DIRECT Program

• DIRECT trainees receive an annual stipend of a minimum of $32,500 for the first three years, fully paid tuition, health insurance, yearly conference travel support (up to $1,000), and yearly reimbursement for childcare costs (up to $3,000). After the completion of the DIRECT Program, the admitting department will provide a stipend at the existing NIH recommended rates, with full tuition support, until degree completion.
• A supportive community of scholars and advisors focused on cohort building, mentoring, and networking.
• Development of academic, scientific rigor, presentation, communication, leadership, and social integration skills through various activities, including five program-specific didactic courses, weekly professional development seminar series, experiential learning, and workshops.
• A paid summer bridge program prior to the first semester of graduate school that focuses on supporting a successful transition into graduate school and the University of Mississippi.
• Exploration of career pathways in the biomedical fields through career development programming.
• Independent research with dedicated mentors.

The DIRECT Program is designed to enhance the graduate experience by providing financial support, academic resources, and skill-building opportunities to students pursuing PhDs. While the DIRECT Program itself is not an academic degree program, it works in close partnership with your chosen PhD program to complement and strengthen your academic journey.

Here’s how the DIRECT Program supports you:

• Financial Support: The program provides funding to reduce financial barriers, allowing you to focus more fully on your studies and research. This support includes a stipend, tuition scholarship, health insurance, yearly conference travel support, childcare reimbursements, and resources for research-related needs.

• Skill Development: The DIRECT Program provides targeted training through workshops, seminars, and mentoring to equip you with essential skills for success in graduate-level study and beyond. Topics include research ethics, grant writing, time management, career exploration, and more. These sessions are designed to address the practical and professional challenges of graduate education, preparing you for academic excellence and long-term career advancement.

• Collaborative Support: We work together with your PhD program to ensure you receive the academic guidance, mentorship, and resources needed to excel. Our program supplements your academic curriculum by demystifying graduate school processes, enhancing your research readiness, and connecting you with a supportive community of peers, mentors, and professionals.

• Community Building: DIRECT creates opportunities for you to build meaningful connections with faculty, senior graduate students, and other members of the academic community, fostering a sense of belonging and collaboration.

By participating in the DIRECT Program, you gain access to a holistic support system that complements your PhD studies, equipping you with the tools to thrive academically, professionally, and personally. Together with your academic program, the DIRECT Program is committed to your success as a scholar and future leader in your field.

Applicants must be a citizen or a noncitizen national of the United States or have been lawfully admitted for permanent residence at the time of appointment.

DIRECT, per the NIH funding mechanism, encourages applications from individuals who are from diverse backgrounds, including those who are from groups underrepresented in STEM, for example those from the groups noted in the Notice of NIH’s Interest in Diversity (NOT-OD-20-031).

How to apply to the DIRECT Program:

All applicants interested in applying to the DIRECT Program must apply to the participating PhD Program as well as the DIRECT Program. Please follow the steps and note the deadlines outlined below:

Step 1: Apply to a participating PhD program

All applicants interested in applying to the DIRECT Program must first complete an application to the PhD program they are interested in through the University of Mississippi’s Graduate School online application portal found at

Apply Now to PhD

To learn more about the application procedure to the Graduate School, please visit

Overview of Application Process

Step 2: Apply to the DIRECT Program

Once your application to the PhD program of choice is completed, you can complete the application to the DIRECT Program here

Apply Now to DIRECT 

 Required Documents for the DIRECT Program Application

Applicants must include the following documents and writing responses as part of the DIRECT Program application:

1. Resume/CV

Provide a current resume or curriculum vitae (CV) highlighting your academic, research, and professional experience.

2. Writing Prompts

Submit responses to the following prompts (500 words or less for each):

• Motivation Statement: Describe your motivation for pursuing a PhD.
• Research Interests: Explain the type of research you aim to pursue during your doctoral program.
• Diversity & Program Goals Statement: Discuss how your participation in this program will help further the G-RISE T32 goals and objectives established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Reference NIH’s Interest in Diversity (NOT-OD-20-031): "Every facet of the United States scientific research enterprise from basic laboratory research to clinical and translational research to policy formation requires superior intellect, creativity, and a wide range of skill sets and viewpoints. NIH’s ability to help ensure that the nation remains a global leader in scientific discovery and innovation is dependent upon a pool of highly talented scientists from diverse backgrounds who will help to further NIH's mission.Research shows that diverse teams working together and capitalizing on innovative ideas and distinct perspectives outperform homogenous teams. Scientists and trainees from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives, creativity, and individual enterprise to address complex scientific problems. There are many benefits that flow from a diverse NIH-supported scientific workforce, including fostering scientific innovation, enhancing global competitiveness, contributing to robust learning environments, improving the quality of the research, advancing the likelihood that underserved or health disparity populations participate in and benefit from health research, and enhancing public trust."

Note: Deadline for the DIRECT Program application is February 1^st.

Please note that the DIRECT Program application will not be reviewed unless the applicant has also completed an application to one of our participating PhD programs.

Please email DIRECT@olemiss.edu if you have any questions about the DIRECT Program application.

Deadlines and Program Contact Information for the Participating Programs:

Note that although each participating program has a different application deadline, the deadline for application to the DIRECT Program (STEP 2) is February 1. You will need to complete your application to the Participating Program prior to the February 1 deadline.

If you have further questions, please complete this contact form.

DIRECT Required Didactic Courses:

• Research Methodology & Techniques
• Ethics I
• Navigating Your Research Experience
• Scientific Writing
• Ethics II

In addition to the above-mentioned courses, students must fulfill all graduate program requirements of the admitting department for degree completion.

DIRECT Required activities include:

• Summer Bridge Program & Research/Lab Group Rotation
• Weekly DIRECT Program Seminar Series
• Workshops
• Presentation of research at national and local conferences
• Participation in experiential learning (internships, internships, or site visits)
• Completion of an Original Research Proposal
• Developing and submitting an NIH F31 Fellowship Application by year 3 in the DIRECT Program
• Publishing at least one first-author manuscript prior to graduation

Ph.D. Biological Science

Ph.D. Chemistry

Ph.D. Health & Kinesiology

Emphasis areas: Exercise Science

Ph.D. Nutrition & Hospitality Management

Emphasis area: Nutrition

Ph.D. Pharmaceutical Sciences

Emphasis areas: Environmental Toxicology, Medicinal Chemistry, Pharmaceutics, Pharmacognosy, Pharmacology, Pharmacy Administration

Ph.D. Psychology

Emphasis area: Experimental Psychology

Ph.D. Biological Science

Dr. Joshua Bloomekatz - josh@olemiss.edu

Dr. Sixue Chen - schen8@olemiss.edu

Dr. Patrick Curtis - pdcurtis@olemiss.edu

Dr. Erik Hom - erik@olemiss.edu

Dr. Yongjian Qiu - yqiu@olemiss.edu

Ph.D. Chemistry

Dr. Saumen Chakraborty - saumenc@olemiss.edu

Dr. Penghao Li - penghao@olemiss.edu

Dr. Eden Tanner - eetanner@olemiss.edu

Ph.D. Health & Kinesiology

Dr. Jeremy Loenneke - jploenne@olemiss.edu

Dr. Lloyd Wade - cwade@olemiss.edu

Ph.D. Nutrition & Hospitality Management

Dr. Yunhee Chang - chang@olemiss.edu

Dr. Georgianna Mann Schroeder - grmann@olemiss.edu

Dr. Melinda Valliant - valliant@olemiss.edu

Dr. Nadeeja Wijayatunga - nadeejaw@olemiss.edu

Ph.D. Pharmaceutical Sciences

Emphasis: Environmental Toxicology

Dr. Courtney Roper - clroper@olemiss.edu

Dr. Kristine Willett - kwillett@olemiss.edu

Emphasis: Medicinal Chemistry

Dr. David Colby - dacolby@olemiss.edu

Dr. Robert Doerksen - rjd@olemiss.edu 

Emphasis: Pharmaceutics

Dr. Eman Ashour - eashour@olemiss.edu

Emphasis: Pharmacognosy

Dr. Vitor Pomin - vpomin@olemiss.edu

Emphasis: Pharmacology

Dr. Gregg Roman - groman@olemiss.edu

Dr. Joshua Sharp - jsharp@olemiss.edu

Dr. James Stewart - jastewa7@olemiss.edu

Emphasis: Pharmacy Administration

Dr. Marie Barnard - mbarnard@olemiss.edu

Dr. Yi Yang - yiyang@olemiss.edu

Ph.D. Psychology

Dr. Sarah Bilsky - sabilsky@olemiss.edu

Dr. Stephanie Miller - semille5@olemiss.edu

Dr. Erica O’Brien - elobrie1@olemiss.edu

Dr. Joseph Wellman - wellman@olemiss.edu