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 due: Friday, February 27, 2026
Apply here: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/c9e9edc19a7f4b6fb54d9a4e172f704a
Award Details:
- Start date: Monday, March 16, 2026
- 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:
- Post-doctoral/clinical fellows or early-stage faculty investigator
- Applicants must be affiliated with a university or institution in the United States
Expectations for Scholars:
- Establish a collaborative project with one or more of the CLEAR-AD MPIs within 1-3 months of their appointment as a CLEAR-AD Scholar
- Attend the weekly 1-hour long CLEAR-AD Steering Committee meetings
- Present their CLEAR-AD related work at the CLEAR-AD Steering Committee meetings at least twice per year
- Submit an abstract to present their CLEAR-AD related work at 1 conference per year (preferably AAIC)
- Present their CLEAR-AD project at the Annual CLEAR-AD meeting
- Before completion of their 2-year term, provide a draft of a manuscript of their CLEAR-AD project