CLEAR-AD U19 Scholars Program
Host Institutions: Mayo Clinic – Jacksonville, FL, US; Indiana University – Indianapolis, IN, US
The Centrally-linked Longitudinal pEripheral biomARkers of AD (CLEAR-AD) program is seeking applicants for its Scholars Program. The overall goal of CLEAR-AD is to discover and validate precision medicine biomarkers of AD across broad populations at risk. The program bridges cellular and molecular biology of AD to multimodal neuroimaging and cognitive phenotypes in the context of moving toward precision medicine in AD.
CLEAR-AD U19 Scholars Program is a 2-year award for early-career scientists in biomedical research. Each awardee will receive $25,000/year to facilitate their participation in this program. Recent college graduates, graduate students, post-doctoral/clinical fellows, and early-stage faculty are encouraged to apply. Mayo Clinic and Indiana University will each be accepting one CLEAR-AD Scholar. Scholars will have access to a rich curriculum, along with formal mentorship. Scholars will also be integrated into a project within the CLEAR-AD U19 and participate in program meetings.
CLEAR-AD Scholars will be matched with U19 investigators who have extensive mentorship experience along with multi-disciplinary expertise in research areas including clinical and translational medicine, neuroimaging, computational biology, single cell biology, and multi-omics. Scholars will learn about and publish in key research areas in AD and gain career networking experience, including the opportunity to present their work at local and national meetings.
Potential research topics:
- Single cell/single nucleus biology
- Computational and systems biology
- Data Analytics: bioinformatics, biostatistics, AI/machine learning, data harmonization
- Multi-omics: transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, lipidomics, DNA methylation
- Neuroimaging: Basic and advanced MRI modalities; amyloid PET and tau PET
- Molecular biology
- Multiomics research across broad populations
Application materials:
- NIH Biosketch
- 2-page research proposal
- 1-page description of applicant’s career goals and how this award would contribute to those goals.
- Letter of support from a mentor that speaks to the excellence of the applicant, existing support and resources relevant to conducting their research plan, and how the candidate’s career would benefit from this award.
Applications are currently closed. They will open in Spring 2026.
Award Details:
- Two scholars selected per year (one Mayo Clinic Scholar and one Indiana University Scholar)
- Annual award of $25,000 per year per scholar
- Timeframe: 2-year period (Fiscal years are March 1 – February 28)
To learn more about this program, visit clear-ad.org
Eligibility Requirements:
- Recent college graduate, graduate student, post-doctoral/clinical fellows, or early-stage faculty investigator
- Applicants must be affiliated with a university or institution in the United States
Research Fellow – Dr. Carrasquillo
Host Institution: Mayo Clinic Florida
PI: Dr. Minerva M. Carrasquillo
Title: Research Fellow
The Research Fellow will work in the research laboratory of Dr. Minerva M. Carrasquillo, at Mayo Clinic, Florida. Dr. Carrasquillo is one of the four co-principal investigators on the NIH-funded CLEAR-AD program focused on the identification of novel blood biomarkers and therapeutic target for Alzheimer’s disease. The Research Fellow should have formal training and a strong grasp of concepts in genomics, epigenetics, statistics, experience programming in R, and independently implementing bioinformatics tools commonly utilized in genomics studies. Responsibilities will include gathering, organizing, and analyzing multi-omics and exposome data from study participants included in the CLEAR-AD program, regularly communicating the progress of the data collection and analysis results with lab members and with internal and external collaborators, preparing and submitting manuscripts and grant proposals, and co-mentoring junior trainees. Active participation in monthly conference calls will be required and potentially travel to an annual conference to present the project’s progress.
To apply, please contact Dr. Carrasquillo at Carrasquillo.Minerva@mayo.edu.