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HHMI will appoint approximately 25 new Investigators through a national open competition. Applications must be received by March 21, 2023.
HHMI will appoint approximately 25 new Investigators through a national open competition. Applications must be received by March 21, 2023.


The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is announcing a national open competition to appoint approximately 25 new Investigators. This effort will expand HHMI’s community of more than 260 Investigators who perform basic biological research at about 60 research institutions across the nation.

Each HHMI Investigator will receive roughly $8 million over a seven-year term, which is renewable pending favorable scientific review. HHMI encourages Investigators to push their research fields into new areas of inquiry.

“As an HHMI Investigator, you can take whatever bold and risky ideas you want to pursue and go wherever the science leads you,” says Leslie Vosshall, HHMI’s vice president and chief scientific officer. “You can look seven years into the future and build something that is risky without worrying whether you have the resources to sustain that bold idea.”

The HHMI Investigator Program competition is open to basic researchers and physician scientists from more than 300 eligible institutions who catalyze research in basic and biomedical sciences, plant biology, evolutionary biology, biophysics, chemical biology, biomedical engineering, and computational biology.

Applicants can establish eligibility now via the HHMI Application and Review Channel (ARC) websiteexternal link, opens in a new tab.

In December 2022, the full application will become available at the same website. Applications must be received by March 21, 2023.

The Investigator Program is open to individuals who:

  • Hold a PhD and/or MD (or the equivalent). 
  • Have a tenured or tenure-track position as an assistant professor or higher academic rank (or the equivalent) at an eligible US institution. Federal government employees are not eligible. 
  • Have more than five, but no more than 15, years of post-training, professional experience. To meet this requirement, the applicant’s first post-training professional appointment must have begun no earlier than March 1, 2008, and no later than April 1, 2018. 
  • Are the principal investigator on one or more active, national peer-reviewed research grants with an initial duration of at least three years as of April 1, 2023. Mentored awards and training grants do not qualify. Multi-investigator grants may qualify.

A panel of leading scientists will evaluate the applications. Semifinalists will be selected by November 7, 2023, and asked to record a video presentation describing their research accomplishments and research vision. Semifinalists will participate in a virtual symposium on March 18, 2024, where they will give a brief presentation and answer questions from members of HHMI’s advisory panel. The selection of finalists will be made in early April 2024, with HHMI Investigator appointments starting as early as September 1, 2024.

In 2021, HHMI selected 33 scientists to join the HHMI Investigator Program. Upon appointment, selected scientists become HHMI employees while retaining academic appointments and laboratories at their respective institutions. HHMI provides each Investigator with a full salary, employee benefits, and research budget during their term. The Institute will also cover other expenses, including the purchase of critical equipment.

Through the HHMI Investigator Program, the Institute has joined with roughly 60 US universities, hospitals, institutes, and medical schools to create an environment that provides flexible, long-term support for HHMI scientists and members of their research teams. HHMI Investigators are widely recognized for their creativity and research accomplishments: more than 150 HHMI Investigators are members of the National Academy of Sciences, and 33 current or former HHMI Investigators have been awarded the Nobel Prize.

For questions about the competition or application process, email [email protected].

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HHMI is the largest private biomedical research institution in the nation. Our scientists make discoveries that advance human health and our fundamental understanding of biology. We also invest in transforming science education into a creative, inclusive endeavor that reflects the excitement of research. HHMI’s headquarters are located in Chevy Chase, Maryland, just outside Washington, DC.