Spring 2026 Young Scholar Ideation Event

Monday, April 13th, 2026, 2:00-4:00 p.m.

J.C. Raulston Arboretum York Auditorium

This spring, CMI is partnering is University Honors to create a new funding opportunity, CMI Honors Research Pathway Scholars. The Research Pathways program will enable undergraduates to gain research credit during the 2026-2027 academic year. The program seeks 15-20 interdisciplinary biomedical research projects from graduate students and postdocs who want to mentor an undergraduate during the school year. If you would like to participate, please join our Spring Young Scholar Ideation Event to find your project collaborators!

Must have a research summary poster in both PDF and hard copy to attend. Posters should be 24×36″ with a portrait orientation. Poster templates & examples are available at the link below. Full instructions are available at the registration link below. Registration & poster upload deadline is Friday, April 10th

Research Pathway Mentors Program Summary

Once a year, the CMI invites its Associate Members to submit collaborative interdisciplinary research proposals. Selected Associate Members will be named CMI Honors Research Pathway Mentors and will serve as mentors for an undergraduate student in the following academic year.

To facilitate the collaborative proposal development process, an annual networking event is held each spring to allow students to mingle and brainstorm new interdisciplinary project ideas. Students gather to share research interests and network with other graduate students and postdocs. Those whose interests are aligned can form a team to submit a proposal for a Research Pathway Mentors project.

Selected Young Scholars projects will be posted on the CMI Honors Research Pathway Scholars webpage for undergraduate students to apply to. YSP teams interview and select undergraduate applicants directly, handling the complete interview process, with guidance from program directors available if requested.

Undergraduates begin working in the lab 8-10 hours a week during the 2026-2027 academic year. Through the program, students will work closely with faculty mentors and research teams on projects that address complex questions in comparative medicine and related interdisciplinary fields. In addition to research engagement, the program is designed to support students’ broader academic and professional development. While research participation does not guarantee additional opportunities, the experience is intended to help undergraduate students become competitive candidates for the Summer Interdisciplinary Research Initiative (SIRI) and other advanced research opportunities affiliated with CMI.

Application Timeline

• Application form available April 14th
• Submit proposals by April 24th
• Decisions Announced by April 29th
• Projects Posted for Undergrads May 5th
• Undergrad Application Deadline May 13th
• Student interviews May 18th-22nd
• Student Rankings Due May 26th
• Matches Announced May 28th

Proposal Requirements

Team Requirements:  Team are comprised of two or more graduate students/postdocs from different disciplines. Their faculty PIs must approve their participation, and at least one of the faculty must be CMI full members from different CMI research focus areas (see below). The team must select one faculty PI to serve as the lead for the purpose of funding distribution. Associate CMI members serve as links between labs to facilitate the participation of non-CMI members. Proposals across CMI research programs are encouraged. 

Formatting Requirements: Proposal should be 1.5 pages in length.  Page 1 should be an NIH-style aims page (see instructions and examples) and the second 1/2 page should be a plan for undergraduate mentoring and a 1-paragraph summary of the project for undergraduate applicants to be posted online. Arial 11pt font and 0.75” margins. References are not included in page length.

Research Project Priority Areas

	Data-Enabled Modeling Focused on applying diverse tools, such as stochastic multi-scale simulation, statistical approaches, and machine learning, to develop trustworthy models that can be compared with experimental data to validate understanding of biological processes, make mechanistic predictions, and accelerate therapeutic design.
	Clinical & Translational Sciences Focused on areas that span basic, translational, preclinical, and clinical sciences to clarify disease pathophysiology and utilize animal models to expedite the development and commercialization of diagnostic tests and therapeutics for a wide range of diseases.
	Engineered Biomedical Systems Focused on creation and implementation of in-vitro and in-vivo tissue biomodels, regenerative therapeutics, and translational biomanufacturing for clinical applications.

Example Projects:

1. Piezoelectric stimulation of induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cardiomyocytes on CNT-based electroconductive scaffolds
2. Local delivery of immunotherapeutics utilizing self-assembling associative chitosan systems with tunable, controlled release kinetics
3. Elucidating the structural synaptic alterations in the prelimbic cortext of a mouse model of atopic dermatitis with features of a chronic pain and depression comorbidity
4. Determining the impact of post-injury probiotic treatment on the intestinal microbiota and epithelial recovery in a pig surgical model of necrotizing enterocolitis

Contact

CMI Executive Assistant

Valerie Vella compmedinst@ncsu.edu