SRSF Small Research Grant

Overview

The goal of the SRSF Small Research Grant Program is to support the research of trainees and early career investigators who otherwise do not have the institutional resources to support new studies and/or do not have a sustained record of external funding. The Small Research Grant Program is intended to provide seed funding to support training and research to ultimately allow individuals to successfully apply for or complete career development grants (e.g., K-awards).

Funds may be used to compensate participants (online or in-person), purchase supplies, purchase small equipment, run lab tests and assays, and/or pay research assistants. Funds may not be used for salary or travel to conferences, and no indirect costs will be granted to the awardee’s institution.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants must be a member in good standing of the Sleep Research Society, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, or hold a dual membership. The applicant must also be:

    • registered in an undergraduate or graduate program, OR
    • within 10 years of obtaining a terminal degree (e.g., PhD, MD, DO) and being at the Assistant Professor level (or equivalent) or earlier career stage at the submission deadline. If the nominee is beyond 10 years of obtaining a terminal degree, a description of the circumstances (e.g., clinical training, maternity/paternity leave or care of dependents) under which the nominee took time away from research within 10 years of obtaining their terminal degree should be included.

These grants are available to all levels of trainees (undergraduates, graduate students, postdocs) and early career investigators and are intended to fund relatively inexpensive studies. These studies can support thesis development, collection of pilot data, proposals for early career extramural funding or completion of early career grants. The maximum that may be requested is $5,000.

The 2025 application cycle is closed. The 2026 application will be open in June 2026. 

  • When will applicants be notified of their application status?
    • Applicants will be notified by November 30th, 2025
  • When is the Small Research Grant funding period?
    • The funding period for the Small Research Grant is January – December 2026
  • Does the Small Research Grant require applicants to have an institutional affiliation in order to apply?
    • Yes, the SRSF does require institutional affiliation at the time of the grant submission and throughout the grant period.
  • Are individuals who have completed their undergraduate degree and are in the process of applying to a graduate program eligible for the Small Research Grant?
    • As long as an interested applicant can demonstrate they are actively applying for a graduate program, they are eligible to apply for the grant.
  • Can applicants submit their application past the August 31st deadline?
    • No, all applications must be submitted within the Reviewr grant portal by August 31st, 2025 at 11:59pm CDT

2024 Recipients

Kathy Bonilla, BS
University of Redlands

Alice Braga, PhD
University College London

Sarah Izabel, BS
Stanford University

Anat Kahan, PhD
The Hebrew University

Gautam Narayan, BS*
University of California, Irvine

Jessica Ogden, M.ClinPsych, M.Neuroscience
Monash University, Australia

Aurore A. Perrault, PhD
Woolcock Institute of Medical Research

Lillian Skeiky, PhD
Uniformed Services University

Rachel Walsh, MA
Massachusetts General Hospital

Sam C. Walther, BS
University of South Carolina School of Medicine

Rebecca Williams, MA
University of Alabama at Birmingham

Jason L. Yu, MD*
Emory University

*Funding for this grant was provided in partnership with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation (AASMF).

Past Recipients

Syed Imran Ahmed, MBBS, MPH – Virginia Commonwealth University*
Jeremy A. Bigalke, PhD – Baylor University
Caroline Y. Doyle, PhD – University of Pittsburgh*
Christina Giles, MD – University of Colorado Anschutz Medical*
Emily Goldberg, M.S. CCC-SLP – University of Pittsburgh
Ashley Ingiosi, PhD – Ohio State University
Monica R. Kelly, PhD – VA Greater Los Angeles
Kathryn Kennedy – The University of Arizona
Jennifer Mundt, PhD – Northwestern University
Cassi Springfield, MS, MA – University of Southern Mississippi*
Valerie Swisher – Pennsylvania State University*
Brandon Toth – University of Michigan
Bruna Visniauskas, PhD – Tulane University
Jamie Walker, M.A., LPC – University of Arkansas*

*Funding for this grant was provided in partnership with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation (AASMF).

Anuja Bandyopadhyay, MD – Indiana University School of Medicine
Jamila Battle, MD – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Amy Costa – University of Missouri
Joshua Gonzalez, PhD – Oregon Health & Science University
Ian Greenlund, PhD – Mayo Clinic
Kathryn Harper, PhD – University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Courtney Kurinec, PhD – Washington State University
Gonzalo Labarca, MD – Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Madison Musich – University of Missouri-Columbia
Frank Raven, PhD – University of Michigan
Matthew Reid, PhD – Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Harry Smith, PhD – University of Bath
Melanie Stearns, PhD – University of South Florida
Lena Xiao, MD – The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto

Andrée-Ann Baril, PhD – Douglas Mental Health Institute / McGill University
Joshua Bock, PhD – Mayo Clinic
Elissa Hoopes, PhD, ACSM-CEP – University of Delaware
Alejandra Mondino, DVM, MSc – North Carolina State University
Amrita Pal, PhD – University of California, Los Angeles
Brandon Roberts, PhD – University of Massachusetts – Amherst
Maria Ines Sotelo, PhD – University of Michigan
Delainey Wescott, MS – University of Pittsburgh
Charlie Zhong, PhD – University of Southern California

Tony Cunningham, PhD – Boston College, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School
Daniel S. Joyce, PhD – University of Nevada, Reno
Natalie Michael, PhD – The Quebec Heart and Lunch Institute Research Center
Darlynn Rojo-Wissar – Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
Bruno Saconi – University of Pennsylvania