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. Juraj Bies received his Ph.D. in cancer genetics from the Scientific Council for Molecular Biology and Genetics, Slovak Academy of Sciences and Comenius University in Bratislava, Slovakia. He did his postdoctoral training in the field of viral oncogenesis at NIH in the Laboratory of Genetics…
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. Tami Kingsbury received her Ph.D. in biology at Johns Hopkins University, studying yeast genetics and molecular biology. During her post-doctoral training at Johns Hopkins University, she studied calcium signaling in yeast and discovered a novel family of calcineurin regulators transferred from…
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. Ian Thorpe received his Ph.D. from The Scripps Research Institute (California) in the field of computational biochemistry and biophysics, where he was a trainee of the La Jolla Interfaces in Science program. He then did postdoctoral training in the Center for Biophysical Modeling and Simulation…
Dr. Jennifer Fiori O’Connell received her Ph.D. in Cell and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine investigating the dysregulation of bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathways in Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva (FOP), a devastating genetic condition in…
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. Olufokunbi Sam is the Director of the Division of AIDS, Behavioral and Population Sciences (DABP). Prior to this position, she served in multiple leadership positions at CSR, including serving as the CSR Patient Centered Outcome Research Institute (PCORI) Coordinator, CSR SRO Training Workshop…
Dr. Jui Pandhare received her Ph.D. in biochemistry from the National Chemical Laboratory, Pune, India. Her thesis research was focused on functional characterization of microbial protease inhibitors for agricultural and industrial use. She then moved to the National Cancer Institute/NIH as a…
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. Shree Ram Singh received his Ph.D. in genetics from the Banaras Hindu University, India, and was a scientist at Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany. After postdoctoral training at Haifa University, Israel, and at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), he became a staff scientist at NCI. He has…
Dr. Victor Henriquez received his Ph.D. in neuroscience from The State University of New York at Stony Brook. He did his postdoctoral training at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), where he trained in the neurological control of speech and swallowing while…
Dr. Vonda Smith is an Assistant Director in the Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR) at the Center for Scientific Review (CSR).Prior to this position, she served as Scientific Review Officer(SRO) of the Small Business: Bioanalytical Chemistry, Chemistry, Biophysics, and Assay Development Study…
Dr. Aisha Walker comes to CSR/IVBH with expertise in vascular biology and hematology after years of conducting research related to Sickle Cell Disease. She received her Ph.D. in cell biology and anatomy from Augusta University in Augusta, GA. Her graduate work examined the regeneration of blood…
After receiving a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences, Dr. James served for 11 years at the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), where she began as a grants administrator for the National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) in the Division of Food Safety and Nutrition. Her later years at USDA were…
Dr. Joanna Kubler-Kielb earned her M.Sc. Eng. in biotechnology from Wrocław University of Science and Technology in Poland. She received her Ph.D. in glycobiology and later a D.Sc. for independent research in vaccine development from the Ludwik Hirszfeld Institute of Immunology and Experimental…
Dr. Bita Nakhai received her Ph.D. in reproductive biology from the National Institute of Immunology (NII) and pursued her research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) as a postdoctoral fellow with a focus on serotonin receptor gene expression, followed by additional…
Dr. Ivan Rebustini received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Sao Paulo and was a postdoctoral visiting fellow at the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR), where he specialized in molecular, developmental, and regenerative biology. He joined Brigham and…
Dr. Khalid Masood received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Central Drug Research Institute, India, and postdoctoral training in molecular biology at the Washington University School of Medicine. He has worked as a senior staff fellow in the intramural program of NIH, patent examiner in the United…
Using the ECR Application and Vetting System (EAVS) you can enroll or update your information. ECRs remain in the program until they no longer meet the criteria. For example, if you have been accepted into the program but receive an R01, you will be removed from our database of ECRs even if you…
Dr. Kausik (Bobby) Ray received his Ph.D. in life sciences (cell, molecular, and developmental biology program) from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and his M.S. in cytology & genetics from the University of Calcutta, India. Dr. Ray did his first postdoctoral training at the Weis Center…
Most competing grant applications to NIH require electronic submission using the SF424 (R&R) application forms. Electronic submission involves two separate systems working together – the federal portal Grants.gov and the NIH eRA Commons. The Office of Extramural Research provides information on…
How Application Assignments Are MadeThe Division of Receipt and Referral (DRR) in the Center for Scientific Review (CSR) assigns each application to a scientific review group (study section) with the expertise to evaluate the scientific and technical merit of the application and to one or more…
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 “…