All materials must be submitted by October 17, 2025. Scholarships for the 2026 cohort of Scholars will run from September 1, 2026 to August 31, 2029.

• July 2026: Scholars’ Annual Report due
• August 22, 2025: Applications open for Leon Levy Scholarships
• October 17, 2025: Applications close for Leon Levy Scholarships
• March 2026: All applicants notified to the outcome of their application
• April 2026: Leon Levy Scholars publicly announced
• September 1, 2026: Leon Levy Scholarships period begins (all Scholars expected to be in residence in NYC by this date)

By the time of appointment on September 1, 2026, the applicant must:

• Hold a doctoral degree (PhD, DPhil, MD, DDS, DVM, etc.)
• Hold a full-time postdoctoral position at an eligible institution, or an institution that has obtained eligibility prior to the closing of the application period, in one of New York City’s five boroughs. Applicants must be employed by an eligible institution at the time the Scholarship begins, and should have the support of their proposed Research Advisor at the time of application.
• Possess no more than three (3) years of cumulative postdoctoral experience. In other words, applicants’ doctoral degrees cannot be dated before September 1, 2023.
• Conduct research in Neuroscience or one of its sub-disciplines while they hold the Leon Levy Scholarships
• Be able to meet at least one of the following designated criteria at the time of appointment: be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or U.S. permanent resident (holder of a Permanent Resident Card); holder of J-1 Research Scholar status or an H-1B Temporary Employee Status visa valid for the full tenure of the Scholarship; an individual granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program; Indigenous individual exercising rights associated with the Jay Treaty of 1794; Individual granted Temporary Protected Status; Asylee; or Refugee. Conditional Visas will be considered.

There is no upper limit on the number of applicants per institution or per laboratory. Previous recipients of a Leon Levy Fellowship are not eligible to apply.

Any accredited non-profit academic institution that is located within the five boroughs of New York City and conducts original neuroscience research is considered eligible.

In spite of tremendous advancements in scientific research, information, and education, opportunities are still not equally available to all. Women, persons with disabilities, and individuals identifying as Black, Indigenous, or People of Color (BIPOC) and other groups continue to be underrepresented in STEM fields^1,2. As such, the Leon Levy Scholarships in Neuroscience Program strongly encourages applications from individuals within these demographic categories.

¹Expanding Underrepresented Minority Participation: America’s Science and Technology Talent at the Crossroads. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12984
²Pew Research Center, January 2018. “Women and Men in STEM Often at Odds Over Workplace Equity”

Required information includes the applicant’s name, title, terminal degree, email address, phone number, and sub-disciplinary category within the field of neuroscience, as well as the name, title, and contact information of the applicant’s proposed Research Advisor (i.e. Principal Investigator (P.I.), the leader of the laboratory in which the applicant is/will be employed and perform the proposed research), the name and contact information for three potential mentors, and the start date of the applicant’s first postdoctoral position.

1. Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience
2. Systems Neuroscience
3. Cognitive & Behavioral Neuroscience
4. Computational Neuroscience
5. Translational & Clinical Neuroscience
6. Other (applicant will be asked to provide brief description)

Applicants are required to submit a CV that includes:

• Applicant name, current institution(s), and position title
• Education and training, including doctoral and prior postdoctoral training, with names of previous research advisor(s)/mentor(s)
• Employment history
• Honors and awards
• Peer-reviewed publications from their entire research career
• Patents and patent applications, if applicable
• Research grants where the applicant is named as PI or Co-I (NSF fellowship or NIH NRSA, training supplements, foundation grants, etc.)
• Scientific leadership (e.g. any significant roles in the greater academic community, including major editorial responsibilities, service on external committees, conference organization, technology licensing or company start-up, public outreach activities, and institutional administrative responsibilities such as departmental or student committee)
• Invited talks and lectures, if applicable

The Research Proposal (maximum 1400 words, excluding references) should be accessible to another scientist working in any sub-field of neuroscience and include:

• Background & Significance: Provide the rationale for the proposed research and explain any terms or information that may not be obvious to a neuroscientist outside of the applicant’s sub-field.
• Aims: Describe the main goals of the proposed research project and a tentative timetable by which the applicant expects to meet those goals. The Aims should be ambitious but achievable. We are particularly interested in innovative proposals that have the potential to break new ground.
• Research Plan: Applicants must present a clearly articulated plan of study or research. This should clearly link to the identified Aims and be achievable within three years. If any specialized equipment, reagents, etc. are required for the Research Plan, indicate if the applicant has access and if not, how and when that will be obtained.
• Preliminary Results (not required): Describe any preliminary work and results regarding the proposed project, if available, at the time of this application submission. Clarify if these are already published or if they are unpublished findings, and if the preliminary work was done by the applicant or by someone else.
• Future Directions and Impact: Include a description of how the applicant sees the proposed research project progressing in the future. Applicants need not plan to continue the particular project after the duration of the Scholarship, but they should articulate what the next steps of the project would be. Describe the impact of the work outlined in the Research Plan, on the applicant’s field, on patient health, and/or wider society.

Applicants are required to submit an open-ended statement (maximum of 500 words) describing their outreach activities and/or professional service. Where possible, the applicants should focus on activities and services related to increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the scientific community. Topics to discuss include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Teaching and Mentoring: Commitment to teaching and mentoring students, especially those of broadly diverse demographics and/or social backgrounds;
• Collaboration and Leadership: Involvement or leadership in committees, task force groups, professional societies, and organizations;
• Service, Engagement, and/or Outreach: A record of community engagement or outreach activities (e.g. volunteer activities, communicating science to the public, etc.);
• Research: Current and/or planned research relevant to underserved populations or inequalities, or issues relevant to DEI, such as race, gender, sexuality, health disparities, human rights, educational access, ability, etc.

Description (maximum of 500 words) of the applicant’s short and long-term professional goals, identification of specific pathways or experiences necessary to achieve those goals, and an explanation of how the Leon Levy Scholarship Program will enhance the applicant’s ability to achieve the goals.

Applicants are required to nominate three (3) individuals to submit a confidential Letter of Support. Letters of support will be electronically requested and submitted via the web portal to ensure confidentiality.

The letters of support should come from:

• Proposed Research Advisor (1 letter). This letter should detail the applicant’s strong record of significant scientific contributions and their promise of sustained or accelerated progress in the future. The letter should also stipulate that the applicant has the necessary institutional support and approval to conduct the proposed research if granted the Scholarship. The Research Advisor must stipulate that they agree to support the applicant and research project for the full duration of the Scholarship.
• Other recommenders, including previous advisors, collaborators, etc. (2 letters). This is a standard letter of recommendation speaking to the candidate’s qualifications and previous accomplishments. We recommend that applicants petition Letters of Support from individuals who are experts in the applicant’s discipline, field, or sub-field and who are intimately familiar with the applicant’s most significant and important research contributions during their scientific career.