The Pilot Feasibility Studies Program, known as the O'Brien Fellowship Program, is designed so investigators new to the potential of optical microscopy can begin to realize its transformational potential for their research. Up to ten O’Brien Fellows will be selected by the executive committee, consisting of core directors, each year.
Fellows will stay in Indianapolis in on-campus furnished apartments or local hotels for up to four weeks. Fellowship funds will help defray the cost of return travel to Indianapolis, apartment rental/hotel stay, supplies and consumables, animal procurement, housing, microscope and analysis time.
Each fellow will be assigned to a liaison who is a senior investigator associated with the O'Brien Center. The fellow will be provided with extensive training on the optical microscope systems needed for their project, and in other related techniques relevant to the proposed project. The visiting fellow will present their proposed research project to the O’Brien biomedical base for input at the beginning of their stay.
Application Process
Researchers interested in applying for an O’Brien Center fellowship should send preliminary inquiries by email to Malgorzata Kamocka at mkamocka@iu.edu.
Include the following:
- A brief 1-2 page description of the project, including the rationale for working in Indianapolis
- An NIH biosketch
Applicants need to demonstrate the ability to establish the techniques acquired during the fellowship as part of the ongoing research program of their home laboratory and institution, but fellowship support is otherwise open to both faculty and trainees (pre- or post-doctoral). Applicants will be contacted by the O'Brien Center to discuss the feasibility of the proposed studies and to develop a research plan. Final decisions about fellowship awards will be made by the director of the O’Brien Center, with input from the center’s Internal Advisory Committee.
