RISE PhD Application


Thank you for your interest in the UTSA RISE PhD program. After a long run at UTSA, the RISE Program has come to an end. PhD training positions continue in our new IMSD at UTSA program. Thank you!

Applications for the RISE PhD Program are accepted year-round. The program has 18 positions for participants, from the UTSA Biomedical Engineering, Cell & Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Neurobiology, Physics, and Psychology programs. Applications are reviewed and ranked by the RISE Student Selection and Retention Committee. Positions are filled as they become available.

Application Requirements

  • U.S. citizen or permanent resident
  • Full time UTSA Doctoral Student in second or third year of doctoral training
  • In or accepted into one of the following PhD programs and desiring to perform research with required emphases:
    • Biology (CMB or NEU)
    • Biomedical Engineering
    • Chemistry in a project pertinent to the National Institutes of Health agenda
    • Physics with a biophysics emphasis
    • Psychology with the goal of pursuing academic research
  • In academic good standing with your program
  • Willing to participate fully in the RISE training program, including coursework and grant submission

Application Materials

  • Completed online application
  • Two recommendations using online forms (if you have performed laboratory rotations or are in a laboratory at UTSA or UTHSCSA, then at least one of these should be from a research for whom you have worked)
  • Personal Statement
  • Transcripts
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Applicants should also provide any of the following that they have completed (if they are not first year students):
    • Qualifying Examination completion dates
    • Copy of their accepted Research Proposal
    • Proposed timeline for completion of their Specific Aims
    • Copy of abstracts or publications on which they are an author

Hints on Statement Writing

Please make sure to cover the following:

  • Why you want to earn a PhD
  • Why you wish to participate in the RISE PhD Training Program
  • Your research experience up to now
  • Your long-term goals, addressing career path and post-doctoral plans
Λ