NIH Stadtman Investigator Program

Deadline: September 30, 2026 (11:59 PM ET)

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) is pleased to offer the annual Stadtman Investigator Program for researchers seeking a tenure-track (assistant professor equivalent) position within its Intramural Research Program (IRP). The program is open to applicants conducting research in any area of biomedical science supported by the NIH. Each year, 10 or more new investigators may be hired through the program. More information about the program can be found at https://irp.nih.gov/careers/trans-nih-scientific-recruitments/stadtman-tenure-track-investigators.

Who we are: The IRP is a research institution whose hallmarks are stable funding, intellectual freedom, shared resources, and access to a wide range of scientific expertise and the world’s largest hospital dedicated to clinical research. It is home for around 1,000 principal investigators, nearly 2,000 other clinical and research faculty members, and more than 4,000 trainees and fellows from the undergraduate to the postdoctoral level. IRP research is conducted in several campuses across the U.S. More information about the IRP is at https://irp.nih.gov.

Whom we seek: The program is intended for applicants interested in being a principal investigator of a research group advancing the knowledge of living systems and its application to enhance human health while mentoring the next generation of scientists. We seek creative thinkers eager to take on innovative high-impact research.

Qualifications: Applicants must have a doctoral degree (M.D., Ph.D., or equivalent); have a robust record of research accomplishments as evidenced by high quality publications in peer-reviewed journals; and be a U.S. citizen, resident alien, or non-resident alien with, or eligible to obtain, a valid employment-authorization visa.

How to apply: The complete application consists of cover letter, curriculum vitae, research statement, and three letters of reference.

Applicants must submit the first three items within a single pdf document (50 MB maximum size):

1.      Cover Letter (2 pages maximum):

In addition to describing your interest in the IRP, the cover letter should state the relevance of your research to the NIH mission: “to seek fundamental knowledge about the nature and behavior of living systems and the application of that knowledge to enhance health, lengthen life, and reduce illness and disability.” The NIH mission statement can be found at https://www.nih.gov/about-nih/mission-goals. Please also describe your mentoring and outreach activities that support the success of other individuals such as the next generation of scientists in conducting scientific research. If you did not have much opportunity for mentoring and outreach, you may explain why and how you might approach them if given the opportunity. The curriculum vitae can also be used to list these activities.

2.      Curriculum Vitae:

The curriculum vitae should include a complete list of publications. Mentoring and outreach activities can also be included, in addition to being described in the cover letter.

3.      Research Statement (4 pages maximum, excluding references):

The research statement should describe past research accomplishments, current research, and plans for future research as an independent investigator.

There is no preferred format, but the text must be in font size 11 or greater. The three documents should be combined in the order of Cover Letter, Curriculum Vitae, and Research Statement into a single pdf document (50 MB maximum size) to be uploaded to the application system.

The application system is accessible at the Stadtman Investigator Program website: https://irp.nih.gov/careers/trans-nih-scientific-recruitments/stadtman-tenure-track-investigators. It will open on August 1, 2026 and close on September 30, 2026 (11:59 p.m. EDT).

Applicants should arrange for 3 reference letters to be submitted on their behalf by the September 30 deadline. After uploading their application and entering the names and email addresses of the 3 references into the application system, the applicant will be able to initiate the sending of an automated email to the references soliciting their reference letters.

Please note that the request for reference letters can only be sent after application submission. Thus, we strongly recommend that applicants submit their application substantially in advance of the September 30 deadline to ensure that their references have ample time to submit their letters by the deadline. If necessary, applicants may preliminarily submit a draft “placeholder” application, replacing it with the final application later but before the deadline.

What to expect: Twenty-six different committees, listed below, composed of IRP faculty with scientific expertise in a wide range of fields will review the applications. In the application system, each applicant must choose at least one committee and may choose up to 2 committees that best match their research field.

♦   Biochemistry/Proteomics/Metabolomics

♦   Biomedical Engineering/Biophysics/Physics

♦   Cancer Biology

♦   Cell Biology

♦   Chemistry/Chemical Biology/Toxicology

♦   Chromosome Biology/Epigenetics/Transcription

♦   Cognitive Neuroscience

♦   Computational Biology/Bioinformatics/Biostatistics/Artificial Intelligence

♦   Developmental Biology

♦   Epidemiology/Population Sciences

♦   Genetics/Genomics

♦   Health Disparities

♦   Immunology

♦   Microbiology/Infectious diseases (non-viral)

♦   Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience

♦   Molecular Biology

♦   Molecular Pharmacology/Cell Signaling

♦   Neurodevelopment

♦   RNA Biology

♦   Social and Behavioral Sciences

♦   Stem Cells/Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

♦   Structural Biology

♦   Synapses and Circuits

♦   Systems Biology/Physiology

♦   Translation from Pre-clinical to Clinical Research/Clinical Informatics

♦   Virology

The review committees will evaluate the applications on research accomplishments as evidenced by published work in peer-reviewed journals, proposed research that addresses an important scientific or public health problem, and potential for success as an independent investigator leading a research group composed mostly of trainees from postbacs to postdocs.

Based on its evaluation, each review committee compiles a short list of the most highly rated applicants who merit further consideration for interviews (roughly 25% of reviewed applications). Being on the short list of one of these committees is sufficient to be a potential interview candidate. Applicants will be notified of their status by the end of January.

The invitation for an interview will come from one or more of the 23 NIH Institutes and Centers that participate in the IRP (https://irp.nih.gov/about-us/our-programs). Please note that making the short list of potential interview candidates does not guarantee an interview; however, shortlisted candidates are eligible to be interviewed for up to 2 years after their selection as potential interview candidates.

Questions: Questions can be directed to: stadtman@nih.gov.