Jules Stein Eye Institute's Clinician-Scientist Training (C-SET) Program 2027

The JSEI K12 Clinician-Scientist Award provides 2 years of support for early-stage investigators to conduct mentored, interdisciplinary and translational science. 

Request for Applications (RFA) Deadlines

K12 Eligibility 

• Must possess an acceptable clinical doctoral degree (e.g. MD, MD/PhD) 
• Must be currently involved in or embarking on research initiatives related to ophthalmology or vision science 
• Must have an identifiable mentor at UCLA with aligned research interests. 
• Must be a U.S. citizen, non-citizen national or lawfully admitted for permanent residence by January 1, 2027. Individuals on temporary or student visas are not eligible. 
• Must commit 75% of professional effort (9 calendar months) to the K12 program for the full two years. 
• Candidates with any of the following are NOT ELGIBILE: 
  • Candidates who have already been awarded a NIH Career Development Award (e.g., K08, K23)
  • Candidates who are or have been a PI or MPI on an NIH R01 or equivalent non-PHS peer-reviewed grant that exceeds $100,000 in direct costs per year. 
  • Candidates who are or have been a project leader on a sub-project of Program Project (P01) or Center Grant (P50). 
• Candidates may have had support on a non-federal grant, a NRSA grant (F or T) or have been PI of an NIH small grant (R03 or R21). Candidates may have had previous support on another K12 award, but the JSEI K12 cannot extend total K support beyond five years.

Policies for K12 awards 

• The Scholar is expected to complete two full years of K12 training. 

K12 Award Overview 

JSEI K12 Scholars receive two years of support contingent upon a successful progress report in year 1. The following table lists the maximum allowable amounts per year (subject to change based on future adjustments to the NIH salary cap or institutional fringe benefit rates at UCLA).

K12 Application Details

Deadline: Applications are due by October 31, 2026 by 5:00 PM. Please email all application components listed below to Chris Laybourn at [email protected]. 

Application components include: 

1. Candidate’s NIH Common Form Biographical Sketch (new format as of May 2026) 
2. Candidate’s NIH Common Form Current and Pending (Other) Support (new format as of May 2026) 
3. Proposal (6 pages maximum, contains the following): 
   • Specific Aims
   • Candidate Statement
   • Training Plan
   • Research Approach
4. Primary Mentor’s NIH Common Form Biographical Sketch (new format as of May 2026) 
5. Letter of Support from Primary Mentor (2 pages maximum) that describes the mentoring team, available resources, and the plan to support the candidate in completing the proposed research and training 
6. Institutional Letter of Support from Division Chief (1 page maximum) that describes commitment of research time for candidate and mentor(s) 
7. Two additional letters of recommendation beyond Primary Mentor’s and Division Chief’s letters 
8. Bibliography & References Cited (does not count against 6 page limit)

Faculty Mentor Selection 

To aid applicants in the identification and selection of mentors, this list of mentor responsibilities is provided: 

Faculty Mentors will be expected to: 

1. Work with the scholar to create and develop an individualized development plan (IDP) 
2. Help in the formation of a Mentorship Team 
3. Provide and facilitate most of the research training 
4. Meet weekly with the scholar to discuss research and learning activities 
5. Provide timely, critical feedback regularly 
6. Update and revise IDP and provide summative progress evaluation to the scholar and K12 Program Advisory Committee quarterly. 
7. Help scholars network with local and national experts 
8. Provide career development opportunities, such as relevant manuscripts, presentations, and meetings 
9. Provide prompt and detailed feedback on grant applications prior to review by mock study selection 
10. Participate in the various training activities available to vision scientists (e.g., workshops, seminars, classes, information sessions, mock study sessions)

K12 Candidate Interviews 

Selected candidates will be invited for an interview with the K12 Program Advisory Committee in November 2026 (exact date, time and location are TBD). 

Candidates will be notified by the first week of November 2026 if selected for an interview. 

For any questions, please contact the K12 Program Administrator Chris Laybourn at the address below: 

[email protected]