• All currently enrolled P1 and P2 students are eligible to apply. P3 students will be given consideration (can’t be doing rotations during the summer Riback appointment).
• Previous research experience is not necessary.
• Both Undergraduate GPA and PharmD grades will be considered during the selection process.
• Students should have a strong desire to pursue research.
• Students are responsible for selecting a faculty mentor based on their research interests and future career goals.

• Medicinal chemistry, computational medicinal chemistry, structural biology, synthetic medicinal chemistry, design and synthesis of drugs
• Natural products, drug discovery, medical ethnobotany, biochemical and molecular toxicology, pharmaceutical biotechnology, antibiotic resistance, bacterial communication
• Cancer biology, cancer pharmacology, regulation of tumor cell growth, cancer drug discovery
• Biopharmaceutics, design, development and evaluation of drug delivery systems, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics
• Pharmacy practice, pharmacogenomics, clinical studies, medication compliance, economic, clinical and quality-of-life outcomes, pharmaceutical policy, socioeconomic and cultural issues related to drug use

• Browse College of Pharmacy areas of expertise to identify faculty members whose research interests you.
• Discuss the research experience with former Riback Fellows
• Visit poster presentations during the Research Day
• Contact faculty members with whom you would like to work as soon as possible to find the best match
• Contact riback@uic.edu if you need help

• Submit the Letter of Intent (LOI) by 03/04/24
• Download the application form here.
• Submit full application as a single pdf document to riback@uic.edu by 03/18/24
• Request that your mentor submits the letter of recommendations to riback@uic.edu by 03/18/24

Full application consists of 4 components:

1. Research project description (1 page)
2. Student statement (1.5 page)
3. Undergraduate and professional transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are sufficient.
4. Mentor statement/letter of recommendations (1 page)

• Letter of Intent: Monday, March 4, 2024
• Full Application: Monday, March 18, 2024
• Note: You must have approval from your mentor before you can submit the letter of intent