Grants & Awards
Graduate students enrolled in SIB departments or SIB-sponsored graduate programs (PEEC or PMPB) are eligible to apply for several grants or awards to support their research or to advance their professional development. Click on the name of the grant or award below to obtain more information about eligibility and application procedures.
In addition, the Graduate College has a web page on which financial aid to graduate students is discussed. Two opportunities may be of special interest to SIB graduate students, a Travel Fund and a Dissertation Completion Fellowship.
SIB Grants and Awards Graduate Students May Apply For
The Edwin Banks Memorial Fund is administered by the Department of Animal Biology. This fund provides supplementary fellowship support for graduate students.
Award: $500
Deadline: Mid-spring semester
The Robert Emerson Memorial Award is administered by the IB Fellowship Committee. This award is given to recognize exceptional academic achievement and research potential.
Award: $3000
Deadline: March 14, 2013
The SIB Enhancement Fund is administered by the School of Integrative Biology Fellowship Committee. Grants are given to support travel or tuition for workshops or courses, or for attendance at meetings outside the continental USA at which the student is invited to give a presentation. FUNDING IS CURRENTLY NOT AVAILABLE. WATCH FOR UPDATES.
Award: Varies; typically for travel or tuition/registration costs
Deadline: Applications are accepted as long as funding is available. Awards are usually decided within 10 days of receipt of the application.
The Francis M. and Harlie M. Clark Summer Fellowship is administered by the IB Fellowship Committee. Fellowships are given to support graduate students who would otherwise not have summer support.
Fellowship: 2 months
Deadline: March 14, 2013
The Francis M. and Harlie M. Clark Research Support Grant is administered by the IB Fellowship Committee. Grants are given in recognition of outstanding achievement in the biological sciences and for the support of the students' professional development or research.
Award: Typically around $1,000
Deadline: March 14, 2013
The Govindjee and Rajni Govindjee Award for Excellence in Biological Science is administered by the Department of Plant Biology. It provides research support for any student conducting research in plant biology.
Award: $1,000
Deadline: Mid-spring Semester
The R. Weldon Larimore Scholarship is administered by the Illinois Natural History Survey, a part of the Institute of Natural Resource Sustainability at the University of Illinois. It provides research support for graduate students conducting research in the area of stream ecology.
Award: $2,000
Deadline: Early spring Semester
The Harold C. and Sonja L. Labinsky Award is designed forfor students working with faculty in the Department of Plant Biology that use plant genetics in their research program. The award may be given to: 1) recognize graduate student research achievements using the methods and approaches of plant genetics, 2) recognize meritorious research using the methods and approaches of plant genetics by an undergraduate, or 3) as support for participation by a graduate student in a scientific workshop or meeting that will assist in the application of genetic approaches to the student's thesis research.
Deadline: Mid-spring Semester
The John R. Laughnan Fund in Plant Biology is administered by the Department of Plant Biology. It provides support for graduates students in the Department of Plant Biology for travel to scientific meetings.
Award: About $600
Deadline: Mid-spring semester
The Lebus Fund Award is administered by the Integrative Biology Fellowship Committee. The award provides funds to support meritorious graduate students during the summer.
Award: $1000
Deadline: March 14, 2013
The William H. Luckmann Award is administered by a committee from the Illinois Natural History Survey. The award provides funds to support undergraduate or graduate student attendance and presentation of research results at the annual meeting of the Entomological Society of America (ESA) or a meeting of another appropriate professional society.
Award: $750
Deadline: Mid-spring semester
The Isabel Norton Award is administered by the Integrative Biology Fellowship Committee. The award provides funds to support graduate students who are within one year of graduation in order for them to complete their thesis or dissertation research.
Award: Up to $2000
Deadline: March 14, 2013
The Eugene P. Odum - S. Charles Kendeigh Fund is administered by the Department of Animal Biology. It provides research support for graduate students in the field of ecology, behavior, and evolutionary biology.
Award: $1,000
Deadline: Mid-spring semester
The Herbert Holdsworth Ross Memorial Fund is administered by a faculty committee from the Natural History Survey and the Department of Entomology. The fund provides research support for graduate students in the field of systematics, including taxonomy, phylogeny, biogeography, and related subjects.
Award: Typically $800-$1,200
Deadline: Mid-spring semester
The Phillip W. Smith Memorial Fund is administered by a committee from the Natural History Survey. The fund provides research support for graduate students in the fields of systematics or ecology of living organisms.
Award: Typically $1,000
Deadline: Mid-spring semester
The Harley J. Van Cleave Reserach Award is administered by the Integrative Biology Fellowship Committee. The fund provides research support for graduate students investigating new frontiers and demonstrating promise and high aptitude in the fields of Cell and Structural Biology, Physiology, Ecology, Microbiology, Genetics, and related fields. Submit application in pdf format to sibawards@life.illinois.edu.
Award: $1,000
Deadline: March 14, 2013