Events

 

COBRE Center for Computational Biology of Human Disease

Call for Applications

2023-2024 CBHD COBRE Institutional Pilot Award

The goal of the COBRE Center for Computational Biology of Human Disease (CBHD COBRE) Institutional Pilot Award Program is to identify and support activities of talented junior investigators working on human disease-related questions that require computational analyses of complex data sets. Awardees will gain access to the Computational Biology Core (CBC) of staff data scientists who will assist with data analyses. In addition, awardees may be considered for recruitment to a Project Leader position in the CBHD COBRE program.

Eligibility

Applicants for this Pilot Program must hold a faculty appointment (or equivalent) at Brown University or its affiliated hospitals, and propose work that is consistent with the goals of the CBHD COBRE. At the time the application is submitted, the applicant's home institution must demonstrate, in a letter(s) from the Dean, the Provost, or equivalent senior institutional official(s), a clear commitment to support a multi-year faculty appointment for the proposed Pilot Project Leader independent of the outcome of this grant application. Examples of strong institutional commitment include a start-up package provided by the institution and/or independent research space within the institution. Priority will be given to junior faculty applicants. Established investigators of any faculty rank may apply if they are making significant changes to their career goals and are proposing new lines of research that are significantly different from their current investigative program. 

Amount and Duration of Award

We expect to fund at least two 1-year projects for $50,000 Direct Costs each. Indirect costs and faculty salaries are not allowed. Pilot Project PI's are expected to devote effort however funds may not be used for PI salary.  Institutional support of PI effort must be documented in a letter of support signed by the appropriate institutional official who is responsible for salary oversight. Competitive proposals might include requests for funding to generate new omics-level data sets that would require computational analysis with the help of the CBHD COBRE Computational Biology Core. Alternatively, requests for partial support for a computational biology postdoctoral fellow to join a PI’s research group would be responsive to this request for applications.  This award is expected to be given from 08/01/23 – 07/31/24 with a possibility of a no cost extension (NCE) through 01/01/25.  A NCE is not guaranteed.

Timeline

Applications must be completed using UFunds and are due by 8:00 a.m. on Monday, May 1, 2023

Internal Advisory Committee Review Due Date:  May 15, 2023

External Advisory Committee Review Due Date: June 1, 2023

Estimated Application Award Date: August 1, 2023

Application Process

Applications must be completed using UFunds and should follow an abbreviated NIH format with minor modifications. Click here for PHS 398 forms and instructions. Read and follow Instructions carefully.

  1. NIH face page (PHS 398 face page)
  2. NIH Project Summary Page (PHS 398 Form Page 2)
  3. Research Strategy – Limited to 5 pages including Specific Aims and Research Strategy.
  • Specific Aims – Describe the scientific context and project goals for the 12-month pilot project (½ page).
  • Significance:  Overall significance of the project, including relevance to goals of the CBHD COBRE, and plans for use of data from the pilot award for subsequent independent funding.
  • Innovation:  Include both conceptual and technical innovation.
  • Approach:  Preliminary data (if applicable) and research plan including expected results and alternative approaches. 
  • References: Not included in 5 page limit

 

IRB and IACUC approvals (if applicable) must be initiated at the time of application and in place before funding begins.

  1. PHS 398 Human Subjects and Clinical Trials information Form (Click here for form and here for instructions)
    1. IRB approval
    2. Human subjects education certification
  2. Vertebrate Animals per PHS 398 Instructions (if applicable)
    1. IACUC approval
    2. Vertebrate Animal Section
  3. NIH Biographical Sketch of PI
  4. Updated Other Support of PI
  5. Detailed Budget with Justification using PHS 398 form pages 4 & 5.
    1. Indirect costs are not allowed
    2. Costs of equipment >$5,000 and renovations are not permitted.
    3. Faculty salary is not allowed.

Review Process and Selection Criteria

Criteria for Selection

Funding will be determined based on review by the CBHD COBRE Internal and External Advisory Committees.
​The final selection will be made based on the following criteria:

  • Scientific merit of the work
  • Potential for the award to provide a basis for further research support from external sponsors
  • Potential impact of the research on human disease
  • Use of computational biology methods for data analysis
  • Likelihood that the proposed work will be completed during the award period
  • Strength of the potential investigator to become a leading independent researcher
  • Factors that increase the inclusion of underrepresented groups

Expectations

Awardees will be expected to present a seminar describing their project and results as part of the CBHD COBRE Seminar Series.  They will also be expected to attend the CBHD COBRE and CCMB seminar series. In addition, they are required to provide quarterly reports as requested, as well as a final progress report within 60 days of the end of the approved award period. The report should outline the work that was accomplished and describe the proposal(s) submitted to external sponsor(s) as a result of this award. The report should also describe any significant deviations from or extensions to the project described in the original proposal. Investigators will be contacted thereafter for brief annual updates on grants and publications resulting from funding under this program.

Successful awardees will not be able to be funded by another COBRE, INBRE, CTR, or other IDeA grant funding while this Pilot Award is active.  However, Pilot awardees are certainly eligible to apply for a full Project Leader position in the CBHD COBRE when such openings are announced.

Contact

Address inquiries regarding CBHD COBRE Institutional Pilot Awards to [email protected].

 

 

Calendar

  • portrait of Briana Stephenson
    Apr
    8
    12:00pm - 1:00pm

    Statistics Seminar Series | Briana Joy K Stephenson, Ph.D.

    School of Public Health at Brown University, 121 south Main Street, Providence, RI 02912

    Briana Joy K Stephenson, PhD,
    Assistant Professor of Biostatistics
    Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

    Talk Title: Uncovering the patterns of a diverse nation, one mixture model at a time

    Abstract: There has been great utility in applying mixture models to identify latent groups within a large study population. The behaviors and patterns of these latent groups are often masked by the measures of the majority population, leaving trends in the minority populations muted and/or basically ignored. The United States (US) is a melting pot of cultures, races, and ethnicities, but most of the research using its population have been influenced by data based on the majority population. This ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach can be problematic if public health interventions and policy decisions are based on study results that are not representative of the entire population and do not target the proper individuals. This talk will focus on new approaches using a mixture model framework to reveal the patterns and behaviors of US marginal populations typically discounted in research. Additionally, we will discuss how implementation of these new approaches can lead to an improved understanding and equitable perception of a diverse nation.

    Lunch will be provided. *

    Academic Calendar, University Dates & Events, Biology, Medicine, Public Health, Education, Teaching, Instruction, Graduate School, Postgraduate Education, Mathematics, Technology, Engineering, Research, Teaching & Learning
  • portrait of Ying Guo, Ph.D.
    Apr
    15
    12:00pm - 1:00pm

    Statistics Seminar Series | Ying Guo, Ph.D.

    School of Public Health at Brown University, 121 south Main Street, Providence, RI 02912

    Ying Guo, PhD,
    Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
    Emory University | Rollins School of Public Health

    Talk Title: A Regularized Low-Rank Blind Source Separation Framework for Unveiling Hidden Sources of Brain Functional Connectome

    Abstract: Brain connectomics has become increasingly important in neuroimaging studies to advance understanding of neural circuits and their association with neurodevelopment, mental illnesses, and aging. These analyses often face major challenges, including the high dimensionality of brain networks, unknown latent sources underlying the observed connectivity, and the large number of brain connections leading to spurious findings. In this talk, we introduce a novel regularized blind source separation (BSS) framework for reliable mapping of neural circuits underlying static and dynamic brain functional connectome. By utilizing low-rank factorization and novel regularizations, the LOCUS framework achieves efficient and reliable mapping of connectivity traits underlying the static and dynamic brain functional connectome, characterizes temporal expressions and interactions of the connectivity traits that contribute to the reconfiguration in the observed dynamic FC, and generates parsimonious and interpretable results in identifying whole-brain connectivity states. We develop a highly efficient iterative Node-Rotation algorithm that solves the non-convex optimization problem for learning LOCUS models. Simulation studies demonstrate that the proposed methods have consistently improved accuracy in retrieving latent connectivity traits. Application of LOCUS methods to the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort (PNC) neuroimaging study generates considerably more reproducible findings in revealing underlying neural circuits and their association with demographic and clinical phenotypes, uncovers dynamic expression profiles of the circuits and the synchronization between them, and generates insights on gender differences in the neurodevelopment of brain circuits.

    Light refreshments will be provided. *

    Academic Calendar, University Dates & Events, Biology, Medicine, Public Health, Education, Teaching, Instruction, Graduate School, Postgraduate Education, Mathematics, Technology, Engineering, Research, Teaching & Learning
  • Rumi Chunara, Ph.D.,
    Associate Professor of Biostatistics
    Associate Professor of Computer Science and Engineering, Tandon
    Director of Center for Health Data Science
    NYU School of Global Public Health

    Talk Title: TBD
    Abstract:
    TBD

    Light refreshments will be provided. *

    Biology, Medicine, Public Health, Research
  • Portrait of Xu Shi
    Apr
    29
    12:00pm - 1:00pm

    Statistics Seminar Series | Xu Shi, Ph.D.

    School of Public Health at Brown University, 121 south Main Street, Providence, RI 02912

    Xu Shi, PhD,
    John G. Searle Assistant Professor of Biostatistics
    University of Michigan, School of Public Health

    Talk Title: TBD

    Abstract: TBD

    Light refreshments will be provided. *

    Academic Calendar, University Dates & Events, Biology, Medicine, Public Health, Education, Teaching, Instruction, Graduate School, Postgraduate Education, Mathematics, Technology, Engineering, Research, Teaching & Learning
  • Sixth Annual Dr. Samuel M. Nabrit Conference for Early Career Scholars

    June 6-7, 2024
    Brown University
    Providence, RI

    The 2024 Dr. Samuel M. Nabrit Conference for Early Career Scholars (June 6-7) will showcase the research achievements of outstanding molecular life scientists from historically underrepresented groups.

    The conference is free and in person, hosted by the Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry Department at Brown University.

    Conference Keynote Speakers

    Keynote speakers for the conference will be Dr. Sherilynn Black, PhD (Duke University), and Dr. Blanton Tolbert, PhD (University of Pennsylvania).

    Sherilynn Black, PhD

    Sherilynn Black, PhD

    Blanton S. Tolbert, PhD

    Blanton S. Tolbert, PhD

    The conference program will open Thursday afternoon June 6 and close Friday evening June 7. It will feature short talks by invited early career scholars, panel events focusing on identity and professional development, and a poster session.

    This will be an inclusive event, drawing attendees from the Brown BioMed community (including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff and campus organizations) as well as registered participants from across the US. The conference has been named in honor of Dr. Samuel Milton Nabrit, Brown’s first African-American PhD recipient and a marine biologist with a distinguished international career.

    For questions about the 2024 Samuel M. Nabrit Conference for Early Career Scholars, please contact [email protected].

    Biology, Medicine, Public Health, Graduate School, Postgraduate Education, Mathematics, Technology, Engineering, Psychology & Cognitive Sciences, Research
  • Sixth Annual Dr. Samuel M. Nabrit Conference for Early Career Scholars

    June 6-7, 2024
    Brown University
    Providence, RI

    The 2024 Dr. Samuel M. Nabrit Conference for Early Career Scholars (June 6-7) will showcase the research achievements of outstanding molecular life scientists from historically underrepresented groups.

    The conference is free and in person, hosted by the Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry Department at Brown University.

    Conference Keynote Speakers

    Keynote speakers for the conference will be Dr. Sherilynn Black, PhD (Duke University), and Dr. Blanton Tolbert, PhD (University of Pennsylvania).

    Sherilynn Black, PhD

    Sherilynn Black, PhD

    Blanton S. Tolbert, PhD

    Blanton S. Tolbert, PhD

    The conference program will open Thursday afternoon June 6 and close Friday evening June 7. It will feature short talks by invited early career scholars, panel events focusing on identity and professional development, and a poster session.

    This will be an inclusive event, drawing attendees from the Brown BioMed community (including undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, staff and campus organizations) as well as registered participants from across the US. The conference has been named in honor of Dr. Samuel Milton Nabrit, Brown’s first African-American PhD recipient and a marine biologist with a distinguished international career.

    For questions about the 2024 Samuel M. Nabrit Conference for Early Career Scholars, please contact [email protected].

    Biology, Medicine, Public Health, Graduate School, Postgraduate Education, Mathematics, Technology, Engineering, Psychology & Cognitive Sciences, Research