The Challenge
Human health and the environment are inseparably connected. Understanding and managing interconnections is crucial for addressing global challenges such as climate change, clean water, food availability, and air quality. Microorganisms play a key role in this goal; they inhabit and move between all types of ecosystems and environments where they assume various functions essential to life. The cyanobacteria of the oceans account for most of the oxygen we breathe, nitrogen-fixing bacteria make agricultural production possible, and microorganisms regulate the immune system and bodily functions of their living hosts. Because of the vast scope of microbial function, microbiome researchers study environments as varied as the human gut, wastewater, and urban soils; and they apply numerous methods from molecular biology, biochemistry, engineering, physics, and computer science. Hence, cross-disciplinary engagement is critical to develop effective and innovative approaches that utilize interconnected microbial systems to effectively promote environmental, agricultural, and human health on local and global scales. Such collective effort is challenged by disciplinary divides, which include differences in standards, language, and scope of investigated questions. This divide may reduce efficiency of proposed solutions and hinder the development of innovative breakthroughs that are needed to solve some of the most challenging tasks of our time.
Our Mission
The fellowship program provides an innovative research, training, and outreach program that fosters cross-disciplinary exchange and collaboration in microbiome research at University of Maryland, College Park. Our aim is to create a core group of students, researchers, and faculty who work together to integrate knowledge across disciplines to promote evidence-based discoveries and innovation for sustainable development built on microbial systems. Funded by a UMD Grand Challenges Grant, the fellowship program is open to graduate students across UMD who work in the intersection of microbial dynamics, engineering, computing, biochemistry, and policy. The fellowship prepares students to collaborate in cross-disciplinary teams and to initiate projects that utilize microbial systems across scales to translate scientific principles into transformative action.
The Program
An interdisciplinary cohort of eight graduate students across UMD colleges and schools will be trained in team science and cross-disciplinary system approaches that are essential to advance innovation through microbiome research. Via scientific presentations and a capstone panel organized by the cohort, fellows will gain a comprehensive overview of the breadth of the field and develop an understanding of how their own research can be integrated for impactful solutions.
Activities:
- Program duration: May–December 2025 (see detailed schedule at end of page)
- Kick-off meeting: May 27, 2025
- Three Summer Workshops: Team Science, Systems Thinking, and Community Partnerships
- Monthly Microsocial seminar with fellow speakers, and fellows help with seminar organization.
- Monthly invited speaker seminar
- Capstone: Panel discussion (1.5 hour panel of 3-4 panelists), organized by the fellow cohort. Taking place in December 2025, during finals week.
Fellowship amount:
$8,000 as one time award paid to each fellow
Program leads and contacts:
Dr. Gabi Steinbach, Associate Research Scientist in Biology (gabis@umd.edu)
Dr. Stephanie Yarwood, Associate Professor in Environmental Science and Technology (syarwood@umd.edu).
Please reach out to Gabi and Stephanie with any questions about the program.
Application
Timeline:
- Application opens: March 14, 2025
- Application deadline: April 11, 2025
- Announcement of acceptance: April 25, 2025
Fellow Eligibility and Requirements:
- Actively enrolled UMD graduate student (at least through end of 2025), working in a field related to microbial systems and microbiome research from natural, mathematical, and computational sciences, engineering, and other fields as relevant.
- Open to both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens
- Ability to devote 4-5 hours per month on average for program activities, including availability to participate in all activities as listed above (see detailed schedule at end of page)
Student Adviser Requirements:
- Availability to attend kick-off meeting, Microsocial seminar series in the Fall semester, and final capstone event (see detailed schedule at end of page)
- Give permission to their student to participate in the program and its activities
Application Procedure:
- Students apply via online form. The application will require the following:
- One-page CV containing a list of academic training/experience and any additional activities/achievements relevant to the program objectives if available.
- Describe your field of work and how it relates to the overall goal of the program to advance innovation and impact through microbiome research (1,300 characters including spaces)
- Explain how the program will help you achieve your professional goals, including the future impact you hope to make informed by your academic education/experience (2,000 characters including spaces)
- Explain how your skills, values and experience have prepared you to work in a multidisciplinary cohort. (1,300 characters including spaces)
- Student supervisors need to complete the commitment form, approving the participation of the student in the fellowship program and agreeing to attend the key events to support the student cohort (kick off, seminars, and capstone event)
Detailed Program Schedule:
| Event | Attendees | Date | Time | Instructor/ Speaker | Title/Topic |
| Kick-off meeting | All-hands | Tuesday, May 27, 2025 | 10 a.m.-12 p.m. | Welcome and introduction | |
| Workshop 1 | Fellows | Tuesday, June 10, 2025 | 1-4 p.m. | Gabi Steinbach | Team Science |
| Workshop 2 | Fellows | Tuesday, July 8, 2025 | 1-4 p.m. | Gabi Steinbach | Systems approach to microbiome research and innovation |
| Workshop 3 | Fellows | Tuesday, August 5, 2025 | 1-4 p.m. | TBD (invited) | Impact through community partnerships |
| Microsocial seminar | All-hands + public | Tuesday, September 9, 2025 | 3:30-4:30p.m. | Fellow 1+2 | TBD |
| Invited Seminar | All-hands + public | Tuesday, September 23, 2025 | 3:30-4:30p.m. | TBD | TBD |
| Microsocial seminar | All-hands + public | Tuesday, October 7, 2025 | 3:30-4:30p.m. | Fellows 3+4 | TBD |
| Invited seminar | All-hands + public | Tuesday, October 21, 2025 | 3:30-4:30p.m. | TBD | TBD |
| Microsocial seminar | All-hands + public | Tuesday, November 4, 2025 | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | Fellows 5+6 | TBD |
| Invited seminar | All-hands + public | Tuesday, November 18, 2025 | 3:30-4:30 p.m. | TBD | TBD |
| Microsocial seminar | All-hands + public | Tuesday, December 2, 2025 | 3:30-4:30p.m. | Fellows 7+8 | TBD |
| Capstone panel | All-hands + public | week of Dec 15, 2025 (TBD) | TBD | Fellows + invited panelists | TBD |