HHMI Application Strategy Workshop | Vice Dean for Basic Sciences (VDBS) Workshops

Date: Wednesday, July 22, 2026, 1–2 p.m. Pacific Time
Format: Zoom Webinar
Audience: Faculty considering or planning to submit HHMI applications

The HHMI Application Strategy Workshop brought together UC Davis HHMI investigators, Freeman Hrabowski Scholars, and research development leaders to share practical advice on an application process that differs fundamentally from NIH R01 grant writing. Because HHMI invests in scientists rather than individual projects, applicants must convey a bold, cohesive scientific vision, a distinctive research identity, and the potential to pursue high-risk, high-impact questions—not a fixed experimental roadmap. Drawing on their own experiences, panelists discussed how they framed their applications, moved beyond familiar NIH conventions, and positioned their work for HHMI review.

• Bold scientific vision versus detailed experimental roadmap
• Scientific identity, beyond the next set of experiments
• Intellectual ambition and risk-taking in HHMI applications
• Tailoring your narrative to the specific program
• Common pitfalls when transitioning from NIH to HHMI writing

Panelists

• Neil Hunter, Ph.D., HHMI Investigator; Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, UC Davis
• Siobhan M. Brady, Ph.D., HHMI Investigator; Professor, Department of Plant Biology, UC Davis
• Elisa Zhang, Ph.D., HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholar; Assistant Professor, Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology and Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UC Davis School of Medicine
• Theanne Griffith, Ph.D., HHMI Freeman Hrabowski Scholar; Associate Professor, Department of Physiology and Membrane Biology, UC Davis School of Medicine
• Erica Chédin, Ph.D., Director, SOM Grants Facilitation
• Matt Boitano, Director, Foundation Engagement

Facilitated by Adriane Joo, Ph.D., Director of Research Strategy and Innovation for Basic Sciences, Dean’s Office, School of Medicine, UC Davis Health.