CSR’s primary role is to handle the receipt and review of ~ 75% of the grant applications that NIH receives. NIH separates the review process from funding decisions.
For Reviewers
Reviewers are critical to our mission to see that NIH grant applications receive, fair, independent, expert, and timely scientific reviews. We appreciate the generosity with which reviewers give their time.
News & Policy
The latest news and policy updates from CSR. Read about our outreach programs and publications.
Study Sections
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Group, SRG). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Review Panels & Dates
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Group, SRG). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Mark D. Lindner, PhD, is currently serving as Acting Branch Chief of the Analysis, Informatics, and Automation (AIA) Branch within the Division of Planning, Analysis, and Information Management (DPAIM) at CSR—a role he assumed in August 2023 following seven years as leader of the Office of Planning…
Reviewers have a broad range of scientific expertise and background. They are experts in the field, but perhaps not in the exact area of your application.
Once you've identified possible study sections/scientific review groups that fit your application well, look at the rosters for the review…
Dr. Katherine Malinda serves as Chief of the Integrative Vascular Biology and Hematology Review Branch (IVBH RB).
Dr. Katherine Malinda received her Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in biological sciences, and was then awarded an intramural research training award to work at the National…
Dr. Alena Savonenko obtained her Ph.D. in behavioral neuroscience at the Lomonosov Moscow State University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland. Later, she continued her post-doctoral education at the Johns Hopkins University.…
When multiple PD/PIs are proposed, must all PD/PIs and all institutions involved be AREA-eligible?
When multiple PD/PIs are proposed, must all PD/PIs and all institutions involved be AREA-eligible?
Yes, each PD/PI must have an appointment at an AREA-eligible institution. In addition, each PD…
May I submit many post submission items, or only one?Why is there a 30-day cutoff for notification that a paper has been accepted?Will NIH accept articles that have been accepted for publication?Why aren’t late-breaking research findings allowed as post-submission material?May I submit newly-…
Training Resources National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Extramural Training Mechanisms
Careers
K Kiosk - Information about NIH Career Development Awards
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Training opportunities and funding for cancer training and…
Does the NIH policy on rigor and transparency apply to all types of NIH grants?
Where in grant applications should applicants address the four focus areas of the NIH policy on rigor and transparency?
What is the difference between "rigor of the prior research" and "significance"?
Should…
Dr. Yi Liu earned his Ph.D. in molecular microbiology and immunology and received his postdoctoral training in developmental genetics from the University of Southern California. Prior to joining CSR, he was an associate professor of research and the principal investigator and co-investigator of NIH…
Some Observations from the NIH Director – Dr. Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., NIH Director
CSR Advisory Council Update – Dr. Noni Byrnes, Ph.D., CSR Director
ENQUIRE – Evaluating Panel Quality in Review – Dr. Valerie Durrant, Ph.D., CSR DABP Director
ENQUIRE – Evaluating Panel Quality in Review…
While there is no administrative requirement that the science in a new A0 application be substantively different from any previously reviewed submission, it is not allowable to have duplicate or highly overlapping applications under review at the same time as per 2.3.7.4 Submission of Resubmission…
Dr. Ananya Paria came to CSR after serving in the Population Studies and Genetics Branch of the Division of Neuroscience at the National Institute on Aging. There, she worked in Population Studies and Epidemiology Research Programs on Alzheimer’s disease (AD), AD-related dementias (ADRD), and other…
Dr. Ghenima Dirami received a Ph.D. in biochemical endocrinology from the University of London in England. Before joining NIH, Dr. Dirami received her postdoctoral training at Georgetown University. Her research in the Lung Biology Laboratory there focused on oxidant-induced lung injury and on the…
Selection CriteriaScientists must meet general requirements, expertise requirements, and requirements specific to the given study section/scientific review group. Balancing experience and diversity when developing rosters for a scientific review group is one of the most challenging tasks a…
Dr. Liangbiao Zheng received his Ph. D. in biology from Harvard University. His postdoctoral training at Harvard focused on molecular genetics of mosquitoes. He continued his research in vector biology with special emphases on host-pathogen interactions and innate immunity as a staff scientist in…
Michael McQuestion received a B.S. degree from the University of Notre Dame, an M.P.H. from Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and a Ph..D in sociology from the University of Wisconsin- Madison. Prior to joining NIH, Dr. McQuestion was an assistant professor at the Johns Hopkins…
Dr. Pablo M. Blazquez Gamez obtained his Ph.D. in vestibular and cerebellar physiology at Washington University (St. Louis) and Seville University (Spain). He received his postdoctoral training in basal ganglia physiology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Subsequently, he joined the…
Dr. Afia Sultana earned her Ph.D. in molecular genetics from L. V. Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, India. She pursued her postdoctoral training and served as a senior research fellow in the laboratory of Retinal Cell and Molecular Biology at the National Eye Institute at NIH. Her research…
Dr. Emily Foley completed her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard University, where she studied the mechanisms that control eukaryotic DNA replication and ensure it occurs only once per cell cycle. She then pursued postdoctoral training at The Rockefeller University,…
Dr. Jennifer Sanders received her Ph.D. in molecular biology, cell biology, and biochemistry from Brown University and completed a fellowship in gastroenterology at Rhode Island Hospital. Following fellowship, she joined the faculty at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. Her…
Scientific and health breakthroughs are heralded in the press almost every day. You often can trace them back—directly or indirectly—to one or more NIH peer review groups that found promise in an application. To illustrate the point, we share the following stories:
Geneticist Advances…
The FOIA, 5 U.S.C. 552, provides individuals with a right to access to records in the possession of the Federal government. The government may withhold information pursuant to the nine exemptions and three exclusions contained in the Act.
If you have questions regarding FOIA requests pending with…
After receiving his Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of Illinois, where he worked in the area of solid state NMR of membrane proteins, Dr. Bowers worked on the development of fast chemical shift imaging techniques and non-invasive magnetic resonance-based assays for liver graft viability.He…
Dr. Joseph Rudolph serves as Chief of the Neurotechnology and Vision Review Branch (NV RB).Dr. Rudolph earned his Ph.D. in pharmacology from the University of Florida, where he studied the effects of chronic ethanol exposure on NMDA receptor pharmacology and physiology. He first came to the NIH…
Dr. Krystyna Szymczyk came to CSR after working at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases intramural research program in bioinformatics and data science. She received a Ph.D. in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine from Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Her…