Doctoral Pilot Grants

YIBS Small Grants Program
Doctoral Pilot Grants
 

The YIBS Small Grants Program Doctoral Pilot Grants are intended to help early career PhD students gather pilot data and conduct initial experiments to justify more substantial external funding in later years of their dissertation. These grants are intended primarily for students in the first or second year of their graduate program.

Eligibility: Students enrolled in a PhD program in one of Anthropology, Earth and Planetary Sciences, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Epidemiology and Public Health, Environmental Engineering, Yale School of the Environment or a related program, are eligible to apply.

Maximum Grant Award: $3,000

Application Requirements:

  1. Applicant Information (see website) including:
    1. Project Title
    2. Contact Information
    3. Current Program and Year
    4. Advisor’s Name and Department
  2. Project Proposal
    1. Project Description (maximum 2 pages, single-spaced). The project description should identify the intellectual merit of your proposed work, its broader relevance, and describe how it will justify research to be completed during the dissertation.
    2. References (no limit).
  3. Budget and Budget Justification (1 page).
  4. Letter(s) of Support
    1. Please provide at least one letter of support from a faculty member, ideally from your research advisor. This letter should address their support for the project, the potential impact of the project, and the ability of the student to complete the proposed research. 

Allowable Expenses: Travel, lodgings, supplies, and equipment related directly to the proposed research are allowable. The total request cannot exceed $3,000 and cannot include salaries.  

Application Procedure: Applications (including letters of support and supporting documents) will be submitted via the Student Grants and Fellowships website ​(search for “YIBS”). Please ensure that you begin the application procedure well in advance of the deadline to ensure adequate time for letters of support to be uploaded by the deadline.