FELLOWSHIP CALL FOR APPLICATIONS 2026
NUS–Harvard Women's Health Initiative (NUSHINE)
Advancing Women's Health through Innovative Science Globally
A joint initiative of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Global Centre for Asian Women’s Health (GloW) and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with the aim to advance current research in Asian women’s health across Asia and globally
About the Initiative
The NUS–Harvard Women’s Health Initiative (NUSHINE)—anchored in the Global Centre for Asian Women’s Health (GLoW)—is a strategic, multi-year, research collaboration dedicated to understanding the diet, lifestyle, reproductive, institutional, and biological determinants of women’s health over the lifespan and across generations. The initiative leverages some of the world’s most comprehensive longitudinal cohort data, including the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), NHS II, NHS III, and the Growing Up Today Study (GUTs) in the US, and prospective cohort studies in Singapore, alongside new data collections and biospecimen repositories. Successful applicants will be granted access to the above resources. Collaborative research will span several thematic areas including, but not limited to, women’s health, maternal and child health, and healthy ageing and longevity.
Research Themes
Diet, Lifestyle, and Reproductive Factors
- Diet and lifestyle determinants of weight gain, obesity, gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), preterm birth, pre-eclampsia, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease (CVD), kidney disease, cognitive function, and cancers (breast, endometrial, cervical)
- Reproductive factors and risk of chronic disease, pregnancy complications, and selective cancers
- Diet and lifestyle determinants of menopause and peri-menopause health and wellbeing traits, such as excessive weight gain
- Metabolomic signatures of menopausal transition and downstream cardiometabolic and cognitive risk
Mother – Offspring Comparisons and Intergenerational Health
- Maternal diet quality and children’s obesity and metabolic disease outcomes
- Impact of maternal obesity, diabetes (including GDM), exercise, and sleep on child metabolic health
- Maternal metabolomic profiles and children’s obesity and cardiometabolic health
Healthy Ageing and Longevity
- Diet and lifestyle determinants of healthy-ageing phenotypes, overall and among women with unfavourable pregnancy conditions, such as women with a history of GDM, hypertensive disorders and preterm delivery
- Biomarkers of healthy ageing and longevity
- Psychosocial and stress factors and their relationship to longevity
- Reproductive factors and long-term healthy ageing trajectories
Fellowship Opportunity
NUSHINE is excited to offer two (2) fellowships to outstanding early-career researchers:
Eligibility Criteria
All applicants must meet the following requirements:
- Early-career researcher, 2–10 years post-PhD or post-MD at the time of application
- Minimum of one first-author publication in a peer-reviewed journal
- Proposed research project clearly aligned with one or more NUSHINE research areas
How To Apply
Applications must include the following documents compiled into a single PDF submission:
- Curriculum vitae (maximum 4 pages)
- Research proposal (maximum 3 pages), including: (a) background and rationale, (b) proposed methods, (c) alignment with NUSHINE research areas, and (d) timeline
- Statement of intent describing career goals and how the fellowship supports return contributions to women’s health at home institution and to career development
(maximum 1 page) - List of publications (all; highlight first-authored works and describe contribution to the
publication) - Letter of endorsement with signatures from direct supervisor and HOD/Director on the institution’s letterhead
Application Deadline & Submission
» Application Deadline: June 20, 2026, at 11:59 PM
» Anticipated Fellowship Start Date: September 2026
» Submission: Send completed applications to NUSHINE (obgbx001@nus.edu.sg) with the email title: NUSHINE Fellowship 2026
Core Faculty and Research Mentors
