Programme Thesis
The Engineering Biological and Biomedical Systems (EBBS) program funds transformative research that integrates engineering principles with biology and medicine to address fundamental challenges in health and disease. It exists to support innovative, high-risk/high-reward projects that advance understanding of biological systems and enable new biomedical technologies.
Selection Criteria
Intellectual Merit: potential to advance knowledge, novelty, feasibility, and broader impacts. Broader Impacts: benefits to society, education, diversity, and dissemination. Eligibility: U.S. institutions or organizations; individual PIs must be affiliated with an eligible U.S. entity (e.g., university, nonprofit). Reviewers prioritize interdisciplinary approaches, quantitative rigor, and clear alignment with EBBS themes (e.g., neural engineering, synthetic biology, drug delivery).
Past Winners / Cohort Profiles
Past winners are typically faculty or senior researchers at U.S. universities with strong engineering and biology backgrounds. Examples include projects on optogenetic control of neural circuits, engineered protein therapeutics, and biohybrid devices. No specific named examples found on the page; archetype is a mid-career PI with a track record of interdisciplinary collaboration and preliminary data.
Ideal Candidate Fingerprint
The ideal applicant is a U.S.-based faculty or research scientist with a PhD in engineering, bioengineering, or a related field, leading a lab with demonstrated expertise in quantitative modeling, experimental validation, and translational potential. They have a clear, testable hypothesis, strong preliminary data, and a plan for broader impacts (e.g., training, public outreach).
Recommended Framing
Eniola should frame the CCT model as a novel engineering approach to addiction—a biomedical system where pharmacological, computational, and neural engineering converge. Emphasize the quantitative rigor (ODE/Bayesian validation, 85.8% reduction in encoding probability) and the potential to design closed-loop neuromodulation or drug delivery systems, aligning with EBBS's focus on engineering biological systems. Highlight the provisional patent and endorsements from leading neuroscientists (Berridge, Gershman) to demonstrate feasibility and impact, while noting the LMIC perspective as a unique broader impact (global health, capacity building in Africa).
Watch Out
Eligibility: EBBS typically requires PI affiliation with a U.S. institution; as an independent researcher in Nigeria without a U.S. academic appointment, Eniola may not be eligible as PI. He could apply as a co-PI or through a U.S. collaborator. Additionally, the program may prioritize established researchers over pre-PhD applicants, and the lack of a PhD or current enrollment could be a disadvantage. No explicit funding amount or deadline found on the page.