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Joe Watabe, MS
CFAR Developmental Core Manager
Spring 2026 funding cycle: Applications available until Monday, March 2nd, 2pm PT.
- Call opens: Wednesday, January 28, 2026
- Deadline: Monday, March 2, 2026 (2:00 pm PST)
- Funding results: Available before end of June 2026
Amount available: $50,000 in direct costs for 1 year
Apply through the UCSF Resource Allocation Program (RAP) portal
The CFAR Mentored Scientist Award (our primary award program) is a mentoring and training grant targeted toward early stage (either at a senior stage of clinical or postdoctoral training or junior faculty) investigators at UCSF or affiliated partner institutes in the conduct of an HIV research project. These awards are designed to acquire preliminary data and research skills to prepare investigators for a future grant effort. Applicants for this award must indicate a faculty research mentor(s) who will commit to guiding the applicant throughout the duration of the proposed project.
Designation of Mentor
All Mentored award applications from individuals at the Assistant Professor level or below require an HIV research mentor. Mentors can, but are not required to, have supervisory authority over the applicant. CFAR requires your research mentor’s support to advise and guide the research portion of your application before submitting it to RAP.
Of high interest to CFAR are investigations ranging from basic pathogenesis to clinical outcomes in the research areas of HIV/aging and inflammation, latency, cure, vaccines, co-infections, HIV in women, implementation science, and research related to HIV-infected and HIV-impacted Bay Area populations. Projects must be within NIH’s HIV/AIDS research high or medium priority areas. Projects in closely related areas (e.g. TB, HCV, drug use, etc.) must be clearly linked to HIV in order to be eligible for CFAR funding.
The award amount is $50,000 in direct costs for one year.
CFAR requests that applicants review the NIAID HIV Language Guide as they prepare their proposals so that they can follow best practices on language for communicating respectfully about HIV and related topics, including the use of person-first, non-stigmatizing language. Please contact us if you have any questions about this request.
For more detailed information about this RFA, please see the RAP Portal.
To see examples of previously funded projects, see the list below.
Mentored Science Awardees
135 Awards
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Molecular mechanisms of patient adapted HIV-1 Vif antagonism of human APOBEC3H
Molecular mechanisms of patient adapted HIV-1 Vif antagonism of human APOBEC3H
Abstract
Polymorphisms in human APOBEC3H (A3H) affect the transmission dynamics of HIV-1, with stable and active A3H being maintained at high frequencies in pop
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Molecular mechanisms of patient adapted HIV-1 Vif antagonism of human APOBEC3H
Molecular mechanisms of patient adapted HIV-1 Vif antagonism of human APOBEC3H
Abstract
Polymorphisms in human APOBEC3H (A3H) affect the transmission dynamics of HIV-1, with stable and active A3H being maintained at high frequencies in pop
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Assessing a role for the vaccinal effect in post-intervention control of HIV
Assessing a role for the vaccinal effect in post-intervention control of HIV
Abstract
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Assessing a role for the vaccinal effect in post-intervention control of HIV
Assessing a role for the vaccinal effect in post-intervention control of HIV
Abstract
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Understanding Women Living with HIV’s Perceptions of the Relationship between HIV, ART, and Fertility
Understanding Women Living with HIV’s Perceptions of the Relationship between HIV, ART, and Fertility
Abstract
A recent meta-analysis showed that in sub-Saharan Africa, approximately one in five couples experience infertility, defined as the inability to become pregnant after 12 months of unprotected intercourse. Women living with HIV face even higher infertility rates compared to their HIV negative counterparts. In Kenya, adolescents and young women are contracting HIV faster than any other subgroup and carry twice the burden of HIV compared to men (6.6% vs 3.1% respectively).
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Understanding Women Living with HIV’s Perceptions of the Relationship between HIV, ART, and Fertility
Understanding Women Living with HIV’s Perceptions of the Relationship between HIV, ART, and Fertility
Abstract
A recent meta-analysis showed that in sub-Saharan Africa, approximately one in five couples experience infertility, defined as the inability to become pregnant after 12 months of unprotected intercourse. Women living with HIV face even higher infertility rates compared to their HIV negative counterparts. In Kenya, adolescents and young women are contracting HIV faster than any other subgroup and carry twice the burden of HIV compared to men (6.6% vs 3.1% respectively).
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HIV and STI prevention practices among in-person and digital male sex workers who have sex with men (MSMSW) in the United States
HIV and STI prevention practices among in-person and digital male sex workers who have sex with men (MSMSW) in the United States
Abstract
Male sex workers who have sex with men (MSMSW) are under-represented in most contemporary HIV prevention research efforts. While MSMSW face unique challenges and occupational risk factors as a result of their work, there is a dearth of current literature describing the uptake of HIV and STI prevention services in the form of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and/or STI chemoprophylaxis (e.g., DoxyPEP/DoxyPrEP) among MSMSW. Further, MSMSW are not a monolithic group.
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HIV and STI prevention practices among in-person and digital male sex workers who have sex with men (MSMSW) in the United States
HIV and STI prevention practices among in-person and digital male sex workers who have sex with men (MSMSW) in the United States
Abstract
Male sex workers who have sex with men (MSMSW) are under-represented in most contemporary HIV prevention research efforts. While MSMSW face unique challenges and occupational risk factors as a result of their work, there is a dearth of current literature describing the uptake of HIV and STI prevention services in the form of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) and/or STI chemoprophylaxis (e.g., DoxyPEP/DoxyPrEP) among MSMSW. Further, MSMSW are not a monolithic group.
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Evaluation of immune-mediated depletion of CD127+ tissue reservoirs as an HIV cure strategy
Evaluation of immune-mediated depletion of CD127+ tissue reservoirs as an HIV cure strategy
Abstract
Clonal expansion is a major driver of HIV persistence in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-suppressed people with HIV (PWH). This clonal expansion is facilitated by homeostatic proliferation, primarily orchestrated by cytokines like IL7 within tissue reservoirs, the main site of HIV persistence. Recent studies have identified CD127, the alpha chain of the IL7 receptor crucial for IL7 signaling, as a defining marker of long-lived CD4+ T memory (Tm) cells from human tonsils that preferentially undergo latent HIV infection.
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Evaluation of immune-mediated depletion of CD127+ tissue reservoirs as an HIV cure strategy
Evaluation of immune-mediated depletion of CD127+ tissue reservoirs as an HIV cure strategy
Abstract
Clonal expansion is a major driver of HIV persistence in antiretroviral therapy (ART)-suppressed people with HIV (PWH). This clonal expansion is facilitated by homeostatic proliferation, primarily orchestrated by cytokines like IL7 within tissue reservoirs, the main site of HIV persistence. Recent studies have identified CD127, the alpha chain of the IL7 receptor crucial for IL7 signaling, as a defining marker of long-lived CD4+ T memory (Tm) cells from human tonsils that preferentially undergo latent HIV infection.