The purpose of the Pritzker Institute Fellowship Program is to facilitate stable financial support for highly qualified Illinois Institute of Technology doctoral students pursuing thesis work in the field of biomedical science or biomedical engineering. The fellowship aims to attract, recognize and assist superb students with strong academic credentials and demonstrated potential for meritorious research whose doctoral thesis will be supported through funded research focused on clinical translation of biomedical science and engineering of Illinois Tech faculty mentor(s).
Eligibility
Admitted doctoral students whose Ph.D. thesis work is supervised and financially supported through extramural and/or intramural funding of research in the areas of biomedical science or biomedical engineering by an Illinois Tech faculty mentor and/or co-mentor are eligible for the fellowship. The doctoral student being nominated for the fellowship must have a strong track record of prior academic achievements and research potential. Existing as well as newly admitted doctoral candidates are eligible for the fellowship. Students previously granted degrees from Illinois Tech may also be considered, although strong preference will be given to candidates who have completed prior degree(s) at degree-granting universities outside Illinois Tech. Both domestic and international graduate students are eligible for this fellowship.
Pre-Proposal Application Preparation
Since the fellowship program supplements and underwrites financial support for doctoral students supported through Illinois Tech faculty mentor/co-mentor research awards, the application process must be initiated by an eligible faculty thesis advisor in coordination with the doctoral candidate being nominated. To ensure eligibility criteria are met, a pre-proposal application must be submitted by the faculty mentor(s) with application review by the Pritzker Fellowship program administrator and the executive director of the Pritzker Institute. The pre-proposal application should include the supplied template and provide the following information:
- Thesis mentor/co-mentor faculty information (name, department affiliation, email)
- Proposed thesis title
- A brief project description of the proposed thesis research (limited to 350 words)
- A brief justification highlighting the rationale for the nomination of the proposed doctoral student as a Pritzker Fellow (limited to 800 words)
- The estimated amount, source, and duration of extramural and or Illinois Tech funding available to the thesis advisor(s) for support of the doctoral research (tuition and stipend)
- Recommended doctoral student undergraduate and/or graduate academic transcripts
Following approval of the pre-proposal application, a full-proposal application should be submitted by the faculty thesis advisor(s). Applications will be considered on a rolling basis starting immediately and should be submitted to the Pritzker Fellowship program administrator, Georgia Papavasiliou.
Application Review and Selection Process
Existing as well as newly admitted candidates are eligible to apply, however, the selection criteria will be different in the case of existing doctoral candidates where a demonstrated track record of program milestones and scholarly activity will be key factors in the selection process. Full-proposal applications are therefore distinct for newly admitted doctoral students who have received a prior degree(s) at
- universities outside Illinois Tech (full-proposal application for new external Ph.D. candidates),
- at Illinois Tech (full-proposal application for new internal Ph.D. candidates), and
- existing internal or external Ph.D. candidates (full-proposal application for existing Ph.D. candidates).
The steering committee will provide recommendations to the Pritzker Institute executive director and the Pritzker Fellowship program administrator who will in turn make the final decision on a fellowship offer.
Budgetary Information
The Pritzker Fellowship aims to facilitate stabilized financial support of the Pritzker Fellow’s doctoral program provided that the faculty member(s) commit to acting as a Ph.D. research mentor(s) for the student and financially commit support through extramurally- or possibly intramurally- (within Illinois Tech) funded research awards in the areas of biomedical science and engineering. The funds available for each Pritzker Fellowship are determined on a case-by-case basis by the executive director of the Pritzker Institute and are highly dependent on the financial commitment of the faculty member to preferentially support the initial year(s) of the Fellow’s doctoral research program.