CPRIT Graduate Scholar Program

The MD Anderson CPRIT Research Training Award and institutional funds will support eight CPRIT Graduate Scholars in FY27. The funds will cover graduate student stipends and fringe benefits. A modest annual travel allowance may be provided pending further CPRIT or institutional support. CPRIT Graduate Scholars will be appointed for one year.  

Renewed funding may be awarded via a competitive annual review process. Renewals will be dependent upon successful academic and research progress, participation in activities related to the CPRIT Graduate Scholar Training Program (e.g., bi-monthly Think Tank workshops, participation as a peer-mentor in the CPRIT and UPWARDS summer program training programs, an annual Shark Tank event), and competition with new applicants.  

Eligibility: 

• Post-candidacy PhD and MD/PhD students affiliated with MD Anderson graduate (GSBS) faculty are eligible for the CPRIT Graduate Scholar Award. Successful candidates will have a competitive cancer research project and be directly supervised or co-mentored by a CPRIT Graduate Scholar Faculty Member.
• 
  Applications will be limited to one per laboratory for each funding announcement cycle. While all students affiliated with MD Anderson graduate (GSBS) faculty member laboratories are eligible, a faculty member may only nominate only one per his/her laboratory per funding announcement. Multiple applications from the same laboratory will be declined and not undergo further review.  
• 
  MD Anderson students who are directly supervised by CPRIT Graduate Scholar faculty members (list attached) have the option to choose a co-mentor from the training grant faculty.  
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  MD Anderson students who are supervised by other faculty, outside of the CPRIT Graduate Scholar program, have equal opportunity to receive a CPRIT Graduate Scholar Award. In these cases, the applicant must select a co-mentor from the CPRIT Graduate Scholar Training faculty to serve as a member of his/her advisory committee. In this case, the co-mentor must provide a letter of recommendation stating his/her commitment to serving as CPRIT Graduate Scholar co-mentor.
  

Applications are now being accepted for the 2026-2027 program. All application components, completed in full, must be received by June 22 to be considered for review.

• Application Instructions:
  
  Required documents must be compiled into a single PDF file (not including letters of recommendation) in the order listed under “Required documents” and submitted via email to Dr. Lewis: keleonard@mdanderson.orgPage formatting: 1-inch margins on all 4 sides. Font: Arial or Helvetica, 11pt.
  
  Required Documents Submitted by Applicant:
  
  
• A 2-page research proposal written by the CPRIT Graduate Scholar Candidate. This should include the significance of the project and its relevance to cancer, theoretical aspects guiding the study (e.g., hypothesis), goals of the project, and expected outcomes. A two-page limit is enforced but references may be included in additional pages. Text and figures on additional pages will not be considered.
• A current NIH Biosketch (SciENcv format) for the applicant.
• Undergraduate transcript- an unofficial transcript is sufficient. The most recent GSBS status report. To obtain this, please visit the myGSBS portal.
• A statement of commitment by the CPRIT Graduate Scholar candidate and dissertation mentor that indicates the applicant’s intent to participate in all required activities of the CPRIT Graduate Scholar Training Program listed below and the mentor’s support for this participation (1-page limit). Required activities include:
• Attendance and participation in the program’s bi-monthly Think Tank.
  • Attendance and participation in the program’s annual Shark Tank event.
  • A maximum of 4 hours participating in CATALYST summer program activities with our undergraduate and high school trainees. Such activities may include, but are not limited to, judging the summer program’s elevator and poster competition.
  • A 3-hour time commitment (annual) for note taking at CPRIT TRIUMPH fellows’ committee meetings. During each 1-hour meeting, Graduate Scholars will take notes and provide them to the fellow and his/her mentor within 48 hours of the meeting. As meeting dates and times are finalized, an email will go out to the Scholars to sign up.  

Submitted by Mentor/Co-Mentor:

• A training plan written by the applicant's dissertation mentor, including plans for scientific oversight of the project, mentoring of the candidate, how the project is expected to facilitate the trainee's career goals in cancer research, career development opportunities that will be encouraged/supported, and the mentor's overall research goals. In addition, the mentor must affirm that only one application per lab will be submitted per award announcement cycle. (1-page limit)
• A statement from the CPRIT Faculty Mentor or CPRIT Co-Mentor indicating willingness to serve as a member of the CPRIT Graduate Scholar's supervisory committee*.
• A letter of recommendation from the primary graduate mentor**.
  

Submitted by Recommenders:

Two additional letters of recommendation should be submitted in support of the CPRIT Graduate Scholar's application**. Recommendation letters should be sent in PDF format from the referee's institutional email address to keleonard@mdanderson.org. Please include the applicant's name and CPRIT Graduate Scholar in the subject line. Letters of support should be received on or before the day the application closes.

*The statement on willingness to serve may be combined with the CPRIT Faculty Mentor or Co-Mentor’s letter of recommendation. **If a co-mentor is to be included, the co-mentor should provide one of the two required letters of recommendation.

It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the application and letters of support are submitted by the
deadline.