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Graduate Student Awards

College of Biological Sciences graduate students are eligible and able to apply for several awards and scholarships, which provide additional financial support in recognition of excellence in mentoring, teaching and research, and support a variety of student life opportunities. 

  • Barbara Chapman Neuroscience Award

  • The Barbara Chapman Neuroscience Award provides support for Neuroscience Graduate Program students to attend conferences, workshops, courses and formal or informal practical training or internship opportunities to advance their knowledge and skills applicable to their thesis research. This award is open to students at any level of training. Applications are announced via email when they open.

  • Barbara Horwitz & John Horowitz Molecular, Cellular and Integrative Physiology Award

  • This award was endowed through a generous gift from Barbara Horwitz & John Horowitz and recognizes an outstanding graduate student in the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Graduate Group, and is applied towards travel and/or supplies. Maximum award is $2,000. To be eligible, applicants must be full-time registered graduate students in good academic standing in the MCIP graduate group, in their second year or beyond, with a minimum GPA of 3.5.
    Application and More Information
  • CBS DEIJ Initiative Grant
  • The CBS DEIJ Initiative Grant provides funding for graduate student-led events or programs that promote Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice in the College of Biological Sciences and the UC Davis community more broadly. We understand that various aspects of graduate student education, development, and success are considered DEIJ issues. Thus, we will consider and award funds to a variety of funding proposals and encourage a broad interpretation of what constitutes advancement of DEIJ.
    Application and More Information
  • CBS Graduate DEIJ Leader Fellowship
  • Enterprising graduate students across CBS have taken crucial steps to enhance excellence in Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice through grassroots efforts. To support the longevity and impact of these initiatives and the graduate students that lead them, the CBS Graduate Student DEIJ Leader Fellowship is a prestigious opportunity for outstanding graduate students to enhance DEIJ in the CBS community and be compensated for their contributions to this important work.
    Application and More Information
  • David L. Weaver Award
  • The David L. Weaver Award provides financial support to one or more UC Davis neuroscience graduate student(s), postdoctoral scholar(s), and/or early-career faculty to attend conferences and other scientific events that help advance their knowledge and research training in the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of stroke and traumatic brain injuries. Applications are announced via email when they open.
  • Dean's Mentorship Award
  • This award was made possible through donations to the Dean’s Circle Annual Fund and recognizes graduate students who have demonstrated excellence in the mentorship of undergraduate students. This award provides $2,500 to the selected graduate students and an additional $2,500 to the student’s laboratory to support the research experience of undergraduates being mentored by that graduate student. This award is by faculty nomination only.
    Application and More Information
  • Eric and Louise Conn Graduate Student Award in Plant Biochemistry
  • This award was endowed through a generous gift from Eric and Louise Conn and supports outstanding graduate students performing research in the field of plant biochemistry. One or more $2,000 annual fellowships will be awarded. To be eligible, applicants must be full-time registered graduate students in good academic standing in the Plant Biology or the Biochemistry and Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology Graduate Groups, and working with faculty mentors in the College of Biological Sciences.
    Application and More Information
  • Irving I. Hertzendorf Memorial Award
  • The Irving I. Hertzendorf Memorial Award was created to honor the life of Irving I. Hertzendorf, a graduate student in Physiology. This $500 award is presented annually to an exceptional Ph.D. student in the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Graduate Group, to recognize the full range of scholarly attributes, including completion of a significant research project.  This award is by faculty nomination only.
    Application and More Information
  • Ling-Lie Chau Graduate Student Award for Brain Research

  • The Ling-Lie Chau Graduate Student Award for Brain Research supports high-achieving Neuroscience Graduate Program graduate students, who have passed all qualification requirements and who are performing research within a core CNS lab, to enhance the educational experience and attract quality candidates for future graduate student recruitment. Applications are announced via email when they open.

  • Loren D. Carlson Prize in Physiology
  • This prize honors the contributions of Loren D. Carlson, former Chair of the Physiology Graduate Group. The $3,000 annual prize honors one student in the Molecular, Cellular, and Integrative Physiology Graduate Group who has demonstrated "scholarly achievement and promise for teaching and research." To be eligible, students must have advanced to candidacy, or completed their Ph.D. the year prior. This award is by faculty nomination only.
    Application and More Information
  • Monsanto Fellowship Program
  • This fellowship was endowed through a generous gift from the Monsanto Corporation and is available to outstanding CBS graduate students preparing for careers in agricultural biotechnology. One or more annual $3,000 fellowship will be awarded. To be eligible, applicants shall have declared the intention to pursue a career in agricultural biotechnology. Applicants must be full-time registered graduate students in one of the eight Biological Sciences graduate groups.
    Application and More Information
  • Sharon Gray Memorial Award
  • This award was created to honor the life of Dr. Sharon Gray, a postdoctoral scholar with a passion and commitment to mentoring women in science. The award will support a graduate student mentor in a CBS Graduate Group whose faculty mentor is within CBS and an undergraduate or graduate student mentee who does research in this CBS laboratory. The mentor and mentee will each have $1,250 available for use in educational and professional development opportunities.
    Application and More Information
  • Victor and Meg Chan Graduate Student Award
  • The Victor and Meg Chan Graduate Student Award supports one or more UC Davis Center for Neuroscience graduate student(s) to attend conferences and other scientific opportunities that help advance their knowledge, research and careers. Applications are announced via email when they open.