Authors
Courtney Peña-Lima, Cameron S Bader, Brendan K Ball, Troy C Dildine, Mekhala V Dissanayake, Iris van 't Erve, Albina Ibrayeva, Amy Nippert, M K Quinn, Chelse Spinner, Samuel Thompson, Antonio Tomasso, Crystal M Botham
Published in
PLoS computational biology. Volume 22. Issue 6. Pages e1014420. Epub Jun 18, 2026.
Abstract
Qualifying exams, often referred to as "quals" or candidacy exams, are an important milestone in doctoral programs. Although the style of quals varies greatly by program and institution, it is usually a proposal that requires students to develop research ideas as well as their scientific writing skills. Many quals are modeled after funding mechanisms that graduate students can apply to and on a topic that the student will pursue in their dissertation. This paper offers graduate students a step-by-step guide on how to turn their quals into a fellowship-style research proposal, using National Institutes of Health (NIH) mechanisms as a benchmark, as this is the norm within US research institutions. This paper will be most useful for students who have completed or are in the process of completing proposal-based qualifying exams, usually in the second year of a doctoral program.
PMID:
42313819
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 19 Jun 2026.
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