Rocky Mountain Laboratories-Bethesda Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

The Rocky Mountain Laboratories-Bethesda Postdoctoral Fellowship (Rocky-Beth) Program is a collaborative partnership between NIAID Division of Intramural Research laboratories located in Montana (Hamilton) and Maryland. This program fosters scientific exchange and collaboration between NIAID laboratories in different (geographic) locations while offering a unique postdoctoral training environment. Each fellow has two mentors, one in Montana and one in Maryland, and divides their time between the two labs while working on a collaborative research project. Travel expenses are covered centrally.

Who Can Apply

Applicants must

  • Have a doctoral degree (Ph.D., M.D., D.D.S., or equivalent graduate degree)
  • Be eligible to apply, or have recently joined NIAID, as a postdoctoral IRTA, postdoctoral visiting fellow, research fellow, or clinical fellow
  • Have sufficient time remaining in their NIAID fellowship to allow completion of the Rocky-Beth  Postdoctoral Fellowship program (3 years)

Note: Available appointments may differ based on citizenship and postdoctoral experience.

Find more information about postdoctoral training opportunities from the NIH Office of Training and Education (OITE)

How To Apply

NIH campus, Maryland 

Credit: NIAID

Applications are accepted in September and October and are submitted to NIAIDTraining@nih.gov.

Applications must include

  • Proposal (3-5 pages)
    • Scientific proposal
    • Travel plan
    • Clear outline of the involvement of each mentor/laboratory
  • Curriculum vitae (CV) from candidate and each mentor
  • Letter of support from each mentor

Note: Candidates may be invited to give an oral presentation to the admission committee.

NIAID Maryland and RML

The Rocky-Beth Postdoctoral Fellowship Program was created to take advantage of the unique resources at both RML in Hamilton, Montana, and the main NIH facilities in Maryland, by allowing fellows to have two mentors within NIAID. With more than 2,000 miles separating the two campuses, trainees have the chance to experience two different research environments, with complementary research focuses. During their three year research project, postdocs will divide their time between the two labs for a fully collaborative research project. This dual-mentored, collaborative structure allows trainees to explore new ideas by leveraging the expertise in different areas of allergic, immunologic, and infectious diseases.

Emily Speranza

Emily Speranza, Ph.D., independent research scholar in the Laboratory of Immune System Biology and former Rocky-Beth postdoctoral fellow.

Credit: NIAID

Why Train at NIAID?

“Being part of the Rocky-Beth Fellowship Postdoctoral Program allowed me to develop a unique research project with broad applications in the study of emerging infectious diseases. The fellowship has been successful largely because the two mentors, Sonja [Best, Ph.D.] and Ron [Germain, M.D., Ph.D.], have skills and knowledge that complement each other so well.” — Emily Speranza, Ph.D.

Read more about Emily’s experience as part of the Rocky-Beth Postdoctoral Fellowship: Postdoc Spotlight—Two Campuses United for a Unique Postdoc Experience.

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