tasks) about any trainees supported by the funds for the NITMB evaluation process.
   2. Any software, datasets, or models resulting from supported research must be made publically available, well-documented, and easily accessible when published as preprint or paper; such materials will be posted on the NITMB web page, Github, Datajoint, Dryad, etc.
   3. Each team must also produce a publicly accessible blog, social media post and/or video abstract for each publication resulting from the proposed research. The above artifacts will be evaluated during the competitive renewal process if sought.
5. The principal investigators are required to present their project research at an NITMB convening activity (e.g., a workshop or conference).
6. All papers and conference presentations resulting from the funded work are expected to acknowledge the NITMB award, as detailed at https://www.nitmb.org/acknowledgements.
7. Research Trainee Awards funds can only be used at Northwestern and UChicago. However, external collaborators may apply to the NITMB Visitor Program to facilitate engagement with NITMB Research Trainee Program research projects. Short-term (less than 10 days) and long-term (10 days or more) visits are available.
8. If the project involves experiments on animals, all NSF protocols must be followed and appropriate forms must be submitted to the NITMB.

Procedures

1. Submission Instructions Update
   1. Applications must be submitted as a single upload. To ensure formatting remains intact across multiple files, we recommend zipping all documents into one compressed folder (.zip) before uploading.
2. Review Committee Update
   1. To ensure an impartial and rigorous evaluation, the review committee is composed of external NITMB affiliate members from institutions outside of Northwestern University and the University of Chicago.
3. Timeline:
   1. Release call for applications Jan. 20, 2026
   2. Application deadline: Deadline Extended: Sunday, April 19, 2026, at 11:59 pm (Previously April 15)
   3. Evaluation complete June 2, 2026
   4. Work start date Sept. 1, 2026
4. Submission should include a:
   1. 4-page research proposal. The proposal should address all the merit review criteria described above and list the names of the personnel to be supported (if known at the time of application).
   2. 1 each per PI/coPI: Budget using the provided template. If the included coPI is not requesting any funds from this project to support their group, they can be considered unfunded and do not need to submit a budget or justification.
   3. 1 each per PI/coPI: Budget justification. If supplies are requested, please include a short, itemized budget in the justification.
   4. 1 each per PI/coPI: Biosketch in the NIH or NSF format
5. Pre-screening of applications will occur to ensure that they are complete and conform to eligibility requirements. Please respond promptly to any requests for document updates so that all proposals may be reviewed in a timely manner.
6. Each application will be reviewed by two faculty experts from outside Northwestern University and the University of Chicago. A common rubric/scoring system will be used for all applications. The committee will meet to debate and rank the applications based on the merit criteria. Our evaluation criteria will be grounded in the principles outlined at https://seedfund.nsf.gov/resources/review/merit-review/, without the focus on commercial impact.
7. The committee recommends projects to be funded to the Deputy Director for Research. Once approved, the awarded applicants will be notified. Applicants who were not awarded funds will receive a summary of their review.
8. Funding recipients must otherwise contribute to NITMB training and/or programming efforts, as described under Merit Review Criteria.
9. Any changes in the project budget must be requested by the principal investigators for approval by the NITMB before changes are made.