CSR’s primary role is to handle the receipt and review of all 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.
Study Sections
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Groups, SRGs). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Review Meetings
Applications are reviewed in study sections (Scientific Review Groups, SRGs). Review Branches (RBs) are clusters of study sections based on scientific discipline.
Evaluation Initiatives
Access data visualizations, reports, and analytical tools to track progress.
Dr. Tina Tang received her Ph.D. in neuroscience from the NIH Graduate Partnerships Program jointly hosted by the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom and the NIH Intramural Program. She conducted her graduate research at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke studying…
Dr. Vanessa Sherk received her Ph.D. in exercise physiology from the University of Oklahoma. She received post-doctoral training at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, where she focused on how nutrition affects bone metabolism. During that time, Dr. Sherk was also an assistant…
Dr. Feng received her Ph.D. in biophysics from Johns Hopkins University and completed postdoctoral training in genetics and developmental biology at Harvard Medical School. She took faculty positions at Northwestern University and then at Uniformed Services University. During her academic research…
Dr. Helen Huang received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. She obtained postdoctoral training first at Stanford and then at the NIH Intramural Research Program. Prior to joining CSR, she was a scientific review officer at the National…
Dr. Jacek Topczewski received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw. Dr. Topczewski then trained in developmental biology at Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN. Following his training, Dr. Topczewski took a faculty position…
Dr. Jennifer Schiltz received a Ph.D. in neuroscience from the University of Pittsburgh and conducted postdoctoral training at the Laboratory of Neuronal Structure and Function at the Salk Institute in La Jolla, CA, where her NIH-funded work focused on the central circuitry involved in…
As Branch Chief for the Scientific Review Evaluation Activities (SREA) Branch, Mr. Wheat has oversight of the organization responsible for managing the review meeting hotel contracts, non-Federal traveler contract, and reviewer reimbursement. Each and every one of these activities make review…
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?
I’m confused about the term “scientific premise or rigor” and how it is different from “…
CSR Advisory Council Update – Dr. Noni Byrnes, CSR DirectorSimplifying Review Criteria for Clinical Trials Working Group –Co-Chairs - Dr. Bruce Reed, CSR Deputy Director and Dr. Tonya Palermo, University of Washington, CSR Advisory Council Member CSR Advisory Council Members - Dr. Alfred…
Dr. Vivian Tang holds a B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from the University of California, San Francisco. After obtaining her degrees, she received postdoctoral training at the Harvard Medical School. Before joining CSR, Dr. Tang was a research assistant professor and…
Dr. Guillermo Bermejo earned his Ph.D. from Carnegie Mellon University in the field of biophysics/structural biology, largely focusing on the computational analysis of data from nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to facilitate the protein structure elucidation process. He then conducted…
When you are ready to resubmit your application, you should contact your assigned program officer for guidance in addressing the comments in your summary statement.See Frequently Asked Questions about resubmissions of applications for details about current NIH policy and to learn about the…
Three Tools to Help Direct Your Application to the Best Place for Review and Funding1. Use NIH RePORTER to locate funded applications in your field and discover:The scientific review groups (located in Project Information) in which they were reviewed.The NIH Institutes and Centers that fund this…
CSR Advisory Council Update – Dr. Noni Byrnes, CSR Director
Simplifying Review Criteria for Clinical Trials Working Group –
Co-Chairs - Dr. Bruce Reed, CSR Deputy Director and Dr. Tonya Palermo, University of Washington, CSR Advisory Council Member
CSR Advisory Council Members - Dr. Alfred George…
Dr. Drake Morgan completed his Ph.D. in the Department of Experimental and Biological Psychology at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and received postdoctoral training in the Department of Physiological and Pharmacology at Wake Forest University. Dr. Morgan then established a…
Dr. Janetta Lun earned her Ph.D. in social psychology from the University of Virginia, where she conducted and published research on how our beliefs about others and the self are influenced by the surrounding context. She completed postdoctoral training at the University of Maryland, College Park,…
Dr. Ananya Paria is an infectious disease epidemiologist with a scientific background in HIV prevention and clinical research focusing on the therapeutics efficacy of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), investigating the comparative effectiveness of Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors (NRTIs)…
NIH Will Consider Your Career Stage IfYou submit an R01 grant applicationYou are an Early Stage Investigator (ESI)A New Investigator is someone who has not previously received substantial independent funding from NIH. Having received an award for training (such as a fellowship or K award) does not…
Commander (CDR) Marcienne Wright, Ph.D., received her Ph.D. in biochemistry and molecular genetics from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she investigated the role of nitrated fatty acids in heme oxygenase-mediated prevention of vascular inflammation via DNA-protein interactions. She…
Dr. Gloria Su received her Ph.D. in immunology from the University of Chicago. Her post-doctoral training at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine focused on identifying tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes important to pancreatic tumorigenesis. She joined the faculty of the Johns Hopkins…
Dr. Jian Wang received a medical degree from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine and practiced medicine in China. She then obtained a Ph.D. degree in tumor biology and immunotherapy from McGill University in Canada. She has worked in the biotechnology industry studying antisense gene…
The CSR Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR) receives all NIH grant applications. DRR assigns grant applications to a scientific review group (study section) for first-level peer review and to a funding institute/center for the second level of review for funding consideration. Appeals…
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…
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.…
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…