Johnson Cancer Research Center

Graduate Student Cancer Research Award (CRA)

Academic Level: Graduate students (submitted by JCRC Faculty Member)
Application Deadline: February 17th, 2025
Application Link: https://jcrc.piestar-rfx.com/opportunities/all/rfp/35

NOTE: Prepare all your information before starting as you cannot save or re-enter the application.

The center will fund summer stipends for graduate students studying under the direction of JCRC faculty members. The JCRC will fund only one student per faculty member. These competitive awards are provided to the faculty mentors, not the students, and the application must be submitted by the faculty member.

The intention of these awards is to support: 1) graduate students working on cancer-relevant projects; and 2) the overall research programs of their major professors. Both graduate students with nine-month teaching assistantships and twelve-month research assistantships qualify for the program. Our intent is not to replace departmental support of graduate students, but rather to assist major professors who are covering the expenses. Thus, the application directly asks if the professor would otherwise be responsible for summer support.

These awards will be made based on the merit of the student’s research, its cancer relevance, and the ability of the mentor to provide funding from other sources.

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Graduate student performing cancer research in JCRC member laboratory
  2. Committed to a professional career of cancer research, working on prevention, treatment, medication and other areas which would prevent patients from contracting, suffering, and dying from cancer

Application Requirements:

  1. Application must be submitted online by the JCRC Mentor
  2. Upload the following STUDENT information as PDFs
    1. Current Transcript (may be unofficial)
    2. Project Description (PDF one page, including hypothesis, methods, and expected outcome)
    3. 100 word description of how your project will help cancer patients in the future
    4. Publications in the last 3 years (attach a PDF of each publication)
    5. NIH Biosketch Form H - 5 page maximum
  3. Upload the following MENTOR information as PDFs
    1. All Lab Publications in the last 3 years (attach a PDF of each publication). Please highlight those that acknowledge the cancer center
    2. Past Graduate CRA Information (Outcome of CRAs trained in the last 3 years. Where are they now?)
    3. NIH Biosketch Form H - 5 page maximum

Student Expectations:

Awardees are expected to provide or participate in the following by accepting the award:

  1. Provide periodic progress reports for both the Johnson Cancer Research Center and the donor
  2. Participate in university and JCRC presentations and events to showcase your research and engage the university and broader community
  3. Agree to media participation (social/web/print) to help promote the successes of the JCRC and increase visibility of our programs and research.

Kansas Graduate Cancer Research Scholarship and Support (Kansas Born Students Only)

Academic Level: Graduate students (submitted by student)
Application Deadline: January 10th, 2026
Application Link: Applications are closed for the year. A new application will be live November 2025.

NOTE: Prepare all your information before starting as you cannot save or re-enter the application. Submission time through Piestar is EST, so please plan accordingly.

The Graduate Cancer Research Scholarship and Support scholarship program was initiated by an anonymous donor to substantially support one or two Kansas-born students committed to cancer research. The award can be used for tuition, reasonable living stipends, and educational expenses. Depending on the number of qualified applicants, available funding, and individual educational expenses, the value of this award will range from $25,000-$75,000. Both graduate students with nine-month teaching assistantships and twelve-month research assistantships qualify for the award. These awards will be made based 50% on financial need and 50% on academic merit especially focused on the student’s research, its cancer relevance, and the student's professional career goals. These competitive awards are provided to the student though financial aid, not to the JCRC faculty mentor.

Eligibility Requirements:

  1. Graduate student performing cancer research in JCRC member laboratory
  2. Born in the state of Kansas to parents who were at the time, US citizens or lawful permanent residents
  3. Graduated from an accredited public or private Kansas high school
  4. Committed to a professional career of cancer research, working on prevention, treatment, medication and other areas which would prevent patients from contracting, suffering, and dying from cancer

Application Requirements:

  1. Student must submit application online
  2. Upload the following as PDFs
    1. Submit a student-written 1,000 words synopsis of the thesis project with cancer relevance
    2. Transcript
    3. NIH Form H biosketch (no more than 5 pages) for the student
    4. List of all publication citations that clearly identify publications from your thesis project
    5. PDF of each publication from the last 3 years
  3. Have two letters of support--one from your PI and another from a thesis committee member--sent to Betty Book (bbook@ksu.edu). Letters must be received BEFORE January 10, 2025.

Student Expectations:

Awardees are expected to provide or participate in the following by accepting the award:

  1. Provide periodic progress reports for both the Johnson Cancer Research Center and the donor
  2. Participate in university and JCRC presentations and events to showcase your research and engage the university and broader community
  3. Agree to media participation (social/web/print) to help promote the successes of the JCRC and increase visibility of our programs and research.