The Research Scholars Program (RSP) is a one-year, multicomponent career development program designed to promote research success for junior faculty, with the goal of recruiting candidates with a broad range of backgrounds and experiences and research plans that will extend their reach in their field of study. Program components include (1) several levels of mentorship, coaching, and sponsorship; (2) professional development programming, including a grant writing boot camp and professional communications training; and (3) inclusive networking by connecting to a larger supportive scientific and social community. Four cohorts of Research Scholars have successfully completed the program thus far, see the website for details about the previous Research Scholars. This year, the program intends to recruit two University of Kentucky (UK) faculty members from diverse disciplines across campus.

Eligibility criteria for applicants are as follows:

• U.S. citizen or permanent resident
• Doctoral-level degree (MD, PhD, DMD, DDS, DO, PharmD)
• Full-time UK Regular Title Series or Research Title Series Assistant or Associate Professor
• Commitment of at least 30% effort to research
• Priority is given to investigators who have not yet achieved significant extramural funding as Principal Investigator

Nomination process:

Nominations for the RSP must be submitted by the faculty member’s mentor, chair, dean, center director, or research supervisor. The following items must be included in the nomination packet:

1.  Nomination letter (1-2 pages) from a mentor, chair, dean, center director, or research supervisor, including:

• Confirmation of meeting eligibility criteria (above) and faculty commitment of ~10% of distribution of effort during the program.
• Description of research promise, including a statement that the prime unit for appointment will support participation in all aspects of the RSP.
• Statement of why the nominee would benefit from the RSP.
• Description of the nominee’s current mentorship structure within and outside their home department/center.

2.  Description of sources of financial support for participation in the RSP. Given new sources of support, we can now offer the program for $10,000 for each faculty member. This cost covers approximately $5000 for the Faculty Success Program; $4000 provided to mentors, coaches, and near-peer mentors; and $1000 for grant writing boot camp and communication workshop materials and other programmatic costs. Use of departmental and/or College/Center resources, such as enrichment funds, is an anticipated source of support for this program, and it is expected that colleges and/or units provide a portion of cost-share for each nominated faculty if their faculty are selected to participate.

3. Candidate’s (junior faculty) letter (1-2 pages), including:

• Description of research focus (accessible to those outside their discipline).
• Statement of why the candidate would benefit from the RSP.
• Statement describing contribution or commitment to extending the reach of the ideas of community and belonging into the research workforce.
• Statement indicating a commitment to engage in RSP activities for the entire 2025-2026 RSP cohort year (April 2025-March 2026).

4. CV/Biosketch

To apply, please fill out the brief Qualtrics survey and upload a PDF that includes the materials listed above: HERE

Review process

Members of the RSP Faculty Advisory Committee will review and rank the nomination packet. Selection will be based on the following criteria:

• Research accomplishments
• Promise for success and potential to benefit from the RSP

The final selection of RSP participants from the ranked list of nomination packets will be made by the RSP leadership.

Questions? Please contact Dr. Nancy Schoenberg (nesch@uky.edu) or Dr. Kevin Pearson (kevin.pearson@uky.edu) for content questions and Misti Salyers-Dunford ( Misti.Salyers-Dunford@uky.edu) for logistical questions.