Simons Foundation Fellows-to-Faculty Award 2027: $600,000 Research Grant for Early-Career Scientists
The Simons Foundation is inviting applications for its 2027 Fellows-to-Faculty Award, a funding programme designed to support talented early-career scientists transitioning from postdoctoral research into independent, tenure-track faculty positions. The programme offers a three-year faculty research award worth up to $600,000, alongside an optional postdoctoral award of up to two years for eligible researchers.
Applications opened on 13 October 2026, and the deadline is 13 January 2027 at 12:00 noon Eastern Time. There are no citizenship requirements, and successful fellows may activate their awards at research institutions inside or outside the United States.
Fellowship Overview
- Organisation: Simons Foundation
- Programme: Fellows-to-Faculty Award 2027
- Research areas: Autism, neuroscience and related scientific fields
- Career stages: Postdoctoral researchers and early-career scientists preparing for faculty positions
- Faculty research funding: $200,000 per year for three years, totalling $600,000
- Optional postdoctoral funding: $110,000 per year for up to two years
- Application opening date: 13 October 2026
- Application deadline: 13 January 2027, at 12:00 noon Eastern Time
- Expected award start date: 1 September 2027
- Application portal: Simons Award Manager (SAM)
About the Fellows-to-Faculty Award
The Fellows-to-Faculty Award is offered through the Simons Foundation’s Autism and Neuroscience division to help promising scientists establish independent research careers.
The programme supports research aligned with three scientific initiatives: the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative (SFARI), the Simons Collaboration on Plasticity and the Aging Brain (SCPAB), and the Simons Collaboration on Ecological Neuroscience (SCENE).
The foundation aims to encourage innovative, high-risk, high-reward basic science research with the potential to transform understanding in these fields. Proposals may involve human participants, experimental models, theoretical approaches or computational methods.
Applicants may apply to one or more scientific areas, but separate applications tailored to each area are required when applying to multiple programmes.
Who Is Eligible to Apply?
Applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Hold a PhD, MD, MD/PhD or an equivalent doctoral degree.
- Currently occupy a mentored research training position, such as a postdoctoral or physician-scientist research fellowship.
- Be preparing to compete for tenure-track faculty positions during the upcoming academic recruitment cycle.
- Not have accepted a formal offer for a tenure-track faculty position before receiving the award notification.
- Not hold substantial federal principal-investigator funding or equivalent faculty-level funding.
- Not hold another career development award designed to facilitate the transition to an independent research career, either at application or concurrently with this award.
- Have submitted applications to this programme or its predecessor independence programmes no more than twice.
The foundation indicates that most successful applicants will have at least one publication or preprint from their current research position.
Applicants are expected to apply for faculty positions in September 2027 and begin their faculty appointments during the 2028–2029 academic year.
International applicants are eligible, as the programme has no citizenship restrictions. However, funding cannot be provided to institutions in mainland China or Hong Kong, including through certain intermediary arrangements.
Funding and Benefits
The award provides financial support for a transition into independent academic research.
1. Faculty Research Award
Successful fellows receive $200,000 annually for three years, providing a total award of $600,000. This amount includes 20% indirect costs.
The funding is intended to supplement the start-up package provided by the fellow’s institution and may be used for reasonable expenses related to the proposed scientific research. The award must be activated within the first 12 months after the fellow begins the faculty position.
2. Optional Postdoctoral Award
Eligible fellows may also receive up to two years of postdoctoral support, from 1 September 2027 through 31 August 2029, subject to the programme’s conditions.
The annual $110,000 award is allocated as follows:
- $85,000: Stipend
- $10,000: Career development allowance
- $15,000: Health insurance and other benefits allowance
This optional award is intended to support researchers while they pursue faculty positions. Fellows are not required to accept it.
The postdoctoral award does not permit indirect or overhead costs to be charged.
How Applications Are Evaluated
Applications are reviewed by Simons Foundation scientific staff and an expert review committee. Assessment focuses on the applicant’s scientific vision for a future independent laboratory, research plan, alignment with the relevant scientific programme and readiness for the academic job market.
The foundation also considers the applicant’s potential to contribute to and benefit from its scientific community. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to a virtual interview.
Required Application Preparation
Applicants should prepare a proposal comparable in scope to a faculty job application. It should describe the research directions planned for their future independent laboratory and explain how the work advances the mission of SFARI, SCPAB or SCENE.
The application should focus on the applicant’s future laboratory rather than a single three-year project or postdoctoral training goals.
An informational webinar is scheduled for 21 October 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. Eastern Time.
Apply on the official website.
The foundation expects to notify applicants of decisions in early to mid-July 2027, with awards starting on 1 September 2027.
Final Thoughts
The Simons Foundation Fellows-to-Faculty Award provides a significant opportunity for early-career scientists to establish independent research programmes in autism and neuroscience. With up to $600,000 in faculty research funding and optional postdoctoral support, the programme is particularly relevant to researchers preparing to transition into tenure-track academic positions.
Applicants should review the official request for applications carefully and ensure their proposed research aligns with the scientific mission of the programme they select.
Disclaimer: Funding decisions, eligibility and award conditions are determined by the Simons Foundation. Consult the official programme documentation before applying.
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