The Fund for Research at the ASRC

The application is currently closed.

Two lab technicians in white coats and gloves conduct an experiment at a laboratory bench filled with equipment and samples.

The CUNY ASRC was purpose-built to draw on the promise and value of interdisciplinary scientific excellence in the service of building knowledge, growing the workforce, and solving important societal problems through discovery and innovation. We are also aware of the growing demand for scientific and technological advances to tackle ever-expanding threats to our planet and humanity, and these advances will not be realized within siloed areas of research. They will require the dynamic and creative thought produced when researchers work across disciplines to find solutions for biomedical, environmental, energy, telecommunications, and a variety of other complex, pressing challenges.

Goals

The Fund for Research at the ASRC will support early-stage research in basic science at the CUNY ASRC by awarding annual fellowships to two early-career scientists for building and effecting their technical and professional skills as CUNY doctoral students. Support made possible by Fund for Research at the ASRC will enable talented trainees at the CUNY ASRC to pursue creative and societally important interdisciplinary research at a critical time in their scientific careers and nurture their career advancement.

Benefits

Up to two successful applicants will receive a one-year award of $42,000, which constitutes the total salary and stipend.

Requirements

  • Cover letter (1 page) that includes a brief description of the candidate’s overall interest in scientific research, a lay audience-friendly summary of the doctoral research, and the candidate’s career goals*
  • Thesis project abstract (1 page)
  • Thesis project description (3-4 pages)
  • Academic CV (5 pages, max)
  • Mentor letter (1-2 pages), including a detailed mentoring plan
  • An Additional Letter of Recommendation (1-2 pages) from a co-mentor, other scientist, or career-relevant industry professional

Eligibility

Applicants must be:

  • Full-time Ph.D. students at the CUNY Graduate Center.
  • Mentored primarily by a faculty member in one of the five ASRC initiatives.
  • A Level III Ph.D. Candidate by the start date of the fellowship (Fall 2026 semester).

*Note that candidates pursuing any science-related career path are eligible for this fellowship.

Meet Our Recipients

2026

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Dayangi Perera, Doctoral Student
Structural Biology Initiative
Perera, who studies biochemistry at the CUNY Graduate Center, is a member of Professor Francesca Vallese’s lab at the CUNY ASRC Structural Biology Initiative. Her project aims to reveal the three-dimensional structure of a molecular assembly called the ankyrin-G complex.

2023

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Enrique Mejia, Ph.D.
Photonics Initiative
Mejia, who studied Physics at the CUNY Graduate Center, was a member of Professor Gabriele Grosso’s lab at the CUNY ASRC Photonics Initiative. His project aimed to leverage single-photon sources and defects in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN).
A young man with short hair and a neutral expression wears a checkered shirt against a light purple background.
Shixiong Yin, Ph.D.
Photonics Initiative
Yin, who studied Electrical Engineering at The City College of New York, was a member of Professor Andrea Alù’s lab at the CUNY ASRC Photonics Initiative.

2022

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Christopher Ryan, Ph.D.
Environmental Sciences Initiative
Ryan, who studied Earth and Environmental Sciences at the CUNY Graduate Center, was a member of Professor Peter Groffman’s lab at the CUNY ASRC Environmental Sciences Initiative. His project aimed to develop methodologies that integrated social and physical scientific approaches. “I believe that an integrated approach of sociobiogeochemistry is necessary to deepen discourse related to future land-use management in order to achieve environmental justice.”
A young woman with long dark hair smiles softly, standing against a light wooden background.
Yeojin Jung, Ph.D.
Nanoscience Initiative
Jung, who studied Chemical Engineering at The City College of New York. was a member of Professor Xi Chen’s lab at the CUNY ASRC Photonics Initiative.