Financial Support For Incoming Graduate Students
See Also: Traineeships from Federal Agencies | SCALE-IT | PEER | Financial Support for Advanced Graduate Students | Frequently Asked Questions
Teaching AssistantshipsThe general policy of the BCMB Department is to provide a stipend for all students who are accepted into the graduate program. For the first year, students are typically supported on graduate teaching assistantships (GTAs), although there are some special opportunities as described in the sections below for fellowship support. The GTA stipend is $20,000/year paid in 12 monthly installments. A tuition waiver is also included. In order for an international student to work as a GTA, the SPEAK test must be passed with a score of 50 or above. Students who are supported as GTAs are expected to devote roughtly 20 hr/week to their duties as teaching assistants. Teaching assignments vary, including working as assistants in undergraduate laboratories or running discussion sections for undergraduate lecture courses in biology.
Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Education (CIRE)CIRE was founded in 2010 with the goal of fostering interdisciplinary research and graduate study in focused areas of science and engineering. CIRE is the home for two programs, the Distinguished Graduate Fellowship and the program for Energy Science and Engineering:
» UT/ORNL Distinguished Fellowship Program
Others of you who have a particular interest in working jointly with ORNL faculty on projects in the areas of computational biology or materials science, including neutron science, should check out a brand new program. This is the UT/ORNL Distinguished Fellowship Program. These fellowships also carry a $30,000 stipend. The application deadline is January 30.
» Energy Science and Engineering Program (ESE):
CIRE has developed one of the first interdisciplinary PhD programs in energy science and engineering. Students who are pursuing a PhD in other areas (such as a BCMB degree) may pursue a concentration in ESE.
Details about both the DGF and ESE programs can be found at http://cire.utk.edu/index.php.
The university also funds several scholarships for graduate students. For further information, visit the Graduate School online or contact
Dr. Kay Reed
kayreed (at) utk.edu
Assistant Dean
Office of Graduate Student Services
The University of Tennessee
111 Student Services Building
Knoxville, TN 37996.
» NSF IGERT: SCALE-IT
We also have fellowships for students interested specifically in biocomputing and quantitative biology. These fellowships are funded by the National Science Foundation as part a program called, “Scalable Computing and Leading Edge Innovative Technology” (SCALE-IT). SCALE-IT is designed to incorporate life sciences and computing at every scale – from cells to ecosystems. These are highly competitive fellowships for students who would like to do the extra work needed to earn a Minor in Computational Science. The fellowships include a $30,000 stipend and full tuition. You can visit our website at http://web.utk.edu/~scaleit.
» NIH Predoctoral Traineeships: PEER
The University of Tennessee is now offering graduate fellowships through an NIH-funded program called “PEER” (Program for Excellence and Equity in Research). Dr. Sekeenia Haynes is the program manager for PEER. This traineeship is an opportunity for students from underrepresented minorities in science to have special support. Minorities include African Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and women, who have not been well represented in graduate education in some of the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) disciplines. Individuals with disabilities and those coming from low income situations also are qualified. The fellowships include a $25,000 stipend and full tuition. You can find more information at http://web.utk.edu/~peer.
Please Note: The SCALE-IT, PEER and UT/ORNL Distinguished Fellowships are NOT a substitute for your program of study in BCMB, but rather a complement to it that should provide additional opportunities for specialization and professional development. All require a separate application in addition to what you have submitted to our department.
If you are interested in either of these fellowship programs or want more information, feel free to me, as I am the director of both programs (cbpeters@utk.edu). You can also contact Dr. Sekeenia Haynes (shaynes6@utk.edu), PEER program manager, or Dr. Harry Richards (harry@utk.edu), SCALE-IT program manager, for more information about these programs. You should act soon, since we are now beginning to review these applications.