The Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Institute (IHSI) is pleased to congratulate the 12 Illinois faculty selected for the 2026 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Grant Writing Series mentorship program. Led by faculty who have demonstrated a history of success with NIH proposals, the biennial NIH Grant Writing Series is designed to prepare Illinois faculty to submit their first R01 or other individual investigator proposals to the NIH.
Congrats to the 2026 NIH Grant Writing Series cohort!
Alaysia Brown | Human Development and Family Studies
Yue Guo | Information Sciences
Saima Hasnin | Food Science and Human Nutrition
Joomyung (Vicky) Jun | Chemistry
Masa Matsumoto | Pathobiology
Mariana Bahia | Speech and Hearing Science
Mashfiqui Rabbi | Siebel School of Computing and Data Science
Emerson Sebastião | Health and Kinesiology
Adam Steel | Psychology
Kun Wang | Comparative Biosciences
Taiye Winful | Anthropology
Fan Yang | Social Work
As part of the mentorship program, the selected faculty have attended weekly lecture/discussion sessions addressing various aspects of the writing process, followed by a peer review workshop. Loosely modeled after a study section with the cohort acting as reviewers, the workshop allows participants to experience being on a review panel while receiving peer feedback for their Specific Aims page. With the mentorship of an experienced faculty member, each participant writes and compiles an advanced draft of an NIH proposal that has been reviewed by their peers and faculty mentor.
This year, Maggie Berg, a senior research development manager for IHSI who leads the NIH Grant Writing Series, built more touch points with the cohort into the program than previous years, including an in-person orientation and mid-program check-ins.
“We’re providing more opportunities for the cohort to expand their peer support network, which is especially critical for managing the challenges of the current federal funding environment,” Berg said.
Applicants are nominated by a dean, department head, or director and chosen by the NIH Grant Writing Series Selection Committee. Early-career faculty are selected based on demonstrated level of need, anticipated benefits of completing the program, how likely they will be engaged, and if they will be actively working on an NIH proposal during the program. The Selection Committee strives to select from a range of disciplines and backgrounds based on personal statements from the nominees and recommendations of the nominator.