TRISH calls for postdoctoral proposals for fellowship program

The Translational Research Institute for Space Health (TRISH) at Baylor College of Medicine, with consortium partners California Institute of Technology and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, announced today it is seeking proposals for its postdoctoral fellowship program, which supports early career scientists pursuing research with the potential to reduce the human health risks associated with spaceflight.

“TRISH’s postdoctoral fellowship program welcomes promising scholars from a wide range of academic specialties who are passionate about preserving and protecting human health in space and on Earth,” said Dr. Jennifer Fogarty, chief scientific officer of TRISH and assistant professor at the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor. “Scholars join a unique community that is both at the forefront of applied space health research and dedicated to mentorship and career development.”

Fellows will lead their own research projects, work with a mentor and receive a two-year salary stipend. TRISH encourages qualified candidates to apply even if new to space health research.

“TRISH has allowed for the possibility of a lot of high-risk, high-reward countermeasure research like mine to move forward,” said Dr. David Temple, a current TRISH postdoctoral fellow at the University of Colorado Boulder. “The beauty of a lot of this type of research is that it has the potential to protect the health of not only future space explorers, but also people here on the ground. TRISH’s support in forging connections across vast ranges of research has undoubtedly helped to launch my career, and this multidisciplinary approach is successful in expanding the perspective of those interested in the health challenges faced by human spaceflight.”

“Building and empowering an informed and engaged space health workforce is a top priority at TRISH,” said Dr. Dorit Donoviel, TRISH executive director and associate professor at the Center for Space Medicine at Baylor. “As we prepare to return humans to the moon and then to Mars, it is difficult to imagine a more exciting and critical moment to join this field.”   

Proposers should anticipate a project start date in fall 2024. Proposers must include an identified mentor with their submitted research proposal. Funds to support the research, apart from the awardees salary, must be supplied by the mentor. Independent investigators with existing research grant support may request to be listed as prospective mentors for this program by contacting Dr. Guillaume Vignaux. The full solicitation is available here. Proposals should be submitted through NSPIRES no later than Jan. 31, 2024 at 11:59 pm EST.
 
Supported by the NASA Human Research Program, TRISH is an applied space health research catalyst that funds disruptive, high-impact scientific studies and technologies to equip astronauts for deep space exploration. Learn more about TRISH and its future funding opportunities by signing up for its monthly newsletter and following it on LinkedIn and X, formerly known as Twitter.