Applications for the 2025 W.M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship will open February 10, 2025 and close March 10, 2025 at 5pm CST.
Established with a generous endowment from the W.M. Keck Foundation, the W.M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biomedical Research is a hallmark of Washington University. It provides one-year support to outstanding scientists in the early phase of their postdoctoral training who demonstrate exceptional potential for becoming leading experts in biomedical research.
Each W.M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship consists of a competitive salary and additional research support funds. It is open to early-career scientists from different scientific disciplines in the biomedical sciences, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status.
Every year, nominations are open in February and are due in March. The W.M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship Selection Committee meets in April and notifications are sent no later than May 1st. The starting date of the W.M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship is July 1st.
The W.M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship uses a single-blind evaluation system. The members of the W.M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship Selection Committee are all Washington University faculty conducting world-class research in biomedical fields. The W.M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship is administered by the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs.
Guidelines for the 2025 cycle
Applications will open February 10, 2025.
- Nominations for the 2025 W.M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellowship are open from February 10 through March 10, 2025.
- Two 1-year fellowships will be awarded with a salary of $70,000 and up to $4,000 for research support.
- The faculty mentor or department will be responsible for all fringes associated with the Fellow’s appointment as a Postdoctoral Research Associate (postdoctoral employee). Fringe rates for FY26 are projected to be 24.3%. Final rates will be announced here.
- We welcome nominations for outstanding early-career researchers from different scientific disciplines in the biomedical sciences, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status. We especially encourage nominations of those from underrepresented groups, including international researchers.
- The Selection Committee will release decisions by May 1, 2025.
- Eligibility guidelines appear below. Specific information about the selection and the fellow commitments can be found on the side menu.
- Application deadline: March 10, 2025, 5:00 pm CT.
Faculty Mentor Eligibility
- Nominations are limited to one per faculty mentor.
- The total funding package includes only salary and research funds. The faculty mentor or department will be responsible for all fringes associated with the fellowship. Fringe rates for FY26 are projected to be 24.3%. Final rates will be announced here.
- Priority will be given to mentors without a recently awarded W.M. Keck Postdoctoral Fellow in their lab.
- Consideration will be given to those with limited funding sources.
Postdoc Nominee Eligibility
- Nominee must have less than two years of postdoctoral experience as of the start date of the fellowship (July 1st). Postdoctoral experience includes time as a WashU postdoctoral appointee as well as previous postdoctoral or on-the-job training and experience in other institutions. See what counts as postdoctoral experience here.
- Nominee should hold a PhD, MD/PhD, or MD degree, and show considerable promise for a career in biomedical science.
- Nominee cannot hold other internal or external funds (e.g., fellowships, grants) at the time of or at any point during their fellowship appointment. Priority will be given to applicants who do not have pending fellowship awards from other sources.
- Nominee must be scheduled to continue or begin their appointment as a postdoctoral associate by July 1, 2025, in a primary appointment at WashU in order to receive the fellowship award.
- There are no citizenship requirements for eligibility.
Nomination process
Faculty mentors can nominate an incoming or current postdoctoral appointee following these steps:
- Complete the application form
- Collect and submit nominee’s CV
- Collect and submit a 1-page research statement prepared by the nominee (not the faculty nominator) describing the proposed project to be carried out during the tenure of the fellowship. Do not include figures or references.
- Submit a letter of recommendation describing the nominee’s qualifications, the value of the nominee’s research project, and the training and mentorship plan for the duration of the fellowship.
- All documents should be submitted as PDF files.
Direct questions to the Office of Postdoctoral Affairs, at postdoc@wustl.edu.