CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship — Fellowship

The CRI Irvington Postdoctoral Fellowship is the Cancer Research Institute’s training award for scientists beginning a postdoc in immunology or cancer immunology. It funds three years of hypothesis-driven, mechanistic work in fundamental immunology or tumor immunology, carried out at any non-profit institution in the United States or abroad. The fellow works under a sponsor who holds a formal appointment at assistant professor rank or above and who commits to direct supervision.

CRI pays a stipend that rises each year, adds an annual allowance to the host institution, and brings the fellow into its global network of immunology researchers. Applications are reviewed twice a year, with deadlines on 1 March and 1 September.

Benefits & funding

Stipend of US$74,000 in year one, US$76,000 in year two and US$78,000 in year three — US$243,000 across the full three-year term.
US$5,000 annual allowance paid to the host institution, used at the sponsor’s discretion for research supplies, conference travel, health insurance or childcare.
No deduction for administrative overhead may be taken from the award.
Access to the CRI Bioinformatics Bootcamp and to CRI’s global network of funded scientists and mentors.
Fellows may hold supplementary grants provided the CRI fellowship stays the primary source of support.

Eligibility

Open to applicants of any nationality; CRI states that its funding programs carry no citizenship restrictions.
A doctoral degree (PhD, M.D. or equivalent) must be in hand by the date the award is activated, so candidates may apply while still completing the degree.
Fewer than five years of mentored research experience at activation, counted from the date the doctoral degree was conferred; M.D. applicants leave residency years out of that count.
The research must sit directly in immunology or cancer immunology and be relevant to cancer.
The sponsor must hold a formal appointment as assistant professor or higher at a non-profit host institution, in the United States or in another country.
One fellow per sponsor may apply in any given round, and a sponsor may not have more than three CRI-supported fellows at the same time.
Candidates who will already have spent three years or more in the intended sponsor’s laboratory are considered only in exceptional circumstances; staying on in the doctoral laboratory weakens an application.

Can you apply?

Here's who can apply

Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.

Education required
PhD Enrolled · PhD
Experience required
≤ 4 yrs

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Application process

1
Register on CRI’s SmartSimple application portal and open an application for the postdoctoral fellowship.
2
Prepare the written materials: background and accomplishments (500 words), the knowledge or skills gap the fellowship would close (250 words), a list of current funding sources, a CV or NIH-style biosketch, a project summary (500 words), a non-technical abstract (250 words), specific aims (500 words) and a research proposal of up to four pages excluding references.
3
Ask the sponsor for a letter of introduction, a CV or biosketch and a list of research support; the letter must confirm direct supervision of the fellow.
4
Arrange two letters of recommendation, one of them from the thesis advisor; the sponsor may write neither. Recommenders upload their letters or email them to CRI before the deadline.
5
Collect electronic signatures from every signatory through DocuSign, then submit by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on the deadline date.
6
Peer review follows, and decisions reach applicants roughly 10 to 12 weeks after the deadline.
7
Activate the award between four months and one year after the deadline.

Program timeline

Application deadline for the autumn round, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time
Sep 1, 2026
Decisions announced, roughly 10–12 weeks after the deadline
2026-11 to 2026-12
Awards activate, between four months and one year after the deadline
2027-01 onward
Next application deadline
Mar 1, 2027