SOS:BIO: structural pathways in biomedical PHD training and early career develop

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded the University of North Dakota $112,084 on September 1, 2026, under the Biomedical Research and Research Training program (CFDA 93.859) to study mentorship structures that shape biomedical researcher career trajectories and long-term persistence in independent research.

The recipient will integrate longitudinal dissertation records, publication data, and collaboration histories to reconstruct advisor-student relationships spanning multiple decades. Using longitudinal statistical models, survival analysis, and network science, the research will quantify how advisor characteristics, mentoring capacity, collaboration patterns, and institutional environments influence research persistence, career consolidation, transitions to independence, and emergence of scientific leaders. The work will identify critical stages where mentorship has the greatest influence, reveal mechanisms underlying long-term career success, and generate validated metrics for evaluating doctoral training environments. This process-oriented framework measures careers as dynamic trajectories rather than static outcomes to provide evidence guiding universities, research institutions, and federal agencies in workforce development.

Place of performance is Grand Forks, North Dakota. The period of performance runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2028. The award is classified as a Project Grant, an assistance type under NIGMS supporting investigator-initiated biomedical research.

Abstract

(see instructions): the biomedical research enterprise relies on a highly trained workforce to translate scientific discoveries into improved human health. Yet, despite decades of investment in doctoral education, little is known about how mentorship during PHD training shapes the long-term development of biomedical researchers. Most prior studies have focused on publications, citations, or grant funding after investigators establish independent careers, leaving unanswered a fundamental question: how do early mentoring environments influence who persists in research, becomes an independent investigator, and ultimately trains the next generation of scientists? The goal of this project is to identify the mentorship structures that promote successful and sustainable careers in biomedical research. We will integrate one of the largest available collections of biomedical PHD dissertation records with longitudinal publication and collaboration data to reconstruct advisor-student relationships and career trajectories spanning multiple decades. Using longitudinal statistical models, survival analysis, and network science, we will quantify how advisor characteristics, mentoring capacity, collaboration patterns, and institutional environments influence research persistence, career consolidation, transitions to independence, and the emergence of future scientific leaders. This project introduces a new, process-oriented framework for studying the biomedical workforce by measuring careers as dynamic trajectories rather than static outcomes. The resulting analyses will identify critical stages where mentorship has the greatest influence, reveal mechanisms underlying long-term career success, and generate validated metrics for evaluating doctoral training environments. The expected outcome is a robust evidence base to guide universities, research institutions, and federal agencies in designing more effective mentoring strategies and workforce policies. By identifying the conditions that foster successful biomedical careers, this project will strengthen the nation's capacity to develop, retain, and support the next generation of biomedical researchers, ultimately accelerating scientific innovation and improving human health.