Application Instructions
How to Apply
To apply for the Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellowship, please:
1. Fill out all online application forms completely.
2. Upload supporting materials (see details below).
3. Designate three people to submit recommendations on your behalf (name, title, institution, phone,
email, relationship, and a personal note from you requesting a reference); ideally, one letter
should be from your most recent program director or manager.
4. Pay the $95 non-refundable application fee and submit your application once all materials have
been uploaded and you have verified that the information is correct.
5. Provide us with a link to your video supplement.
To get started, please go to https://biodesign.slideroom.com/#/login/register. You will first be asked to
login or sign-up for a Slideroom account. Once you have completed this initial registration, you can begin
your application. It is not necessary to complete your application in one sitting; you can save your work
and return at a later time. To access an in-progress application, go back to the link above and login.

Application Deadline
All materials listed above must be received on or before August 14, 2020. If your application is
incomplete for any reason after 11:59 pm on the due date, it will not be considered and the application fee
will not be refunded.
Online Application Forms
The following information is required on the online application forms:
 Name, address, phone number, email address, and any other information requested during
registration.
 Part A – Current organization/employer, gender identity, date of birth, country of citizenship,
ethnicity and racial identity. We are also interested in how you heard about our program and if
you have applied for the fellowship in prior years (and, if so, when).
 Part B – Your educational history, including institution names and locations, majors, degrees, and
years attended (please list in reverse chronological order).
 Part C – Questions on the “applicant summary” form to provide reviewers with a snapshot of your
background.

Supporting Materials
Once the forms are completed, the application process requires you to upload all of the following
materials:
 Your resume or curriculum vitae.
 Copy of your most recent diploma.
 Copy of your transcript from your two most recent degree programs.
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 Copy of exam scores:
o National/state boards or academic entry exams taken in the past 5 years (scores from the
latest exam(s) you have taken). International applicants, please submit scores of any
comparable exam you’ve taken in the past 5 years. If you do not have scores to submit or
it has been greater than 5 years since you have taken national/state boards or qualifying
examinations, please upload a letter in PDF format through our online system explaining
why you are not submitting exams score with your application.
o English proficiency exam taken within the past two years (TOFEL, IELTS, or PTE). If you
earned or expect to earn a degree from a university where English is the official and sole
language of instruction, then you do not need to submit results of an English proficiency
exam.
 Your short answer responses (details below).
 Your application essay (details below).
 Contact information for your recommendations.
 Your video (details below).

Short Answer Responses
Please provide brief responses to the following two questions and upload them as directed in the
Slideroom application (250 words or less per question):
1. Diversity is a core value at Stanford Biodesign. How will your identity, actions, and/or ideas
contribute to the diversity of our fellowship program?
2. By the end of the fellowship we want you to have top notch leadership, problem solving,
creativity, teamwork, and communication skills. Tell us a quick story that demonstrates why
you're already strong in one of these areas and why you really want to improve in another.

Application Essay
To help us understand more about the person behind the application, please share your passions, values,
and vision for your career when answering the following questions in 750 words or less (single spaced, 11
point minimum font size):
 Why do you want to be a Stanford Biodesign Innovation Fellow, and what do you intend to do
with your training after completing the program?

References
Ask three individuals who you know well, whose opinion you trust, and who wants to see you succeed to
write your reference letters. These references must be able to provide specific examples, anecdotes, and
evidence of your unique skills and accomplishments.
Here are a few things to consider as you choose references:
 We care about the content of the letter, not about merely the title or status of the person who
wrote it.
 The strongest letters we receive come from individuals who have interacted with you closely,
extensively, and recently. The references may be academic or professional.
 Ideally, one letter should be from your most recent program director or manager.
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 It is inappropriate to ask a family member to provide a reference. Also, consider that a peer is
different from a friend.
 References must be provided in English. You may not write, draft, edit, translate, or submit the
letter of reference.
When your references are contacted via Slideroom, they will be asked to assess your performance on the
skills we’re seeking in the fellowship and to provide a reference letter that addresses the following
prompts:
1. How do you know and interact with the applicant?
2. Give a specific example of how the applicant has demonstrated exemplary leadership, problem
solving, creativity, teamwork, and/or communication skills in your interactions together.
3. What is the most important constructive feedback that you have given the applicant? How did the
applicant respond?
4. Is there anything else that we should know about the applicant?
Other important information:
 Register the references by providing their name, title, institution, phone, work email, relationship,
and a personal note from you requesting the reference.
 The requests for letters are automatically generated and sent by our application system,
Slideroom, when you enter and submit the contact information for your references (which is
different than completing and submitting your application). In order to give your references
adequate time to respond, do not wait until the last week before the deadline to enter this
information into the application system.
 Be aware that the automatic requests that Slideroom sends to your references may go into your
their spam folder. Please let the references know to watch for the request directly from Slideroom
and to check all email folders.
 Once written, your references must submit their letters through our online system. We will not
accept letters of reference delivered via email or the postal service.
 We must have all three letters by the application deadline or your application will not be
considered and your application fee will not be refunded. Please encourage your
references to submit their letter at least 1-2 days in advance of the final deadline.

Application Fee
When you’re ready to submit your application, please remit the application fee. If you are a Stanford
University affiliate and have an active SUNet ID, you are eligible for a fee waiver. Please email Emily
Johnson at erj@stanford.edu with your request and SUNet ID.
If you experience technical issues with processing your payment, you may have anti-virus
software on your computer that is not letting the payment go through to Slideroom. If you’re using
the anti-virus/security software Kaspersky, please add Slideroom as a safe website. More information is
available at support.kaspersky.com/us/12047#block2/. If you are using some other anti-virus software,
please temporarily disable it in order to remit your payment.
Please note that if your application is determined to be incomplete at the time of the application deadline
(e.g., missing three letters of reference), your application fee will not be refunded.
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Video
The last step in the application process is to submit your video. Your video provides us with the chance to
“meet” you but will be reviewed separately from the rest of your application materials.
After you submit your application materials in Slideroom, please upload your video to YouTube or Vimeo.
We suggest making the recording “unlisted” so that it can only be viewed by those with the link.
Next, provide the video link to us via the Qualtrics form at:
https://stanforduniversity.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6Gr0AWKjRkNoW5T.

On your video, respond to the following prompt:
 Please tells us five improbable (unlikely but true) facts about you.
When creating and submitting your video:
 Do not exceed two minutes in length (it will not be viewed beyond the two-minute mark).
 Record only yourself, from the shoulders up, with no graphics, special effects, or other footage
included (we are interested in your response and your communication skills, not your video
editing capabilities!).
 If possible, use a web camera or smartphone/video camera on a tripod to ensure a steady
recording.
 Please test the link to ensure the video can be viewed at that URL before submitting it.
 Do not discuss any specific Intellectual Property that you have developed if it has not been
protected.

Questions?
Please refer to the Frequently Asked Questions page under on the Stanford Biodesign website for
additional information, which can be found under Programs > Fellowships > Innovation Fellowship. If you
do not find an answer there, questions may be directed to Emily Johnson at erj@stanford.edu.
Good luck!

Notes
Stanford Biodesign is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and consider all qualified
applicants without regard to race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender
identity, age, or physical disability, and we strongly encourage people of historically underrepresented
groups to apply.

Although we previously offered a Stanford-India Biodesign fellowship, that program has concluded.
Please contact info@sibiodesign.in for information about fellowship opportunities in India.