Basser Postdoctoral Fellowship Program (BPFP)

About this program

The Basser Postdoctoral Fellowship Program at the University of Pennsylvania, supported by the Basser Center for BRCA (and Gray Foundation partners), funds one postdoctoral fellow for up to three years to train investigators whose research aims to improve care for individuals with BRCA1/2 mutations, with priority given to cancer interception studies. Fellows receive an $80,000 annual salary plus $20,000/year in research funds, standard Penn postdoctoral benefits, mentorship, integration into Penn’s BRCA research and clinical programs, and support to attend one national meeting per year. MD and PhD applicants from any discipline or country are eligible but must commit to three years of full‑time research at Penn in a Basser Center–affiliated laboratory with a mentor agreement; preference is given to applicants completing their PhD or the clinical component of their MD fellowship and candidates must meet the program’s post-degree timing requirements. Competitive applications require a two‑page BRCA‑focused research statement, a biosketch, two independent reference letters, and a mentor letter of agreement; submissions are reviewed by a Penn committee—consult the program website for current deadlines and portal instructions.