Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB)
The Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) awards Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB) to recent recipients of the doctoral degree for research and training in selected areas supported by BIO and with special goals for human resource development in biology. For applications under this solicitation, these areas are (1) Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology, (2) Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes, and (3) Plant Genome Postdoctoral Research Fellowships.
The fellowships encourage independence at an early stage of the research career to permit Fellows to pursue their research and training goals in the most appropriate research locations in collaboration with sponsoring scientists. It is expected that the sponsoring scientists will actively mentor the Fellows and will greatly benefit from collaborating with these talented early-career scientists and incorporating them into their research groups. The research and training plan of each fellowship must address important scientific questions within the scope of BIO and the specific guidelines in this fellowship program solicitation. Because the fellowships are offered to postdoctoral scientists only early in their careers, NSF encourages doctoral students to discuss the availability of these postdoctoral fellowships with their doctoral mentors and potential postdoctoral sponsors early in their doctoral programs to take advantage of this funding opportunity. Fellowships are awards to individuals, not institutions, and are administered by the Fellows.
Awards are made in the Spring following the deadline, with start dates on the first of the month from June 1 through to March 1. Interruptions in tenure or extensions without additional cost to NSF are permitted only in special circumstances, such as family or medical leave, and require NSF approval. Fellowships are not renewable.
Competitive Areas 1 and 2.
The fellowship tenure is normally 24 continuous months except when the Fellow spends a year or more abroad. In this case, the original application may request a 36-month tenure.
Competitive Area 3.
The fellowship tenure for Competitive Area 3 is 36 continuous months.
Up to $69,000
To be eligible for any Competitive Area, you must
- be a U.S. citizen (or national) or a U.S. permanent resident, i.e., have a “green card,” when applying;
- present a research plan that falls within the purview of BIO and the focus for each of the selected areas, as described in this solicitation;
- earn the doctoral degree in an appropriate field prior to beginning the fellowship;
- select sponsoring scientists, departments, and institutions that offer a significant opportunity to broaden your research focus and training; and
- not have submitted the same research to another NSF postdoctoral fellowship program.
- Website
- Daniel R. Marenda (Areas 1 & 2), telephone: (703) 292-2157, email: [email protected]
- John F. Barthell (Areas 1 & 2), telephone: (703) 292-2618, email: [email protected]
- Diane Jofuku Okamuro (Area 3), telephone: (703) 292-8420, email: [email protected]
Contact
General inquiries regarding this program should be made to: