Grants & Awards
Graduate students enrolled in SIB departments or SIB-sponsored graduate programs 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, including assistance with travel.
SIB Grants and Awards
Graduate Students May Apply For
The Edwin Banks Memorial Fund
This is administered by the Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior. This fund provides supplementary fellowship support for graduate students.
The Francis M. and Harlie M. Clark Research Support Grant
This 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.
The Francis M. and Harlie M. Clark Summer Fellowship
This is administered by the IB Fellowship Committee. Fellowships are given to support graduate students who would otherwise not have summer support.
The Robert Emerson Memorial Award
This is administered by the IB Fellowship Committee. This award is given to recognize exceptional academic achievement and research potential.
The Govindjee and Rajni Govindjee Award for Excellence
in Biological Science
This is administered by the Department of Plant Biology in odd years. It provides research support for any student conducting research in plant biology.
The Harold C. and Sonja L. Labinsky Award
This is designed for students working with faculty in the Department of Plant Biology that use plant genetics in their research program.
The award may be given to:- recognize graduate student research achievements using the methods and approaches of plant genetics,
- recognize meritorious research using the methods and approaches of plant genetics by an undergraduate, or
- 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.
The R. Weldon Larimore Scholarship
This 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.
The John R. Laughnan Fund in Plant Biology
This 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.
The Lebus Fund Award
This is administered by the Integrative Biology Fellowship Committee. The award provides funds to support meritorious graduate students during the summer.
The William H. Luckmann Award
This 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.
The Isabel Norton Award
This 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.
The Eugene P. Odum - S. Charles Kendeigh Fund
This is administered by the Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior. It provides research support for graduate students in the fields of ecology, behavior, and evolutionary biology.
The Herbert Holdsworth Ross Memorial Fund
This 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.
The Phillip W. Smith Memorial Fund
This 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.
The Harley J. Van Cleave Research Award
This 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.