2026-2027 Rutgers Brain Health Institute Trainee Travel Awards
The Rutgers Brain Health Institute (BHI) is pleased to announce the Spring 2026 trainee travel award for Rutgers PhD, MD/PhD students and Post-docs from labs engaged in neuroscience and mental health research. BHI will provide $500 awards to help offset the cost of attending a national or international conference related to neuroscience or mental health research during the current fiscal year (i.e., by June 30, 2026).
For the Spring cycle, there will be awards in each of the four BHI focus areas:
- Neurodegeneration and Injury
- Neurodevelopment
- Motivational and Affective Neuroscience
- Cognitive and Sensory Neuroscience
Each of the four BHI Focus Area Working Groups (FAWGs) will select the awardees. In addition, the BHI Junior Faculty Working Group (JFWG) will select candidates for travel awards set aside exclusively for graduate students or post-docs whose primary mentors are junior faculty (defined as faculty holding a tenure-track Assistant Professor title) engaged in neuroscience or mental health research.
To apply for the awards, please fill out the application form, attach the conference abstract to be presented (250-word maximum), your recent CV, and a single-page letter of support from your lab PI. Very Important- Combine all documents into ONE single PDF.
Submit all materials by January 30, 2026, to bhi@bhi.rutgers.edu .
Trainee Travel Awardees must:
- Acknowledge the Rutgers Brain Health Institute on the poster or in the slide presentation (submit a picture of the Acknowledgement section of the conference poster or presentation slide).
- Present the poster at the Annual Rutgers BHI symposium held during the Fall semester.
- Submit copies of the travel and registration receipts.
** Trainees in the labs of the Chairs and Vice-Chairs of the BHI Working Groups are not eligible for ANY of these travel award competitions as they have already been allotted separate trainee travel awards from BHI.
Neurodegeneration & Injury FAWG: Chair- Dr. Detlev Boison; Vice Chair- Dr. Steve Levison
Neurodevelopment FAWG: Chair- Dr. Chiara Manzini; Vice Chair- Dr. Jennifer Mulle
Motivational & Affective Neuroscience FAWG: Chair- Dr. Danielle Dick; Vice Chair- Dr. Zhiping Pang
Cognitive & Sensory Neuroscience FAWG: Chair- Dr. David Zald; Vice Chair- Dr. Tibor Rohacs
Junior Faculty Working Group (JFWG): Chair- Dr. Miriam Bocarsly; Vice Chair- Dr. Linden Parkes
Over the past three years, BHI has awarded approximately $30,000 to 60 trainees working with 48 different principal investigators from 18 departments across eight schools at Rutgers. These awards give early-career researchers the opportunity to connect with peers and leading scientists, strengthen their professional development, contribute to advancing impactful neuroscience research, and raise the visibility of Rutgers neuroscience and mental health research on a global stage.
