Independent Investigator Incubator

The I 3 program gives early career faculty a unique mentoring experience that will help you to secure funding and further your research as you transition to independent researchers.

The I 3 program helps you build skills beyond your specific scientific discipline. We’ll help you jump-start your career with guidance on navigating faculty life and more. Astudy published inBMC Medical Education called it “transformative mentorship” with significant productivity outcomes in publications, presentations, and funding acquisition.

Scholars select a senior faculty mentor from our list. All I 3 mentors have proven track records in extramural funding success, and will not only aid scholars in their own search for funding, but also help guide them navigate faculty life, grant writing, and research project management.

The program accepts new applications on a rolling basis.

Special thanks to our former mentors: Stephanie Davis, MD;
James McAteer, PhD;
Senthilkumar Sadhasivam, MD;
Mervin Yoder, MD;
Brady Atwood, PhD;
Aaron Carroll, MD, MS;
Tim Corson, PhD; and Lindsey Mayo, PhD

Grant writing mentors John Paul Spence, PhD, and Christina Rose Santangelo, MD host a yearly workshop open to anyone who is interested, regardless of participation in the I 3 program.

The primary goal of the workshop, which runs virtually from February to May, is (i) to prepare a NIH style grant application and (ii) to submit the proposal in the six months following the conclusion of the workshop. The workshop is a multi-week didactic engagement with a cohort of early career faculty, and features several guest speakers as well as concludes with two Mock Reviews of participant grants.

We strongly encourage you to take advantage of this training opportunity. This in-depth, hands-on workshop will prepare you for submitting a major independent grant application.

John Paul Spence, PhD
Program Manager
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