Resources and Opportunities

WSU-Specific Research, Fellowship, and Funding Opportunities

  1. PNNL-WSU Distinguished Graduate Research Program Questions: Asaph Cousins
  2. WSU-MPS; NSF International Research Experience for Students (IRES) Question: Mechthild Tegeder and Helmut Kirchoff
  3. Graduate Certificate in Protein Biotechnology (this is usually associated with admission to the NIH training grant program, but students can benefit from the program and earn the certificate without being financially supported)
  4. Graduate Certificate in Bioinformatics
  5. Graduate Certificate & NSF Research and Training Program in Rivers, Watersheds, & Communities
  6. WSU-GPSA, small grants ($500-$1500, depending on purpose)
  7. MPS, travel grants ($1500/student: ≤$500, pre-2nd proposal, +$1000, post-second proposal) Currently available. Subject to change. Questions: molecular.plants@wsu.edu. Apply
  8. Computer purchases
  9. All But Done Tuition Waiver (ABD): Once you pass your preliminary exam (2nd proposal), you can apply for a graduate tuition waiver for up to 5 semesters of tuition waiver from the graduate school.  This can save your lab group money: https://gradschool.wsu.edu/abd-waiver-pilot-program/

External Graduate Fellowship Opportunities

The grad school is maintaining a list here: https://gradschool.wsu.edu/fellowships/.  Most MPS relevant ones are below.

  1. NSF-GRFP: The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. The GRFP provides three years of support over a five-year fellowship period for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements in STEM or STEM education. For US citizens and PRs. https://new.nsf.gov/funding/opportunities/nsf-graduate-research-fellowship-program-grfp Life sciences deadline: Oct 16, 2023.  Grad applicants can only apply once.
  2. DOE: The goal of the Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program is to prepare graduate students for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) careers critically important to the DOE Office of Science mission, by providing graduate thesis research opportunities at DOE laboratories.  The SCGSR program provides supplemental awards to outstanding U.S. graduate students (US citizens or lawful permanent residents) to pursue part of their graduate thesis research at a DOE laboratory/facility in areas that address scientific challenges central to the Office of Science mission. https://science.osti.gov/wdts/scgsr
  3. USDA: USDA-NIFA: Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grants Program Education and Workforce Development. (only for US citizens and PRs) https://www.nifa.usda.gov/grants/funding-opportunities/agriculture-food-research-initiative-education-workforce-development
  4. The Ford Foundation offers predoctoral and doctoral finishing year scholarships to outstanding applicants who are US citizens and permanent residents: https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/ford-foundation-dissertation-fellowships#sectionProjectScope
  5. The Soros Foundation Fellowship for New Americans. US citizen or permanent resident. You or your parents must not have been born in the US. Available in the first 2 years of grad education. https://www.pdsoros.org/apply

WSU Core Facilities/Service Centers

  • Vice President for Research Opportunities:
    • Research Week (Fall): Research Week 5.0: https://researchweek.wsu.edu/
    • RA and $10K Grant Competitions
    • Commercialization Grants
    • Annual Research Symposium in Spring
  • NMR — nmr.wsu.edu; solution to amorphous to solid, 0.5 mL lowest volume, Fulmer Hall basement 2, 300 MHz, 400MHz (with 100-sample autos ampler), 500MHz (Magic angle spinning probe), 600MHz; new 500MHz with cryo and magic angle spinning probe; Prices about $10/hr
  • Mass spectrometry
  • Microscopy: The Franceschi Microscopy and Imaging Center (FMIC) is a research and educational facility for the imaging and ultrastructural study of biological and non-biological materials. It is a centralized facility available to all WSU researchers and students. The FMIC provides electron microscopy and light microscopy equipment for observation and analysis of a diverse array of specimens.
  • Sequencing and nucleic acids-related: The Laboratory for Biotechnology and Bioanalysis (LBB) is a service center and to provide access to molecular instrumentation that proved to be cost prohibitive for individual labs to purchase on their own. Sequencers (Sanger to Illumina), single-cell and spatially resolved sequencing, nucleic acid sizing.
  • Statistics and Computing
    • WSU’s Center for Interdisciplinary Statistical Education and Research (CISER) provides services in support of WSU researchers in designing data-collection protocols and statistical analysis of the data resulting from research studies.
    • The Center for Institutional Research Computing (CIRC) coordinates many of WSU’s research computing efforts. CIRC’s goal is to propel WSU into a position of national leadership in the field of research computing by unifying the research community around shared and strategic institutional goals.  Supercomputer: Kamiak

Trainings and MPS-Relevant Seminars

  • Safety Trainings (Percipio) log in with your WSUNetID, and complete:
    1. Discrimination and Sexual Harassment Prevention
    2. Hazing Prevention
    3. Cybersecurity
    4. Autoclave Safety
    5. Fume Hood Safety
    6. Liquid Nitrogen Safety
    7. Introduction to Biosafety
    8. Other more specific trainings as your work requires
  • Relevant Seminars: Stay informed for seminars
  • Please see handbook and graduate school website for all sorts of helpful things including: human resources and rights compliance resources, and diversity, social, identity groups!