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AES Junior Investigator Research Awards

American Epilepsy Society

Junior Investigator Research Awards support epilepsy research by recently independent investigators and are intended to facilitate successful competition for subsequent longer-term support from the NIH or other sources. Proposals are welcome across the spectrum of basic, translational, or clinical research into the causes, treatment, and consequences of epilepsy, seizures, and related disorders and their treatment.

This award provides up to $75,000 for one year to support the direct costs of research. In addition, the award includes complimentary registration to the AES Annual Meeting and one year of complimentary membership to AES. The number of awards granted each year is contingent upon available funds.

APPLICATION DEADLINES AND AWARD DATES

 September 2025: Application submission opens through ProposalCentral

 January 22, 2026: Full proposals due

 By May 31, 2026: Awardees notified

 July 1, 2026: Earliest award start date. May be delayed up to 3 months. (October 1, 2026)

AI Based Application Success Predictor

⭐ 1. Clear Focus on Epilepsy

AES only funds work that directly advances epilepsy research, including:

Mechanisms of seizure generation/spread

Epileptogenesis

Models of childhood epilepsies

Precision therapeutics

SUDEP and comorbidities

Diagnostics, imaging, computational neuroscience

Translational pathways toward clinical application

Predictor: Your project must be explicitly and centrally about epilepsy, not broadly neuroscience.

⭐ 2. Strong Fit to the Specific AES Award Mechanism

AES awards are sharply matched to career stage and purpose:

• Predoctoral Research Fellowships

Must show strong mentorship, a focused epilepsy project, and training plan.

• Postdoctoral Fellowships

Require a robust mentor, evidence of productivity (first-author papers), and feasibility of independence.

• Early Career Research Grants

Applicants must be faculty within ~5 years of first appointment.

Reviewers look for clear independence, preliminary data, and a trajectory toward R01/NIH-style funding.

• Seed Grants

Designed to generate preliminary data for larger NIH/CDC/NSF grants.

High-risk/high-yield pilot aims are valued.

• Research & Training Fellowships / Infrastructure awards

Focus on developing expertise and building epilepsy research capacity.

Predictor: Choose the mechanism that exactly matches your career stage, independence level, and project maturity.

⭐ 3. Strong Preliminary Data (Even for Fellowships)

AES reviewers consistently reward:

Pilot data that supports feasibility

Clear rationale for hypotheses

Evidence that methods are working

A logical next step built on your lab’s strengths

Predictor: Preliminary data—even modest—is often a make-or-break factor.

⭐ 4. Exceptional Mentorship & Research Environment

Especially for pre/postdoctoral and early career awards, reviewers expect:

A senior, active epilepsy investigator as mentor

Dual mentorship (clinical + basic, computational + electrophysiology) when appropriate

Institutional commitment (workspace, equipment, protected time)

Predictor: A powerful mentor + strong institutional environment dramatically boosts success.

⭐ 5. Clear, Feasible, Milestone-Driven Research Plan

Winning AES grants consistently include:

Two or three sharply defined aims

Clear hypotheses

Timelines with realistic milestones

Defined paths to publication

Risk mitigation strategies

Predictor: Reviewers must see that your 1–2 year plans are achievable with the requested funds.

⭐ 6. Innovation That Is Truly New to the Epilepsy Field

AES places a high value on:

New models and technologies

AI/ML methods for seizure detection or prediction

Novel circuit or synaptic mechanisms

Platform technologies (e.g., optogenetics, viral vectors, neuromodulation)

Translational bridges (from animal → human → clinical feasibility)

Predictor: Innovation must be clearly articulated and tied to improving epilepsy outcomes.

⭐ 7. Career Trajectory & Long-Term Commitment to Epilepsy

AES places strong emphasis on cultivating future leaders.

Reviewers reward applicants who show:

A sustained interest in epilepsy

A publication record in epilepsy or seizure research

Clear plans to remain in the epilepsy research community

Participation in AES annual meetings and networks

Predictor: Demonstrating a long-term epilepsy research identity increases competitiveness.

⭐ 8. Strong Written Communication

High-scoring AES applications:

Are extremely clear and concise

Have a strong “Significance” section explaining how the project addresses an important unmet need

Use compelling, confident but scientifically accurate writing

Are visually clean with logical flow through sections

Predictor: Writing quality directly affects reviewer enthusiasm.

⭐ 9. Diversity, inclusion, and relevance to underserved epilepsy populations (emerging priority)

AES increasingly values proposals that:

Study underrepresented or rare epilepsy syndromes

Address health equity

Involve diverse communities in clinical studies

Increase diversity in the research workforce

Predictor: Explicitly addressing D&I strengthens many AES applications.

⭐ 10. AES Engagement and Community Presence

Not required—but historically correlated with success:

Presenting abstracts at AES

Participating in AES SIGs (Special Interest Groups)

Networking with AES investigators

Involvement in AES mentorship or trainee programs

Predictor: Active AES participation signals commitment and builds reviewer familiarity.

🏆 Summary Table

Success Predictor	Why It Matters
Epilepsy-focused research	AES mission alignment
Correct award match	Ensures expectations and project fit
Preliminary data	Proves feasibility
Strong mentorship	Critical for early-career applicants
Clear aims & milestones	Helps reviewers trust the plan
Innovation + impact	Core review criteria
Career commitment to epilepsy	AES invests in future leaders
Excellent writing	Increases reviewer enthusiasm
Equity and inclusion	Growing priority
AES community engagement	Signals seriousness & credibility

Specialties

Clinical Trials

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

1. Hold a MD, DO, PhD, ScD, PharmD, RN, or equivalent degree.

2. Have an academic appointment at the level of Assistant Professor or equivalent at a university, medical school, research institution, or medical center. Researchers with other early faculty appointments (such as Instructor, Adjunct Track, etc.) may apply but are strongly encouraged to provide a letter of support from their department chair. Postdoctoral associates, postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows, and researchers appointed to the position of associate professor or higher are not eligible. Clinicians with faculty appointments who require a mentored research experience should instead apply for the AES Research and Training Fellowship for Clinicians.

3. Other support: To qualify as an early career grant applicant, you must meet all of the other eligibility requirements AND be either a new investigator or an at-risk investigator (or both), defined as:

a. New investigator (you have received no more than $100k total in extramural grant direct costs as PI in the last 2 years), and/or,

b. At-risk investigator (defined as follows: you have had prior research support as a new investigator AND, unless successful in securing a new grant in the current fiscal year, you will have no funding in the following fiscal year).

c. If you have any questions on your eligibility, please email grants@aesnet.org to confirm.

4. Have a defined research plan and access to institutional resources to conduct the proposed project.

5. Have not previously been awarded an American Epilepsy Society Junior Investigator Award or Research Grant.

6. Not be listed as the primary mentor on a proposal for a mentored research award by AES. The policy for AES awards is to allow only one proposal to be considered each year from any given laboratory (see Application Policy #2 above). In addition:

7. Physician applicants whose research will involve patient care or direct involvement with patients must have completed all residency training and be licensed to practice medicine at their institution.

8. U.S. citizenship is not required; however, all research must be conducted in the U.S.

9. Applicants from all backgrounds are encouraged to apply. Selections will be made without respect to race, gender, or any other protected characteristic or protected status.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: American Epilepsy Society

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 141 W. Jackson Blvd. Suite 1065 Chicago, IL 60604 Phone: 312-883-3800 Fax: 312-896-5784

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