NSF Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowships (EAR-PF)
The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) awards Postdoctoral Fellowships to recent recipients of doctoral degrees to conduct an integrated program of independent research and professional development. Fellowship proposals must address scientific questions within the scope of EAR disciplinary programs and must align with the overall theme for the postdoctoral program. Fellowship proposals that address questions at the intersections of several EAR disciplinary programs, such as interdisciplinary critical zone (CZ) science or topics related to Cooperative Studies of Earth’s Deep Interior (CSEDI), are also appropriate. The program supports researchers for a period of up to two years with fellowships that can be taken to the institution of their choice (including institutions abroad). The program is intended to recognize beginning investigators of significant potential, and provide them with research experience, mentorship, and training that will establish them in leadership positions in the Earth Sciences community. Because the fellowships are offered only to postdoctoral scientists early in their career, doctoral advisors are encouraged to discuss the availability of EAR postdoctoral fellowships with their graduate students early in their doctoral programs. Fellowships are awards to individuals, not institutions, and are administered by the Fellows. EAR has made it a priority to address challenges in creating an inclusive geoscience discipline through activities that increase belonging, accessibility, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (BAJEDI). Proposers are encouraged to explicitly address this particular priority in their proposed activities. Proposers who are women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), or who have attended two-year colleges and minority-serving institutions for undergraduate or graduate school, or plan to conduct their fellowship activities at one of these institutions (e.g. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Alaska Native Serving Institutions, and Hawaiian Native and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions) are especially encouraged to apply.
Up to 24 full-time-equivalent months of support may be requested. Fellowship tenure must begin between August 1 of the year following the submission deadline and July 1 of the subsequent year and must start on the first of the month.
Up to $180,000
The total fellowship amount is $90,000 per year consisting of two components:
- A stipend is $65,000 per year paid directly to the Fellow on a monthly schedule;
- An annual fellowship allowance of $25,000 paid directly to the Fellow and intended to cover costs of the fellowship including:
- expenses directly related to the conduct of the proposed research and professional development activities, including but not limited to materials and supplies, equipment, computing resources, access to databases, training courses, travel, publication charges, and subscription fees;
- expenses in support of the Fellow, such as office space, general purpose supplies and use of equipment, facilities and other institutional resources; and
- expenses in support of fringe benefits, including but not limited to individual or family health insurance provided through a group or individual plan, dental and/or vision insurance, disability insurance, retirement savings, dependent care, and moving expenses.
No additional appointment or fellowship may be held during the period of the fellowship. No other remuneration from any source may be accepted during the period of the fellowship without permission of the cognizant NSF program officer.
An individual (also referred to as proposer) is eligible to submit a proposal to the NSF EAR Postdoctoral Fellowship program if all the following criteria are met:
- Be U.S. citizens (or nationals) or permanent residents of the United States (i.e., have a “green card”) at the time of proposal submission;
- Either currently be a graduate student or, at the deadline date, have served in a position requiring the doctoral degree for no more than 18 full-time-equivalent months since earning the degree;
- Must present a research plan that falls within the theme of the solicitation and within research areas supported by the Division of Earth Sciences disciplinary programs at NSF (https://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=EAR).Fellowship proposals that address questions at the intersections of several EAR disciplinary programs, such as interdisciplinary critical zone (CZ) science or topics related to Cooperative Studies of Earth’s Deep Interior (CSEDI), are also appropriate;
- Proposers are encouraged to expand the network of collaborators and implement the fellowship at an institution new to the proposer. However, proposers who choose to carry out the postdoctoral fellowship at the institution where they received their PhD or their current institution at the time of submission must meet these three conditions: (1) have been at this institution for at least 12 months at the time of submission; (2) present a strong justification and clearly explain the benefits of this choice to their research and professional development goals; and (3) have two scientific mentors, one at the hosting institution and a second mentor at a different institution who is a new collaborator with the proposer;
- The research plan must be original and not have been a component of a proposal previously submitted to the Division of Earth Sciences;
- The same project must not have been submitted concurrently to another NSF program.
Proposals that fail to meet the above eligibility requirements will be returned without review.
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