Eberly College of Science announces new GSK Graduate Fellowship Program

The Penn State Eberly College of Science is proud to announce the new GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Graduate Fellowship Program, which will launch officially on Feb. 25 with an in-person event at 1 p.m. in 114 McAllister Building on the University Park campus. The program is funded by a three-year philanthropic commitment from GSK. Since the beginning of the University’s current fundraising campaign, “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” GSK has committed over $1.3 million in research and philanthropic support. 

The new fellowships will support promising doctoral students and promote development and application of quantitative expertise in disciplines related to biostatistics that will raise the visibility of GSK among graduate students at Penn State and strengthen relationships between faculty and GSK. In addition, these fellowships will allow the students and faculty advisers to seed new research projects which may lead to additional funding with GSK business units and/or federal agency programs in the future.

“The Eberly College of Science is excited to partner with GSK, the Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences, and the Penn State College of Medicine to bring this new opportunity to our graduate students and faculty,” said Aleksandra “Seša” Slavkovic, Eberly’s associate dean for graduate education. “The GSK Graduate Fellowship is designed to support promising doctoral students engaged in innovative and relevant research in statistical, computational, and data sciences, focused on the discovery, development, and delivery of new healthcare products. The fellowship will provide a pathway for our students to explore potential industry careers and enhance their professional development. Importantly, it complements our recently established Diversity in STEM Corporate Partners Program.”

Eligibility

Applications will be considered from students meeting the following criteria:

• Enrolled in a graduate program in the Eberly College of Science, College of Medicine, or Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences.
• Have strong academic qualifications enabling them to succeed in graduate studies at Penn State, have completed their comprehensive exam by the time of selection, and preferably are in their final two years of their program.
• In good standing for a Ph.D. degree and with experience in biostatistics, statistics (quantitative/applied), bioinformatics and genomics, or data analytics.

Candidates from other related fields (e.g., biology, microbiology and molecular biology, chemistry, and mathematics) may be eligible with demonstrated activity of interest in the above areas and in the application of statistical methods and tools to discovery, development, and delivery of new medicines.

Acknowledging that diversity of its workforce is a significant priority for GSK and advancing opportunities for our students remains paramount to Penn State, all eligible students who contribute to the diversity of the student body will be considered.

For full consideration, students must submit all application materials by March 14.

Any questions should be directed to gskfellowship@psu.edu

Awards

One fellowship position will be created per academic year. The awardee will be selected in the spring semester and extended an optional internship with GSK for the summer prior to or during the academic year of the award.

In the event an eligible candidate is not selected, upon agreement between GSK and Penn State subsequent funding will roll into the following academic year.

A competitive stipend will support each student on the fellowship for one academic year. The fellowship program will cover tuition, benefits, and fees. During the optional co-op or internship at GSK, students will receive a separately negotiated salary.

More information

Updates about the program will be posted on the Eberly College of Science website’s Graduate Students page.

This gift from GSK will advance "A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence," a focused campaign that seeks to elevate Penn State’s position as a leading public university in a world defined by rapid change and global connections. With the support of alumni and friends, “A Greater Penn State” seeks to fulfill the three key imperatives of a 21st-century public university: keeping the doors to higher education open to hardworking students regardless of financial well-being; creating transformative experiences that go beyond the classroom; and impacting the world by serving communities and fueling discovery, innovation and entrepreneurship. To learn more about “A Greater Penn State for 21st Century Excellence,” visit greaterpennstate.psu.edu.