The CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship Program is one of the most prestigious training opportunities in immunology and cancer immunology. It supports outstanding young researchers at the world’s leading universities and research institutions, providing the resources, mentorship, and professional development needed to launch independent scientific careers at the forefront of discovery.
Focus and Scope
For decades, CRI fellowships have been a training ground for scientific excellence, cultivating future leaders who push the boundaries of immunology and transform the landscape of cancer research. The program provides sustained financial support alongside invaluable professional development, bridging the crucial transition from doctoral training to independent investigation.
Applications undergo a rigorous peer-review process with careful consideration of:
The candidate’s qualifications, demonstrated track record, and potential for future impact
The strength of the sponsor and the quality of the training environment
The significance, innovation, and feasibility of the proposed research
The program emphasizes training through research, supporting hypothesis-driven, mechanistic studies in both fundamental immunology and tumor immunology. The applicant and sponsor are expected to demonstrate:
How the proposed research will advance understanding of the immune system’s role in cancer
How the fellowship will provide the fellow with new skills, approaches, and mentorship to expand their expertise
A clear trajectory toward independence, with training experiences designed to prepare the fellow for leadership roles in science
A Legacy of Excellence
The CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship has a distinguished record of nurturing scientists whose discoveries have reshaped the field of immunology and cancer immunotherapy. Awardees join a global network of innovators and mentors, gaining both the recognition and the support needed to pursue ambitious research that drives the next generation of breakthroughs.
Financial Support
Fellowships provide three years of support, including a stipend of $74,000, $76,000, and $78,000 in years 1-3. The host institution receives a $5,000 annual allowance for use at the sponsor’s discretion to cover costs such as research supplies, conference travel, health insurance, or childcare. CRI also provides dedicated support for fellows to attend the CRI Bioinformatics Bootcamp. Deductions for administrative overhead are not allowed from either the stipend or the institutional allowance.
Eligibility
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 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 who will have 5 or more years of mentored research experience at the time of award activation are not eligible, with the exception of M.D. applicants, who should not include years of residency in this calculation. Applicants should use their doctoral degree conferral date when calculating eligibility.
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 can be performed in the United States or abroad but must take place at a non-profit institution. There are no citizenship restrictions.
Only 1 fellow per sponsor may apply per application round, and faculty sponsors may not have more than 3 CRI-supported fellows at any time.
Resubmissions: Applicants are permitted to resubmit their fellowship application at a subsequent deadline provided that the new application is improved to reflect progress. Changes to the application should be addressed within the subsequent application.
Deadlines
The application deadlines are March 1 and September 1 annually; when those dates fall on the weekend or holiday, applications are due the following workday. Applications are due by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on these dates. Applicants are notified of fellowship committee decisions within approximately 10-12 weeks of the application deadline.
Fellowships can be activated 4 months after the application deadline but no later than 1 year following the deadline. Awards activate on the first of the month.
Instructions for Applying
The application process requires you to access CRI’s Application Portal for institutional signatures and certification.
The following is a list of all required materials in the online application:
Brief description of the applicant’s background and research accomplishments. Maximum 500 words
Provide a brief description of the knowledge and skillsets you aim to attain during your CRI-funded training period. Describe the gaps in your knowledge and skillsets that have been missing from your training to this point and how specifically this training opportunity will help fill those gaps and enhance your understanding of immunology and/or cancer immunology (examples may include opportunities in the mentor/co-mentor lab, resources available at training institution, external training opportunities etc.) Maximum 250 words
List of other funding sources to which applications have been or will be submitted, with due dates.
Applicant’s curriculum vitae and bibliography (NIH biosketch preferred).*
Brief summary of your project, including a description of how the proposed research is relevant to understanding the role of the immune system in cancer and/or the treatment of cancer through immunological means. Not to exceed 500 words
Abstract of research in non-technical English explaining the importance of the proposed research and its potential clinical relevance. The abstract will be used for fundraising purposes and submitted to CRI’s lay Board of Trustees. Abstract limited to 250 words
Specific aims of the project. Not to exceed 500 words
Concise research proposal (background, significance, materials and methods) not to exceed 4 pages inclusive of tables and figures, exclusive of references.*
Letter from the sponsor introducing the applicant and describing the sponsor’s qualifications to direct the proposed research. The letter must contain assurance that the applicant’s project will be conducted under the direct supervision of the sponsor. Finally, sponsors are asked to indicate whether the application was written by the applicant and also whether any preliminary data included in the proposal was generated by the applicant or by the lab prior to the applicant’s arrival.*
Sponsor’s curriculum vitae/biosketch and a list of sponsor’s current research support. NIH biosketch is preferred. If including a formal C.V. then limit bibliography to past 5 years.*
Two letters of recommendation are required. One letter must be from the applicant’s thesis advisor. Applicants who received an M.D. or otherwise who do not have a thesis advisor should have some other qualified individual submit this letter. The second letter should be from an individual well acquainted with the applicant’s work. The sponsor may not submit one of these letters. If the sponsor was also the applicant’s thesis advisor, you must contact CRI for further instruction.*
*Submitted as a PDF
Notes:
Important Note: Your application is not considered submitted and complete unless all signatories have signed the application via DocuSign. If you encounter problems, please send an email to [email protected]. Be sure to note the application number, which will be assigned to you at the time of submission.
Applications exceeding stated page limits will be disqualified.
Only PDF documents will be accepted. All files must be submitted individually on the attachments page of the online application.
Online applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date. If the deadline falls on the weekend, applications will be accepted until 11:59 p.m. that following Monday. We strongly suggest submitting your application as early as possible to provide ample time in case your application is incomplete. Incomplete applications will not be considered.
It is encouraged that Letters of Recommendation are submitted directly by the applicant via the online application form as a PDF. While direct online submission of these letters by the applicant is preferred, a referee may instead scan a copy of their letter as a PDF and email it to [email protected]. Please include with the email the name of the applicant and the application ID in the subject line of the email.
All letters should be scanned in grayscale at a maximum resolution of 300 dpi to keep file size to a minimum. Do not scan in color, as this will significantly increase the file size, which could potentially cause uploading problems.
Formatting Guidelines: Any documents you attach to your online application form must be typed single-space using a 12 point or larger font size.
