Mistletoe Research Fellowship

The Momental Foundation’s Mistletoe Research Fellowship fosters the development of new competencies in postdoctoral scholars and Ph.D. candidates by offering unrestricted research funding and professional development training, including entrepreneurial collaboration. All Mistletoe Fellows participate in two programs designed to build skills that will help fellows to succeed and work more effectively with outside collaborators, whether they seek industry careers or remain in academia.

Fellows are expected to attend a “Match Workshop” in which they are onboarded and introduced to startups, mentors, investors, and community partners. Once the academic year begins, the Startup Collaboration takes place using their Online Learning Community.

In 2021, the Momental Foundation will award up to 20 competitive fellowship opportunities to postdoctoral scholars and advanced Ph.D. candidates from a small cohort of R1 partner universities. Postdoctoral participants must remain in full-time appointments throughout the 2021-22 academic calendar year; doctoral candidates should be “all but dissertation” (ABD) and in full-time status with stipend support for the duration of the 2021-22 academic year.

Eligibility

Mistletoe Research Fellowships are open to full-time postdoctoral fellows and advanced Ph.D. candidates in most STEM fields and some fields of social science. These broadly include: Engineering, Life Sciences, Health Science, Computer Science, Environmental Studies / Ecology / Earth Sciences, Physics, Mathematics, Chemistry, Statistics / Data Science / Informatics, and Experimental Psychology.
If you are unsure as to whether your field is classified under a broad area, please refer to the FAQ on the Momental website. If your field is not included, please note that Momental hopes to expand the program in the next few years.

Citizens and non-citizen permanent and temporary residents of the U.S. are eligible to apply. Candidates who are temporary U.S. residents must hold a valid U.S. visa (J-1, H1B, F-1, O-1). Please note that if accepted into the program, Momental will ask for documentation of visa status. Your visa status must allow you to remain in the U.S. for the duration of the 2021-22 academic year.

Award Types

The Unfettered Research Grant provides fellowship recipients with ,000 of unrestricted research funding that can be applied to any university-approved research-related activity, including conference travel.

The Startup Collaboration is an extracurricular professional training program in which Fellows form interdisciplinary teams and learn to apply their scholarship and expertise to help frontier startups to further the development of products with high social impact potential.

Application Process

Please carefully review the 2021 application instructions.

For Postdoctoral Fellow Applicants: If accepted into the program, the Foundation will require proof of full-time employment for the duration of the 2021-22 academic year.
For Ph.D. Candidates: Although this fellowship is primarily directed at postdocs, it is open to full-time enrolled Ph.D. candidates in ABD status, meaning all coursework is completed and a dissertation proposal has been approved. Full-time enrollment must be maintained for the duration of the 2021-22 academic year.
Applications are submitted through the Momental Foundation application portal. All applicants will be required to complete an eligibility screener; if eligibility criteria are met, applicants will be automatically directed to the application form.
Application checklist includes:

Names and email addresses for the two faculty members who will provide letters of recommendation. *Please note that letters of should come from academics who have worked with you in a supervisory role, e.g., PIs, mentors, senior co-authors, project collaborators, or course instructors. External letters from non-GU faculty are permitted, as long as they are scholars/researchers who have supervised your research/work.
A current copy of your CV in PDF format.
A statement of research, up to 600 words, single spaced, 12pt font, in PDF format. This is a condensed version of what you may have prepared/would prepare for the academic job market. See FAQ for further detail.
If you are applying as an advanced Ph.D. candidate, provide the name and email address of your Ph.D. advisor. Your advisor will confirm online that you have completed a dissertation proposal and that you have permission to participate in the program.

Information Session

Watch the 2021 information session.

Deadlines

June 7, 2021 11:59pm Pacific Time
Late July-Early August: Applicants will be notified by email of decisions made by the Momental Foundation’s Selection Committee
Early September: Selected fellows will receive funding.
September 10-13: Mistletoe Research Fellows will attend the mandatory virtual Match Workshop, where fellows onboard to the MRF program and Online Learning Community, and match to teams and a startup. Workshop programming is spread over a four-day period, Fri-Mon, to avoid ‘zoom fatigue’ and accommodate schedules.

For questions regarding your eligibility or application please contact app@momentalfound.org with subject heading: [last name] Georgetown MRF Application.

Current and Past Momental Foundation Mistletoe Research Fellows

2020-2021

Shawn Rhoads, Ph.D. candidate in Psychology.

Mentor: Abigail Marsh, Ph.D., Department of Psychology (Laboratory on Social and Affective Neuroscience)

Read more about Shawn’s research and advice to future applicants in our interview with him.

2019-2020

Shady El Damaty, Ph.D. candidate in Neuroscience.

Mentor: John VanMeter, Ph.D., Department of Neurology (CFMI)

2019-2020

Dr. Alexandra Taraboletti, Post Doctoral Fellow, Georgetown University Medical Center.

Mentor: Albert J. Fornace, M.D. (Fornace Lab)

2018-2019

Alana Lelo, Ph.D. candidate in Tumor Biology.

Mentor: Todd Waldmann, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Oncology (WaldmanLab)