The Simons Center for the Social Brain at MIT funds recent PhDs to conduct autism-related research at MIT with faculty mentorship. The proposed research must bridge at least two laboratories and each fellow has a primary and secondary advisor.
External candidates who plan to move to MIT for postdoctoral training are encouraged to apply. The Fall 2026 cohort may start between December 1, 2026 and May 31, 2027.
Benefits & funding
- The fellowship provides a stipend aligned with MIT postdoctoral stipend levels; the actual level depends on the fellow’s current stipend, home-department levels, and NIH minimums.
- The postdoctoral account includes a US$15,000 allowance for health insurance, travel, and research expenses.
- Travel charged to the allowance is capped at US$4,000 per person per year for scientific meetings relevant to the funded research.
- Funding lasts up to two years, with the second year conditional on satisfactory first-year progress and renewal review.
Eligibility
- The PhD dissertation defense date or MIT postdoctoral start date, whichever is earlier, must fall within two years of the application deadline.
- Candidates may apply before defending, but the fellowship cannot start until the PhD has been awarded.
- The proposal must concern autism-related research at MIT, bridge at least two laboratories, and involve two advisors, at least one of whom is an MIT faculty member.
- Applicants already at MIT must include both advisor statements; an external selected fellow may identify a secondary advisor at MIT or a Boston-area institution within six months after starting.
- Applicants of any nationality may apply if they plan to join an MIT lab; candidates sponsored through an employment visa may be ineligible and should verify their individual visa route.
- Fellows must hold an MIT appointment and no other appointment, and a candidate rejected in an earlier cycle may not resubmit.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Education required
PhD
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Application process
- 1Complete the SCSB fellowship cover page and prepare one combined application file.
- 2Include an NIH Postdoctoral Fellowship F32-format biosketch, a four-page training proposal, the primary advisor’s NIH-format CV, and the required advisor support statements.
- 3Request three external recommendation letters, including at least two from people with direct working experience or firsthand knowledge of the candidate; referees email them directly to scsb-funding@mit.edu.
- 4Email the combined application file to scsb-funding@mit.edu by 11:59 PM on September 30, 2026.
Program timeline
Fall application deadline.
Sep 30, 2026, 11:59 PM
About two months after the deadline
Funding decisions are expected.
Permitted start window for the Fall 2026 cycle.
Dec 1, 2026 to May 31, 2027