Application Information

* Only applicants who are US citizens or have resident alien status will be considered for these training programs. 

The fellowships will be supported by an NIH T32 training grant entitled “Training in Obesity Research” which provides two to  three years of funding including NIH salary, benefits, travel, and research support. The training program is directed by Drs. Phil Brantley and Leanne Redman and uses hands on laboratory mentoring and interactive seminars to train new investigators in the knowledge and skills necessary for establishing an independent research career. Pennington Biomedical also has three NIH Center grants that provide resources for postdocs. These include: (1) an NIGMS supported "Metabolic Basis of Disease Center" (COBRE-1), (2) an NCCIH sponsored Botanical Dietary Supplements Research Center that examines botanicals and their impact on metabolic syndrome; and (3) The Louisiana Clinical and Translational Science Center (LA CaTS), an NIH IDeA Center led by NIGMS.

The program has been continuously funded since 2003 and has trained 25 scientists, nearly all of whom have continued in research and acquired academic careers. Graduates have been awarded over 58 research grants and have produced over 600 publications.

About Pennington Biomedical:

Pennington Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (located an hour northwest of New Orleans) is a premier state-of-the art research facility with internationally-renown investigators that have active research programs in obesity, metabolic diseases, physical activity and nutrition. Much of the research at our Center addresses NIDDK target areas for obesity research, including brain regulation of appetite and digestion, the role of the gut microbiome in weight regulation, weight maintenance, mechanisms and health benefits of bariatric surgery, the intergenerational transmission of obesity and obesity in children.

Faculty at Pennington Biomedical are highly productive, collaborative, and place high value on the mentoring of junior scientists. Trainees are encouraged to work with multiple faculty members and to pursue in-depth research that transcends traditional scientific boundaries with a focus on cross-disciplinary approaches that may have significant influence on ameliorating the effects of obesity in our society.