Skip to Main

Pilot & Feasibility Grants for Nutrition Obesity Research

The application period for the Fall 2023 cycle of Pilot & Feasibility Grants is now open.

Grant Application Opportunity

Each year, the UT Southwestern Nutrition Obesity Research Center (NORC) solicits proposals for Pilot and Feasibility Grants (P&F) to support studies on nutrition, obesity, and obesity-related disorders. Projects that will be supported include the following areas:

  • Nutrition
  • Mechanisms underlying body weight homeostasis
  • Obesity and obesity-related disorders

Eligibility Criteria

  • Must be an independent investigator and faculty member at UT Southwestern (postdoctoral fellows or their equivalents are ineligible)
  • New investigators beginning research careers focused on nutrition, obesity, and obesity-related complications without current or past extramural research support equivalent to an NIH R01, VA Merit Award, or P01 as a principal investigator
  • Established investigators with no previous work in nutrition/obesity who wish to apply their expertise to a problem in this area
  • Established nutritional sciences or obesity investigators who wish to take an entirely new direction from their usual work

Award

Up to $50,000 for one year, with a possibility of renewal for one additional year with exceptional progress. Awardees also receive prorated costs for use of NORC Metabolic Core facilities.

Deadline

Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. on October 16, 2023. Proposals will be reviewed by the UTSW-NORC committee composed of internal and external physicians and scientists. Up to four recipients will be selected. Funding will commence on January 1, 2024.

Proposal Criteria and Guidelines

Only one application per faculty member is permitted. Collaborative efforts are welcomed. Women and underrepresented minorities are encouraged to apply. Proposals should be organized as follows:

  • Abstract (one page – if awarded this will be posted on NORC website)
  • Specific Aims (one page)
  • Research Proposal (four pages maximum) – background and significance, innovation, plans for future funding, preliminary data, and experimental design
  • References/Bibliography (two pages maximum)
  • Budget (one page) – Funds may not be applied to salary support for PI or faculty (but can support staff). Travel (except as related to NORC project) and purchase of equipment are not allowed.
  • BioSketch in the NIH format (five-page maximum) with listing of current funding
  • Letter of support from your department chair, division chief, or center director

Submit Grant Applications as a Single PDF Document

Submit Application Via Email

2023 Pilot & Feasibility Grant Awardees

Amanda Casey, Ph.D.

Amanda Casey, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

The Role of Fic-mediated AMPylation in Metabolic Disease

Dr. Casey will study the role of cell stress pathways in cells that regulate metabolism during the course of diet-induced obesity. She will use a novel genetically modified mouse model to investigate the role of cell stress in several key tissues regulating blood glucose levels and whole-body metabolism.

Surbhi Gahlot, Ph.D.

Surbhi Gahlot, Ph.D.

Assistant Instructor

Etv5 and the Regulation of Body Weight Homeostasis

Dr. Gahlot will investigate the role of a recently identified regulator of the expression of the neuropeptide proopiomelanocortin in neurons of the hypothalamusShe will investigate the effects of deleting this gene in the context of diet-induced obesity and diabetes in a mouse model.

Suraj Patel, M.D., Ph.D.

Suraj Patel, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Regulation of Obesity and Metabolism by Hepatic ISGylation

Dr. Patel will follow up on his previous studies which identified a novel modification of proteinsDr. Patel will now investigate the mechanisms and significance of this novel modification for key proteins in the liver to impact obesity and insulin resistance.

Binu Thomas, Ph.D.

Binu Thomas, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Tirzepatide-induced Weight Loss on Cognitive and Brain Function in Older Adults with Obesity

Dr. Thomas will use functional brain imaging techniques to assess the effects of a novel diabetes drug on brain functionThese studies will be performed in subjects with obesity before and after treatment with this anti-diabetic drug and will assess cognitive function during the course of the study.