Eligibility
Applicants for the McKnight Scholar Award must be independent investigators at not-for-profit research institutions in the United States and must hold a faculty position at the rank of Assistant Professor and must have served at that rank for less than five years at the application deadline (exceptions may be made for parental leave). For this year’s round, that means that the applicant must not have started serving in the rank of Assistant Professor any earlier than December 1, 2020. The applicant must hold an official appointment as assistant professor on the date of application submission to be eligible.
Individuals holding other titles such as Instructor, Research Assistant Professor, Adjunct Assistant Professor, or Instructor are not eligible. If the host institution does not use professorial titles, a letter from a senior institutional official (e.g. Dean or Director of Research) must confirm that the applicant controls their own dedicated institutional resources, laboratory space, and/or facilities. We seek to enhance geographic, gender, and racial diversity in neuroscience, and we encourage women and members of communities of color to apply. Applicants may not apply in more than two rounds of competition, have already been granted tenure, or hold another award from the McKnight Endowment Fund.
Applicants may not apply in more than two rounds of Scholar competition, have already been granted tenure, or hold another award from the McKnight Endowment Fund. A candidate may not apply to both Scholar and Neurobiology of Brain Disorders during the same funding cycle. (This is a new update for the 2026 awards.).
There is no limit for how many applications we can receive from the same institution in the same funding round, and while we strive for institutional diversity there have been cases when more than one applicant from the same institution has been awarded in the same grant period.
Application
The application process is completely online, and the portal will open for submission on August 1, 2025.
All application components are due by no later than Monday, December 1, 2025, at 5 PM Central.
To apply, the principal investigator will need to follow these steps once the portal opens:
- Set up a username and password using the “Start Application” link located on the right sidebar.
(please retain your username and password for future use)
- Upon login, download the template for our face sheet.
- Upload the entire application as ONE PDF, in the following order, including:
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- Completed face sheet. Download the Face Sheet template here.
- Description of the proposed research project. The proposal should be introduced with an abstract of 200 words or less, followed by a detailed statement of plans for the three-year research program. The proposed research need not present a totally new line of research but should represent one of your lab’s most innovative and impactful directions. The proposal (abstract, narrative and figures, but not bibliography) must not exceed four numbered single-spaced pages in 12-point font with 1-inch margins.
- Diversity & Inclusion Statement. A defining principle of the McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience is to foster community and support mentorship. A one-page narrative describing how you are: 1) working to create an inclusive lab environment; and 2) addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion in science outside your lab. Keep the focus on personal experience and specific actions you have taken, and not just philosophy or planned activities.
- CV. Please ensure it includes the following: header with applicant name, current position title, current institution/department, ORCID ID (if available), website (if available); listing of education and training (degree, institution, dates, advisor/mentor); Professional Experience and scientific appointments (title, institution, dates); honors and awards; teaching mentoring and service; and full bibliography.
- List of other support including all resources (both start-up support and external funding) available in support of their research. List start-up funding at the beginning of the document and then follow NIH guidelines for external funding.
- Links to 5 recent publicly accessible publications (can include pre-prints e.g. on BioRxiv).
We also require three references from former teachers, mentors, or senior colleagues familiar with the applicant’s work. Letters of reference must be sent separately and in confidence by the three individuals listed as references on the face sheet of the application. Please forward the following instructions to your three referees:
The McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience Scholar Awards support young applicants embarking on an independent research career in neuroscience. We would appreciate your candid comments on the applicant’s training and research accomplishments, and on the applicant’s potential as an independent investigator in neuroscience. We also welcome comments on the applicant’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in neuroscience. There is no specific format for the letter. Please email a PDF of your reference letter by Monday, December 1, 2025 at 5 PM Central to neuro@mcknight.org, indicating in the subject line who you are recommending. Your comments will be seen by the McKnight Scholar Awards Review Committee and will otherwise be held in confidence.
Selection Process
The McKnight Scholar Awards Review committee will evaluate the applications and invite approximately 20 finalists to interview with the committee. Applicants invited to interview will be notified in March 2026. The interviews will be scheduled soon after and will be conducted remotely. The committee will then recommend candidates to the Board of Directors of the Endowment Fund for final decision. Awards will be announced in May 2026, and awards start June 1, 2026.
Questions?
Email: Joel Krogstad, Program Manager, McKnight Endowment Fund for Neuroscience
McKnight Scholar Application Process Overview with Leslie Vosshall, Ph.D.