Scholarship Opportunities

2024-25 Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Research Fellowship

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: 

For over 15 years, the Dubai-Harvard Foundation for Medical Research at Harvard Medical School (HMS) has partnered with medical institutions and researchers throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region connecting regional research centers, awarding grants and scholarships to bright young minds, and steadily improving the capacity and quality of research.  With the generous gift from Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal, the Foundation has supported 15 deserving researchers.   This Award has transformed the clinical research landscape in the MENA region and has established an enduring legacy of high-impact research that alleviates suffering and improves the health and wellbeing for all.

Harvard Medical School is pleased to announce that it will be offering the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Research Fellowship award for 2024-2025.  The award is intended to provide support to young investigators from the MENA region. It offers post-doctoral researchers the opportunity to work with a faculty mentor and research group based at Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health or one of the Harvard Medical School affiliated hospitals.

PRINCE ALWALEED BIN TALAL RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP AWARDS

To date, HMS, through the Dubai Harvard Foundation, has awarded fifteen Alwaleed awards from the broader MENA region.  The Fellowship recognizes talented young investigators from the MENA region.  It is intended to give recipients the flexibility to explore fundamental scientific questions and to lead to a better understanding of the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease.   The Fellowship covers the cost of an annual post-doctoral research salary and fringe benefits. 

For the 2024-2025 award(s) HMS plans to offer the fellowship(s); the award will be made to accomplished young investigators who are demonstrating excellent and innovative potential in their research. 

REQUEST FOR APPLICATIONS

The Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Research Fellowship award will support an independent post-doctoral researcher, scientists or physician-scientists for up to three years dedicated to basic, translational, clinical or epidemiological research, with an emphasis on the two-way transfer between research and patient care.  

 CRITERIA

• Applicant research should focus on diseases or health issues that are relevant to the population groups within the Middle East and/or North Africa regions.
• The proposed research should bring novel ideas and new approaches to biomedical research.  
• Proposed research activities may draw upon recent advances in the basic, translational, clinical and epidemiological sciences – including such fields as biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, immunology, molecular biology, pharmacology, clinical epidemiology, health outcomes research, and population studies – that provide new opportunities for alleviating human disease.
• The Bin Talal Research Fellowship award is designed to encourage the successful applicant(s) to be innovative in their research endeavors, to publish their research findings and eventually to pursue additional sources of support.  
• It is intended that the Alwaleed Bin Talal Research Fellow(s) will be matched with a laboratory or research center based at Harvard Medical School, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health or Harvard Medical School affiliated hospital, or with a research center at their home institution and a Harvard Medical School-based mentor.  
• The successful applicant(s) will have demonstrated that he/she brings added knowledge and expertise to the host laboratory or research center. 

ELIGIBILITY

The Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Research Fellowship award is open to individuals with an MD, PhD or MD/PhD in medical or biomedical sciences, or in a health-related field.  The successful candidate(s) will have demonstrated outstanding performance during their education and training, and will have exhibited promise as contributors in science relevant to human health.  Applications should exhibit innovative and creative approaches to their chosen field of research.

Candidates should be researchers from the Middle East North Africa region; either working in the region or elsewhere and considering returning to work in the region.  The Research Fellowship award is granted for a maximum of three years; the award recipients will be expected to relocate to Harvard Medical School for the entire funded period or for significant amounts of time during the funded period to work with senior researchers and mentors.  

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Candidates for The Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Research Fellowship are invited to submit their application by December 6, 2024 by 5:00p.m. EST, and must include the following information:

1. Name, address and contact information 
2. Specific research aim – 1 page
3. Academic accomplishments and research experience – 1 page
4. How the Alwaleed Research Fellowship would benefit their career – 1 page
5. An outline of the proposed research plan and methods – 3 pages
6. Letters of support and recommendation from 3 academic advisors or mentors
7. A brief CV (not to exceed 2 pages).
8. A brief list of relevant publications – 1 page

All previous research experience and accomplishments, the potential to pursue innovative research, demonstrated ability to work independently while part of a larger research team or collaborative effort and publication history will be considered by the Review Committee.

The Fellowship Review Committee will consider all applications for the Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Research Fellowship Award and will recommend the successful candidate(s) to HMS.  The successful candidate will be notified by the sometime in the Spring 2025.  Funding will be available from July 1, 2025.

Please submit applications to:

Ms. Cheryl King
Program Manager
Email: DHFMR@hms.harvard.edu