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.
About CSR
Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.
The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit
cc.nih.gov.
Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at
OPM.gov.
Dr. Hernandez-Ochoa received an M.D. degree in general medicine and surgery and a Ph.D. degree in neurophysiology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. During his postdoctoral training at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, he investigated the role of calcium signals and…
Dr. Angela Ng has a Ph.D. degree in experimental pathology from Northwestern University and a M.B.A. degree from the University of Oklahoma. Her postdoctoral training is in molecular developmental biology and endocrinology. Before joining CSR, she was a senior scientist of research and development…
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. Thomas Beres serves as Chief of the Health Services and Systems Review Branch (HSS RB).Dr. Thomas Beres received his Ph.D. in Genetics and Development from the University of Texas Southwestern Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences in Dallas, Texas. There he studied both bHLH and homeodomain…
Dr. Ross D. Shonat received his Ph.D. in bioengineering from the University of Pennsylvania and completed postdoctoral training in microcirculatory physiology at the University of Arizona and neurophysiology and molecular biology using magnetic resonance imaging at Carnegie Mellon University. Prior…
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…
Dr. Alok Mulky received a M.Sc. in microbiology from the University of Mumbai, India, studying bioremediation, enzymology, antibiotic production, biofilms, and strain improvement. He then received his Ph.D. in microbiology from the University of Alabama at Birmingham studying the molecular…
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…
CSR values diverse perspectives in review. We recognize that accommodations may be needed to allow inclusivity and full participation by those with disabilities. If you require accommodations – whether it relates to travel or to meeting format or procedures - please speak with your scientific…
Dr. Janice Duy received her Ph.D. in functional genomics from the University of Maine and pursued postdoctoral training at the U. S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), where she also served as principal investigator. Prior to joining CSR, Dr. Duy was a program…
Dr. Jordan Moore received his Ph.D. in neurobiology and behavior from Cornell University and completed his postdoctoral training at Columbia University. His research focused on brain-behavior relationships across multiple levels of analysis, including evolutionary links between neuroanatomy and…
Dr. Gheda Temsah earned her Ph.D. in sociology from the University of Maryland. Before joining CSR, she spent over a decade in the private sector, leading studies and evaluations of international development and humanitarian programs for large and small business consultancy firms. Her work focused…
You are encouraged to share your thoughts and ideas on this website. However, NIH and CSR blogs are not intended to serve as public forums. The views expressed in the Comments section reflect those of the individual(s) who authored the comment(s) and may not reflect those of NIH or the U.S.…
Dr. Bruce Reed is Acting Director of CSR. Prior to being appointed Acting Director, he served as the Deputy Director at CSR, beginning in 2019. In his role, he works to optimize peer review at the NIH through implementation of CSR’s strategic plan. He has led multiple special efforts to develop new…
Dr. Lystranne Maynard-Smith obtained her Ph.D. in Chemistry from Stanford University with a focus on development of a chemical biology approach to controlling protein stability. She then pursued her postdoctoral training in the Laboratory of Bioorganic Chemistry, NIDDK with an emphasis on…
Dr. Roger Janz received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from the University of Cologne, Germany, and then did postdoctoral training at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas with Dr. Thomas Südhof (Nobel laureate 2013). Before joining CSR, Dr. Janz was an associate professor in the…
Dr. Elena Smirnova serves as Chief of the Molecular Genetics and Genomics Review Branch (MGG RB).
Dr. Elena Smirnova earned a Ph.D. in biochemistry/biophysics from Heidelberg University in Germany. She did her post-doctoral training in the Department of Biological Chemistry at the UCLA School of…
Dr. Mark Vosvick is a behavioral scientist who was trained at and received degrees from Yale, Rutgers, Harvard and Stanford and completed an NRSA postdoctoral fellowship at the NIH-funded Center for AIDS Intervention Research at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Immediately prior to CSR, Dr.…
Dr. Rochelle F. Hentges received her Ph.D. in developmental psychology from the University of Rochester. She completed post-doctoral training at the University of Pittsburgh before joining the Owerko Centre for Neurodevelopment at the University of Calgary. Prior to joining CSR, Dr. Hentges was a…
Dr. Adem Can completed his doctoral training in the behavioral neuroscience program of the department of psychology at the University of Texas at Austin. He then started his postdoctoral fellowship in the department of psychiatry at the University of Maryland - Baltimore School of Medicine, where…
Dr. Anna Riley received her Ph.D. in sociology from Washington State University. Her training is in social psychology, mental health, and gerontology. She came to CSR as an SRO intern from the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan, where she was a postdoctoral research fellow…
Dr. Bradley Nuss earned his Ph.D. in physiology from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, and he did postdoctoral training in cardiology at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He then joined the faculty as an assistant professor and investigated cardiac excitability…
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…
Dr. Jianxin Hu received his Ph. D. in molecular biology from the Chinese Academy of Sciences Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and conducted postdoctoral research at the University of South Carolina. Before joining the CSR, he was a staff scientist at the National Institute of Diabetes and…