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The Chu Family Foundation Scholarships for Early Career Women in Science

International Society for Antiviral Research

The Chu Family Scholarships were initiated by The Chu Family Foundation (TCFF) and ISAR to support the professional development of early career level women with the potential for significant contribution in the field of antiviral research by providing funds to attend a specialized workshop, visit/work in another laboratory to obtain new skills, take a course, or acquire specialized training.

Award

Up to three awards will be given annually to advance the careers of early career level women with potential for significant contributions in the field of basic, applied, and clinical aspects of antiviral research and antiviral drug development. Each award will consist of a $3,000 stipend, a 2-year ISAR membership and a commemorative plaque. The stipend must be used within a year of its award and the winners must present their research at the next International Conference for Antiviral Research (ICAR). As a result, the award should be used for both the proposed external training and attending the ICAR. However, if the total cost exceeds the $3,000 limit, applicants are still eligible to apply for the ICAR travel award funds. The funds are not meant, however, just to attend ICAR.

TCFF Application Process

Once submitted, nomination materials become the property of the Selection Committee and will not be returned. Winners will be selected by the TCFF Selection Committee by early-January and will be informed of their status by email. The winners are invited to attend the next ICAR meeting to receive their award. (Note: Winners are still eligible to apply for and receive ICAR travel support to attend ICAR).

Each candidate must submit:

A Candidate Statement that describes her academic accomplishments and future career goals. The candidate should include an explanation of how the planned use of the award (workshop, training, specialized course, external lab visit, etc.) will help her career. The length of the Statement may not exceed 2 pages, single spaced.
A Curriculum Vitae of any length.
A letter of support from the candidate’s research project director, Department Chair, or Center Director. Recommenders should describe how the planned use of the award (meeting, course, lab visit, etc.) will benefit the candidate's scientific and career development.
Any candidate who wishes to use the award money to visit another scientist's laboratory must also submit a letter from the head of the laboratory indicating that the proposed visit is permissible.
Any candidate who wishes to use the award money to attend a specialized course or workshop or course must provide a detailed description of the conference/course including the date, location, and other pertinent details, including a link to online information.

Additional Information

Candidates may apply more than one time but women who have previously won the award are not eligible for a second award. In addition, any candidate that has won a TCFF Scholarship from the International Society of Nucleosides, Nucleotides and Nucleic Acids (IS3NA) is ineligible to apply. In general, the career development activity should not be one for which the applicant's advisor is already funded. After completion of the training or course, etc., the recipient must provide a brief report of the work that was supported by the award to ISAR. This report will then be sent to The Chu Family Foundation.

AI Based Application Success Predictor

Predictor	Why It Matters	Evidence / Example
Novel antiviral mechanisms or molecular targets	ISAR prioritizes innovation in antiviral drug design, resistance mechanisms, or host-virus interaction studies.	Winning projects often introduce new scaffolds, inhibitors, or viral entry-blocking mechanisms.
Strong translational potential	Proposals bridging basic virology to therapeutic application score higher.	E.g., work on broad-spectrum antivirals or RNA virus inhibition.
Relevance to current or emerging viral threats	Projects related to SARS-CoV-2, influenza, HIV, HBV, or flaviviruses (e.g., dengue, Zika) receive top interest.	2021–2024 awardees focused on COVID-19, SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibition, and pan-coronavirus therapeutics.
Robust experimental design and validation	Reviewers emphasize methodological rigor and mechanistic depth.	Funded abstracts show strong biochemical, structural, or in vivo validation.
Publication or presentation history	Demonstrated productivity and visibility in antiviral research increases competitiveness.	Most ISAR awardees have at least 1–2 antiviral-related publications.
Conference engagement and visibility	Presenting regularly at ICAR and engaging in ISAR activities boosts recognition.	Many winners had multiple ICAR presentations before receiving major ISAR awards.
Mentorship / training impact	ISAR values mentorship potential, especially in young investigator or diversity awards.	Nominees often mentor students or participate in outreach initiatives.
Collaborative and interdisciplinary approach	Combining chemistry, virology, and structural biology strengthens applications.	Joint teams (medicinal chemists + virologists) are common among winners.
Alignment with ISAR’s mission	Proposals must clearly contribute to antiviral science and therapeutic advancement.	Off-topic (e.g., non-viral pathogen) research is rarely funded.

🧠 Profile of Successful Applicants

Parameter	Typical Characteristics
Career Stage	Graduate student to mid-career faculty
Discipline	Virology, medicinal chemistry, pharmacology, molecular biology
Research Themes	Antiviral mechanisms, viral resistance, structural virology, host-virus interactions
Output	Peer-reviewed papers, high-impact conference presentations
Networking	Active ISAR membership and ICAR participation

🧾 Examples of Award-Winning Research (2018–2024)

Award	Project Title	Research Area
William Prusoff Award (2023)	“Design of broad-spectrum polymerase inhibitors against RNA viruses”	Medicinal chemistry / structural biology
Women in Science Award (2022)	“Mechanistic insights into SARS-CoV-2 fusion inhibitors”	Virology / biophysics
Travel Fellowship (2024)	“Targeting host chaperone proteins to block dengue replication”	Host-directed antivirals
Poster Award (2021)	“Cryo-EM analysis of HIV reverse transcriptase-inhibitor complexes”	Structural virology
Diversity Award (2022)	“Repurposing kinase inhibitors for antiviral therapy in underserved regions”	Translational virology

🚫 Common Weaknesses in Unsuccessful Applications

Weak or unfocused antiviral relevance

Lack of mechanistic or therapeutic insight

No connection to current or high-priority viral pathogens

Overly descriptive or unvalidated hypotheses

Sparse publication history or missing mentorship support (for trainees)

Limited engagement with ISAR/ICAR community

📈 Summary — Top Predictors of ISAR Grant/Award Success

Category	Predictor
Scientific Impact	Novel mechanisms, new molecular targets
Relevance	Focus on priority or emerging viruses
Translational Value	Clear therapeutic potential
Scientific Rigor	Strong validation and experimental design
Engagement	Active ICAR participation or ISAR membership
Mentorship / Diversity	Contribution to training or inclusion efforts
Visibility	Publication record and clear communication of results
Collaboration	Cross-disciplinary antiviral innovation

🧩 Strategic Tips for ISAR Applicants

Frame your proposal around a specific viral target or mechanism.

Include preliminary data—even partial biochemical or in silico validation helps.

Connect your work to pressing viral challenges (COVID-19, influenza, HIV, etc.).

Emphasize translational and clinical potential.

Join ISAR and attend ICAR regularly to build visibility.

Show leadership or mentorship if applying for diversity or women-in-science awards.

Highlight interdisciplinarity—link chemistry, biology, and computational insights.

Specialties

Infectious Diseases

Others

Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible to apply for the TCFF award, the early career level woman scientist must currently be either a (i) graduate student or (ii) hold a doctoral degree and have no more than four years of cumulative postdoctoral experience. The applicant must currently be doing graduate or postdoctoral research in the general field of antiviral research – this includes virology, chemistry, molecular biology or another virally-related focus. The criteria for selection includes, but is not limited to, the level of interest in antiviral research, the ability to do independent scientific work, the potential for a high level of scientific endeavor in antiviral research, as well as the extent of scientific accomplishments and scientific leadership/mentoring skills. Graduate students and postdoctoral candidates as well as their mentors must be members of ISAR. A letter of support must be provided by a nominator, who may be the candidate’s research project director, Department Chair, or Center Director. Click here for information in how to become an ISAR member.

Sponsor Details

Sponsor Institute/Organizations: International Society for Antiviral Research

Sponsor Type: Corporate/Non-Profit

Address: 300 Light Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

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