# Poitras family funds 50 two-year MIT psychiatric-research fellowships

_Published Tuesday, September 22, 2026 at 4:09 PM EDT · Science · Latest · Tier 2 — Notable_

![Poitras family funds 50 two-year MIT psychiatric-research fellowships — Primary](https://news.mit.edu/sites/default/files/images/202609/mit-mcgovern-poitras-fellows.jpg)

Patricia and James Poitras have given MIT $10 million to establish 50 two-year fellowships for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers studying psychiatric disorders. The Poitras Center will award five fellowships annually for a decade, and five researchers have joined the inaugural cohort.

The projects cover anxiety diagnosis, fear memories, gut-brain communication, treatment selection and exercise-related brain changes. The program finances researchers rather than a demonstrated clinical or technical advance; its next application window opens in May 2027.

## Sources

- [MIT News](https://news.mit.edu/2026/poitras-center-to-fuel-early-careers-50-young-scientists-psychiatric-disorders-research-0922)

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Canonical: https://techandbusiness.org/newswire/BjxhJiyJADykirmli8ntI0
Published: 2026-09-22T20:09:04.839Z
Story chronology: 2026-09-22T19:00:00.000Z
Retrieved: 2026-09-22T21:33:01.992Z
Publisher: Tech & Business (techandbusiness.org)