Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year are now open.

About the Program

Through the Sanford Research Fellows program, the Center aims to support students, trainees, and early-career researchers with an interest in empathy and compassion research. The award provides research funding to fellows under the guidance of a faculty mentor for their basic or applied empathy and compassion-related research projects. In addition to financial support, Fellows are welcomed into the Sanford Institute community and provided with opportunities for fellowship, knowledge sharing, and professional development. Fellows and mentors are encouraged to take an active role in Institute life and to interact with the broader community engaged in research related to empathy and compassion. Fellows will present their findings at the conclusion of each award period.

Award

Fellows will receive support towards a portion of their salary/stipend and an allowance for equipment/supplies.

Eligibility

Any full-time UC San Diego graduate student or postdoctoral scholar interested in conducting research related to empathy and compassion is encouraged to apply. We welcome applications for basic and applied research projects. Applicants are required to identify a UCSD faculty mentor to develop the research project collaboratively. The program welcomes as mentor all members of the UCSD faculty, including Adjunct members whose primary affiliation is through the Salk Institute, The Scripps Research Institute, or the Sanford/Burnham/Prebys Institute.

Submission Guidelines

First-Stage Application: Letter of Intent (LOI)

Applicants will provide an overview of their proposed project within our application portal. Form fields include: 

• Project Title
• Research Question
• Relevance of project outcomes to the goals of the Sanford Institute
• Proposed Methodologies
• Target participants
• Research team members and roles

During initial review, projects will be evaluated for their relevance to the Center’s mission, methodology, and potential for scientific impact.

Applicants selected to proceed to the second stage will receive an invitation to submit a formal proposal.

Second-Stage Application: Proposal (By Invitation Only)

If invited to submit a formal proposal, applicants will receive detailed instructions via email. Form fields include:

• Research Team
• Introduction
• Specific Aims
• Background/Rationale
• Research Plan
• Project Timeline and Deliverables
• Budget with Justification
• Investigator CVs/Biosketches

Deadlines

First-stage Applications close March 28, 2025 at 5 p.m. (PST)

First-stage decisions will be provided via email on or around March 25, 2025

Second-stage Applications close April 21, 2025 at 5 p.m. (PDT)