Giving to Cornell | Gift Guide | Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology

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Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology

A centerpiece of the Life Sciences Initiative

Led by world-renowned cell biologist Scott Emr, this new institute promises to attract leading researchers working at the cell and molecular levels. Their research focuses on uncovering the functions and operations of the cell, knowledge critical to unlocking mysteries in a range of diseases, including cancer and HIV. Gifts of all sizes are welcome. Named giving opportunities are included below.

To start a conversation about one of these opportunities, contact:
Laura Toy
llt1@cornell.edu or 607-255-3950

Giving opportunities

Senior Professorship in the Weill Institute

$4,000,000

Support a scientific leader at the forefront

Senior professorships enable Cornell to compete for scholars who are at the apex of their careers and their contributions to both academia and society. These individuals can make a transformative impact on the students, faculty, and programs at Cornell. Their positions are especially important to the Weill Institute during this critical time of building a world-class faculty that will establish the institute’s vision and leadership. The presence of a prominent senior professor has a ripple effect on an entire department that can last for decades. Their accomplishments, their vision, and their energy are a source of creativity and incentive among other researchers, establishing a tone that draws prospective students and faculty members who find inspiration in the directions they set. Supporting a senior professorship in the life sciences will help make possible significant contributions to scientific discovery.

For more info, contact
Laura Toy
607-255-3950
llt1@cornell.edu

Full Professorship in the Life Sciences

$2,000,000 and up

Drive forward the most promising research

Full professors are poised to become the next group of leaders. They have established their research programs and earned recognition for their accomplishments in both the lab and the classroom. They are now in a position to contribute to strategic directions and set out on research courses that may be a departure from the work that first established their authority. To other universities, these faculty members are also very attractive prospects for recruitment. One means of keeping and cultivating the best professors is offering them named tenured positions. The endowments represent not only a secure line of salary support, but also resources that they can use to support additional graduate fellows or invest in new research projects. Supporting a professorship will enable Cornell to stay at the forefront of life sciences research even as fields of greatest need and emphasis change over the decades.

For more info, contact
Laura Toy
607-255-3950
llt1@cornell.edu

Professorship in the Life Sciences

$2,000,000

Support the next group of leaders

Full professors have established their research programs and earned recognition for their accomplishments in both the lab and the classroom. They are in a position to contribute to strategic directions and set out on research courses. But these faculty members are also very attractive recruiting prospects for other universities. One means of keeping and cultivating the best professors is offering them named tenured positions with salary support, as well as endowed resources to support additional graduate fellows or invest in new research projects.

For more info, contact
Laura Toy
607-255-3950
llt1@cornell.edu

Assistant Professorship in the Life Sciences

$1,000,000

Invest in the promise of an up-and-coming scholar

Offering endowed tenure-track positions to those who show the most promise is essential to attracting the best faculty to the life sciences. An endowed assistant professorship will offer not only a level of prestige and recognition, but also the funding needed to establish a strong research program and strike out toward truly remarkable goals.

For more info, contact
Laura Toy
607-255-3950
llt1@cornell.edu

Graduate Fellowship in the Life Sciences

$1,000,000

Advance critical research and teaching

An endowed graduate fellowship is a permanent line of support for a PhD student. Income generated from the endowment’s interest will supply tuition relief plus a living stipend for the full career of a graduate student, which usually is 5 years. The support package will consist of a fellowship in the first year; teaching or research assistantships in the second, third, and fourth years; and a fellowship in the final year to enable completion of the student’s doctoral thesis. A key strength of the New Life Sciences Initiative is that it draws upon disciplines in a number of colleges and departments. An endowed fellowship could be offered to a top student in any one of the associated colleges, depending on where the greatest strategic opportunity for impact lies. This flexibility will enable Cornell to stay at the forefront of life sciences research even as fields of greatest need and emphasis change over the decades.

For more info, contact
Laura Toy
607-255-3950
llt1@cornell.edu

Faculty Start-Up Funds in the Life Sciences

$500,000 and up

Essential resources for transitioning careers

Start-up funds are current-use resources that the university uses to cover the costs of relocating a new faculty member’s lab. They are an essential adjunct to endowed professorships and other recruitment tools. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows typically move with a faculty member when he or she accepts a new position. Start-up funds can help support their stipends and salaries in the transition. In addition, life sciences research often requires highly specialized equipment and spaces. To ensure that a faculty recruit can succeed at Cornell—and can resume his or her research quickly and seamlessly—the university needs to have flexible funds available to supply these essential tools.

Support for start-up funds is an investment in the talent and potential of Cornell’s top faculty prospects, setting them up with the tools they need to flourish in their Cornell careers.

For more info, contact
Laura Toy
607-255-3950
llt1@cornell.edu

Term Graduate Fellowships in the Life Sciences

$50,000 and up

Help launch a budding career

Supporting a term fellowship means giving current-use funds that will support a graduate student right away—maximizing the immediate impact of the gift. Supporting a graduate student for as little as one year will provide critical funding that can be applied to the student’s training until a full fellowship is secured. It could also be used to support a graduate student whose formal fellowship has ended, but who needs to remain at Cornell to finish dissertation research.

For more info, contact
Laura Toy
607-255-3950
llt1@cornell.edu

Life Sciences Excellence Funds

$25,000 and up

Rapid response to breaking opportunity

Endowed excellence funds allow Cornell to respond to new opportunities with agility and speed. From funding new research directions to attracting the best and brightest minds to enhancing programmatic resources across the university, these funds give the vice provost the flexibility to invest in areas of greatest need and opportunity.

For more info, contact
Laura Toy
607-255-3950
llt1@cornell.edu

Seed Grant Funds in the Life Sciences

$25,000 and up

Venture capital for new projects

Life sciences seed grants are essentially start-up venture funds that allow researchers to begin promising new projects and demonstrate early success so that they can begin to receive funding from prominent external sources. This funding is a critical tool for getting a new project off the ground so that it can build toward self-sustainment and higher levels of performance. For young faculty members or for people who are seeking to pursue a radically new idea, seed grants can lay the groundwork for a lifetime of accomplishments.

Competitive grant awards will be applied to salary, research expenses, travel, and support for graduate students or postdoctoral students. After demonstrating success in their projects, researchers typically graduate to funding from government agencies.

Seed grants in the life sciences are an investment in some of the most promising research directions coming out of the university.

For more info, contact
Laura Toy
607-255-3950
llt1@cornell.edu

Gift guide | Life Sciences Initiative | Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology

Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology

A centerpiece of the Life Sciences Initiative

Giving opportunities