Damon Runyon-St. Jude Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship

Damon Runyon-St. Jude Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship

Connects United States researchers and early-career scientists with mentorship pathways in pediatric oncology.

⚠ This may reflect a past cycle — verify the current call on the funder's site.

The Damon Runyon-St. Jude Pediatric Cancer Research Fellowship is a four-year postdoctoral award co-funded by the Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital to support early-career scientists dedicated to the prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of pediatric cancers. The fellowship combines the Damon Runyon Foundation's established postdoctoral training infrastructure with St. Jude's focus on childhood malignancies to attract exceptional investigators to a research area that receives comparatively less funding than adult oncology. Research must be conducted at a US institution, and foreign nationals are eligible on the same basis as US citizens.

Annual stipends escalate from $70,000 in Year 1 to $76,000 in Year 4, with a $2,000 per year expense allowance, for a total of approximately $292,000 in stipends plus $8,000 in expenses over four years. Up to $100,000 in medical school loan repayment is available for qualifying physician-scientist fellows, and $1,000 per year per dependent child is also provided. Level 1 applicants — basic scientists — must have received their degree within 36 months of the application deadline and have spent fewer than two years in the sponsor's laboratory. Level 2 applicants — physician-scientists — must hold an MD, PhD, DDS, DVM, or DO, be within two years of completing a clinical fellowship, and may have up to four years of experience in the sponsor's lab. Candidates who have already accepted another postdoctoral fellowship award are not eligible.

The most recent confirmed deadline was August 15, 2025 for the prior cycle; the 2026 cycle deadline had not been published at the time of this research. Applications are submitted through the Altum/Proposal Central platform. Prospective applicants should monitor the Damon Runyon Foundation website for the 2026 cycle announcement. Competitive applications demonstrate a pediatric cancer focus, strong mentorship from a sponsor at a US institution, and a research plan with clear translational implications for childhood malignancy.