The Abdul Waheed Scholarship is a highly competitive scholarship for Ph.D. students within the graduate program in biomedical sciences at Saint Louis University. The scholarship is available to one Ph.D. graduate student and one M.D./Ph.D. student per year who plan to join the biochemistry and molecular biology graduate program.
Candidates with outstanding scholastic achievement and potential success in graduate education, along with significant laboratory research experience are encouraged to apply.
About Abdul Waheed
The scholarship is named in honor of Abdul Waheed, Ph.D., emeritus research professor of biochemistry. Waheed joined the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology as an assistant research professor in 1990 in the lab of Dr. William Sly. He became a research professor in 2001 and emeritus research professor in 2017.
Waheed’s expertise in protein chemistry, receptor biology, and fluorescent microscopy served him well. His work focused on the protein defective in hereditary hemochromatosis, the functions, expression, and localization of many of the human carbonic anhydrases, and enzyme deficiency in lysosomal storage disorders.
Waheed supported the students and researchers in the department in many ways, and could be counted on to ask questions and further scientific discussions at journal clubs, seminars, retreats, and lab meetings. His presence in the department has continued even after his official retirement in 2017. Recently, Waheed gave $1 million in support of the future William S. Sly Centennial Chair. We are grateful for his support.
Award Info
The scholarship includes an increased yearly stipend of $35,000 in addition to tuition and health insurance, and covers three years for Ph.D. core students and one year for M.D./Ph.D. students. The awardee may start between June 1 and the first day of classes in August.
Scholars will be mentored by a primary faculty member of the Edward A. Doisy Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, who will provide close guidance and support in research, grant writing, and publishing. The scholar will conduct research year-round in the faculty member’s laboratory, leading to a doctoral thesis.
The department will provide the academic and physical resources required for the scholar’s training. Scholars will also participate in, and contribute to, departmental activities, including journal clubs, seminars, retreats, and poster sessions.
Eligibility
Candidates must apply and be accepted by Saint Louis University as a classified (degree-seeking) student in the biomedical sciences core graduate program as a new Ph.D. student. Candidates will indicate interest in the Abdul Waheed Scholarship at the time of application.
M.D./Ph.D. students may apply to the scholarship at the beginning of the Ph.D. years, provided they have chosen a faculty mentor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Scholar Responsibilities
Scholars will take the first-year coursework in the School of Medicine Core Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences and, in subsequent years, will take the required courses in the B.M.B. program. Scholars may rotate in up to four B.M.B. departmental laboratories during their first year, but will be required to choose a laboratory for their thesis research by the end of their first year. After the first year, scholars will take the comprehensive and candidacy examinations required by the B.M.B. graduate program.
To continue a scholarship appointment, the scholar must remain in good academic standing by maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 during each academic year of appointment and by not receiving a grade lower than a "B" in any course. If a scholar’s cumulative GPA falls below a 3.5, the student will be terminated from the scholarship. Scholars who receive a grade of "I" (incomplete) must comply with SLU’s academic standards as outlined in the graduate education catalog.
Application Process
The application procedure is as follows:
1. Apply to Saint Louis University
Potential scholars must first complete applications to the graduate school and the graduate program in biomedical sciences at Saint Louis University.
2. Provide Additional Information to the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Applicants should submit two additional items directly to LaChina McCoy via email:
- A brief personal statement describing your motivation for pursuing graduate training in biomedical sciences and your long-term career goals.
- A three-to-five page evaluation/review of a recent research publication that you find
of particular interest.
The evaluation should include
- a description of the research problem and goal of the work
- a brief but critical explanation of the experiments performed
- a discussion of the strengths and weaknesses of the experimental data
- the significance of the reported findings and conclusions
- a brief description of the direction you would take if you were to extend the work described in the paper.
3. Complete the Application Process by February 1
Candidates must complete the application process by February 1 for students starting in the fall of the same year. Early application is highly recommended.