1. What is the SeaBridge Postdoctoral Fellowship? The SeaBridge Fellowship program offers:

• Two years of partial financial support as well as structured career development, mentorship training, and networking opportunities.
• SeaBridge Fellows will work with mentors in the Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology to learn and apply Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology technologies to basic research questions that can then be applied to translational research. 
• SeaBridge Fellows will have the opportunity to engage with the SeaBridge LaunchPad to learn the basics of starting a biotech company in Seattle.

2. Where do SeaBridge Postdoctoral Fellows work? SeaBridge Fellows work in a host laboratory. In addition to the Principal Investigator from the host lab, each  Fellow will have a SeaHub postdoctoral fellowship advisor  at a local research institution. (Example institutions could be, but are not limited to the University of Washington, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle Children’s Research Institute and Benaroya Research Institute).

3. When do you anticipate the first cohort of Fellows to begin their fellowships? We anticipate that the first round of fellows will begin their fellowship in January, 2026.

4. When is the first review expected to take place? We anticipate pulling the first round of applications on July 31st.

5. What does the term “translational research” mean? Research with the aim of improving human health. This can take many forms.

6. Can postdocs have more than one postdoctoral fellowship mentor/advisor? Yes, we will require a mentorship letter from each advisor.  Please contact seabridgefellowship@uw.edu for specifics on the needed requirements for more than one postdoctoral fellowship mentor/advisor.

7. How many fellows will be accepted per year? SeaBridge has the capacity to accept up to 10 fellows per year.

8. How many Fellows do you expect to select in the first year? SeaBridge has the capacity to accept up to 10 fellows per year.

9. Where would accepted fellows complete their proposed research projects- at UW or our university?  Fellows would reside at their host institution and would receive funding to complete the work there.

10. What is the required curriculum for the Fellowship? What additional training/networking opportunities will be available to SeaBridge Fellows? SeaBridge curriculum and networking opportunities can be found here on our website. 

11. What are the main differences between the entrepreneurial and discovery tracks for the Fellowship? Would this be a good way to learn about biotech if I’ve only previously focused on the academic route?  The SeaBridge website features information on the curriculum differences between the entrepreneurial and discovery tracks.  The applicant’s choice of track should be determined by their career goals.  SeaBridge will host networking events focused on both of these tracks and both tracks will have access/ability to attend events focused on either track.

12. What is the plan for training the SeaBridge Fellows in SeaHub technologies? Each SeaBridge Fellow will be assigned a SeaHub mentor to serve as a resource for training.  In addition, Fellows will have the opportunity to network with Seattle Hub scientists and establish deeper connections with the Seattle Hub scientific community.

13. Who is eligible to apply for the SeaBridge Postdoctoral Fellowship? Postdoctoral Fellows with 0-3 years of experience are encouraged to apply.

14. Does SeaBridge fund foreign nationals? Yes, if they are working in a U.S. lab.

15. Does SeaBridge fund U.S. citizens in foreign labs? No.

16. Can more than one person from a lab apply in the same year and do you fund more than one person in a lab? In the event that multiple applications are submitted from the same sponsoring host lab, it is the policy of the SeaBridge to award no more than one fellow per sponsoring host lab in any award year. 

17. Are there any criteria that would eliminate my application from consideration? Applicants will automatically be excluded from consideration if they do not meet the following criteria:

• Proposal does not include SeaHub technology.
• The applicant’s host PI already has a SeaBridge fellow embedded in the lab within 12 months prior to the potential applicant’s start date in the SeaBridge Fellowship Program.
• Applicant already has greater than 3 years of postdoctoral experience.

18. I am currently in my 37th month of postdoc employment. Will I still be eligible to apply? No, our criteria is that applicants may have 0-36 months of postdoctoral fellowship experience at the time of application. Postdocs with more than 36 months of experience are ineligible. 

19. Can my postdoc advisor be from a university outside of Washington state? Initially, we are focused on funding fellowships in laboratories that are located in Washington state.  

20. Do applicants have to already be a postdoc in Washington? No. Applicants can apply during your PhD candidacy from an institution from outside Washington State, with the intention of moving to Washington state for their Postdoctoral Fellowship.   The Fellow must know their host lab at the time of application.

21. Are PhD candidates that are about 6 months away from graduating eligible to apply?  Yes, but accepted Fellows must have a PhD by the time they start the program. 

22. Is there a maximum number of applicants per lab? There is no limit to the number of applications per lab.  However, SeaBridge will only award a fellowship to 1 applicant per lab in a 12-month period.

23. I am currently on my 34th month of postdoc, if I apply before July 31st, will I be eligible? Yes, applicants may have 0-36 months of postdoctoral fellowship experience at the time of application. Following this criteria, you would be eligible at the time of application as you would only be in your 35th month on 7/31.

24. When can I apply for the SeaBridge Postdoctoral Fellowship? Applications are accepted on a rolling basis; we encourage applicants to apply year-round.

25. If I am accepted as a SeaBridge Fellow, when would I be notified and when would my fellowship start? Fellows will be reviewed and accepted on a rolling basis. We recommend that Fellows  apply at least 6 months prior to their targeted start month.

26. Does the Fellowship program provide feedback on the applications? No, the Fellowship program will not provide feedback on applications.

27. If an applicant is not accepted, can they improve their application and re-submit? Yes, applicants may re-submit an improved application.  Applicants may resubmit once per 12-month period after the first submission, as long as the applicant meets the eligibility criteria.

28. Is there a recommended application timing for initial applicants? We have a rolling application process to make it as seamless as possible for great candidates. We recommend that applicants submit their application at the time that they can put forth their best application and at least 6 months prior to when they would like to start the fellowship.

29. What is your selection process for selecting applicants?  Please see the Fellowship RFA on the SeaBridge website. Note that part of the application evaluation includes how the project builds the Washington ecosystem, so we highly encourage applicants to include this component in their proposal.

30. If I am moving onto a second postdoc, would a recommendation letter from my first postdoc mentor in addition to my PhD mentor be helpful?  Yes.

31. Do we need to use our graduate school advisor, or can we use an alternate writer for a letter of reference?  SeaBrige strongly encourages applicants to include a letter from their graduate school advisor in their application.

32. Does my proposed research need to involve technology related to Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology (cell & genome programming)? Yes.

33. Does my proposal research need to be translational? Yes.

34. Can you please clarify what SeaBridge means by translational?  Do you mean “Translational” as in translate to humans or translate to a business?  Our definition of Translational is very broad.  In this description from the question either could apply.  Translational means the potential for translation. The proposed project does not need to be working in the clinic or involve clinical patients.

35. Do applicants need to be specifically collaborating with someone at SeaBridge or Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology?  No, but the scientific research proposed must involve Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology technology.

36. How closely does the proposal need to be related to current research aims at SeaBridge? (i.e. how specific vs. broad of research topics are you looking for?) Synergy between the proposed project and Seattle Hub science is a major selection criteria for applications.  The more synergistic the project is with the current technology, the better.  During the information session, we provided example projects located here.

37. How much preliminary data are you looking for?  Preliminary data is not required, but if you have preliminary data, it would be great if you included it in your application.

38. Does SeaHub focus solely on multicellular organisms? Would a proposal in a single celled organism be viable?  It depends on the proposal, but if the technology and project warrants it, a proposal involving single cell organisms would be viable.

39. Would a proposal that first involved building new technology for embryo-scale reverse genetics and then involved synergy with technologies like ENGRAM be within scope of the RFA?  Yes, this is one of the examples that we provided during our information session. A proposal that featured the development of genetics screens and then the application of ENGRAM would be a responsive proposal.

40. I am a computational biologist currently doing a postdoc in a computational biology lab. The project I am thinking of proposing would be purely statistical and computational (with no anticipated wet-lab experiment component in the proposed projects). Would it be possible for such a proposal to fall under the scope of SeaBridge Postdoc Fellowship selection? Yes, as long as the proposed research project involves a question that relates to Seattle Hub technology.

41. How high risk can the proposal be? Should we have a back-up research plan?  SeaBridge welcomes rigorous proposals and is comfortable with risk.  SeaBridge also encourages applicants to include alternative approaches in applications, especially when the proposed scientific project is high risk.

42. What is the scope of the financial support that SeaBridge Fellows receive? Each Fellowship provides approximately 50% stipend & benefit support for two years plus additional funding for research and career development (i.e., supplies, classes, networking events) and support for conference attendance and travel.

43. Can the research allowance awarded by SeaBridge be used for something other than research? No, however, we can provide guidance on budget categories and appropriate expenditures. All funding is contingent on the Fellow remaining in good standing with the SeaBridge Program.

44. Does SeaBridge provide indirect costs to the sponsoring institute? No indirect costs will be paid to the sponsoring institute on fellowship salary and benefits.  SeaBridge will cap the indirect costs allowed on travel and research and development allowances to 10% due to sponsorship requirements.

45. Would receiving the fellowship impact other benefits? (For example, some fellowships remove postdocs from being eligible for retirement benefits.) Funding will be provided as an award, thus the employment status of postdoctoral fellows at their institution should not change if they are offered a SeaBridge Postdoctoral Fellowship Award.

46. Where can I find more information on Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology technologies? Information on Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology technologies can be found on its webpage:  https://alleninstitute.org/division/seattle-hub-for-synthetic-biology/

47. Are there other technologies coming out of SeaHub that will be published soon?  We have curated a list of publications that feature Seattle Hub for Synthetic Biology technology and have posted this list to the SeaBridge website. 

48. Are fiscal and scientific narrative reports required annually for the two years of fellowship? Yes, fellows are required to submit fiscal and research reports annually.