ADA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026: $72,508–$85,588 Stipend, Eligibility & Status

ADA Postdoctoral Fellowship 2026 at a Glance

The American Diabetes Association Postdoctoral Fellowship supports researchers in the early stages of postdoctoral training who are building independent careers in diabetes research. Eligible projects may span basic, translational, clinical, behavioral, epidemiological and related research that is directly relevant to diabetes.

2026 Eligibility

The fellowship is intended for researchers in an early stage of postdoctoral development. Core 2026 requirements include:

• Eligible terminal degrees: MD, PhD, DMD, DO, PharmD, DVM, or another equivalent health- or science-related doctoral degree.
• Degree timing: the most recent doctoral degree should normally have been awarded within five years of the application date.
• Research-training limit: applicants with more than four years of research training beyond the terminal degree at the time of submission are generally not eligible.
• No concurrent internship or residency: applicants may not simultaneously be enrolled in a clinical internship or residency programme.
• Host institution: the research must be conducted at an eligible U.S.-based university-affiliated or nonprofit research institution.
• Work authorization: U.S. citizenship is not required, but the applicant must have appropriate authorization to work in the United States for the fellowship period.

ADA can consider documented career interruptions or other qualifying circumstances. Applicants relying on an exception should follow the current call instructions and contact ADA Research Programs where required.

Research Commitment

The Fellow must devote at least 75% of professional effort to the proposed research and career-development activities supported by the award.

The host environment should provide the protected time, facilities, mentoring and resources needed for the applicant to develop toward research independence.

2026 Funding and Award Budget

The stipend is based on the Fellow’s relevant postdoctoral experience at the time the award is activated.

The training allowance may be used for approved research, training and career-development costs in accordance with ADA award rules.

Additional fellowship benefits

• publication charges in ADA journals may be waived when the Fellow is the first author, subject to ADA policy; and
• Fellows are eligible for a 15% discount on ADA professional membership.

Sponsoring Mentor and Recommendation Letters

The fellowship requires a sponsoring mentor who can provide an appropriate diabetes-research environment and a structured career-development plan.

The application includes a separate sponsoring-mentor letter and three recommendation letters.

The mentor statement should explain the research environment, mentoring plan, applicant development strategy, available resources and the sponsor’s commitment to the Fellow.

2026 Application Package

Applications are submitted through the ADA grants system and include scientific, training and administrative components. Key items can include:

• specific aims;
• significance and innovation;
• research strategy;
• career goals and training objectives;
• facilities, resources and institutional environment;
• SciENcv biosketch;
• ORCID information;
• sponsoring-mentor documentation;
• three recommendation letters; and
• human-subjects, animal-use or other compliance documentation where applicable.

Applicants should follow the current ADA instructions for SmartSimple submission requirements, file formats and institutional approvals.

ADA Policy on Generative AI

ADA permits only limited, non-substantive use of generative-AI tools in fellowship applications. Applicants remain fully responsible for accuracy, originality, confidentiality and compliance.

Generative AI must not be used to draft or substantively alter the scientific content of the proposal. Where AI use falls within the limited permitted categories, applicants should follow ADA’s current disclosure requirements.

2026 Application Timeline

CareerAidHub Applicant Guidance

Check both eligibility clocks

The five-year doctoral-degree window and four-year post-terminal-degree research-training limit are separate requirements. Review both before investing time in a full proposal.

Build the proposal around diabetes relevance

Make the connection to diabetes explicit in the scientific rationale, aims and expected impact rather than relying on a broad biomedical framing.

Choose the mentor strategically

The sponsoring mentor should be able to provide both scientific guidance and a credible pathway toward independence. The mentor statement is therefore part of the career-development case, not just an administrative letter.

Protect the required research effort

Confirm that the institution can support the required 75% professional effort before submission.

Researchers can also review CareerAidHub’s postdoctoral fellowships, research jobs, and Postdoctoral Fellowships.