GENERAL INFORMATION FOR APPLICANTS
Fellowships are offered by the Smithsonian Institution to provide opportunities
for graduate students, predoctoral students, and postdoctoral and senior investigators
to conduct research in association with members of the Smithsonian professional
research staff, and to utilize the resources of the Institution. These fellowships
are offered through the Smithsonian's Office of Fellowships, and are administered
under the charter of the Institution, 20 U.S. Code section 41 et seq. Fellowship
awards under this program are contingent upon the availability of funds.
Applicants who wish to conduct research at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory
should contact the Fellowship Program Coordinator, Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory, 60 Garden Street, Mail Stop 47, Cambridge, MA 02138. Application
requirements and deadlines may be different.
The publication, Smithsonian Opportunities for Research and Study (www.si.edu/research+study),
outlines Smithsonian research activities and lists the research staff. Applicants
are strongly encouraged to contact staff members to help identify potential
advisors, determine the feasibility of the proposed research being conducted
at the Smithsonian Institution, and the availability of relevant resources
such as staff, collections, archives and library materials during the proposed
tenure dates.
PROGRAM GUIDELINES
Qualifications for Application
Applicants must propose to conduct research at the Smithsonian in one of its
areas of research as outlined in the publication, Smithsonian Opportunities
for Research and Study, for a period of three to twelve months, or ten weeks
for the Graduate Student Fellowship. Past or current fellowship recipients
are eligible to apply for another award.
No employee or contractor of the Smithsonian Institution may hold a Smithsonian
fellowship during the time of his/her employment or contract, nor may an award
be offered to any person who has been employed by or under contract to the
Institution in the previous year, without the prior approval of the Office
of Fellowships.
Applicants whose native language is not English are expected to have the ability
to write and converse fluently in English. All application materials must be
presented in English (foreign transcripts may be translated, see below).
Determination of the fellowship category for which to apply should be based
on the anticipated academic level at the time the fellowship would begin:
Graduate Student Fellowships: When they apply, students must be formally enrolled
in a graduate program of study at a degree granting institution. Before the
appointment begins fellows must still be enrolled and must have completed at
least one full time semester or its equivalent, or have completed the graduate
program within the past four months. Graduate Student Fellowships are usually
intended for students who have not yet been advanced to candidacy if in a doctoral
program.
Predoctoral Fellowships: Students enrolled in a university as candidates for
the Ph.D. or equivalent are eligible for predoctoral fellowships. By the time
the appointment begins, the university must approve the undertaking of dissertation
research at the Smithsonian Institution and certify that requirements for the
doctorate, other than the dissertation, have been met.
Postdoctoral Fellowships: Applicants are eligible to apply for postdoctoral
fellowships who have or will have received the Ph.D. or equivalent after January
15, 2005. The degree must be completed by the time the fellowship begins.
Senior Fellowships: Applicants who have received the Ph.D. or equivalent before
January 15, 2005 are eligible to apply for senior fellowships. Senior Fellowship
applications may be submitted one and a half years in advance (see below).
Application Submission and Deadline
All applications must be submitted by January 15, 2012 at https://solaa.si.edu.
Notification of decisions will be made on April 15, 2012.
Proposals Involving the Use of Live Animals
Applicants who wish to conduct research using live animals must submit their
proposals for review by one of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committees
(IACUC). Review for animal welfare concerns and approval of procedures by
one of these committees must occur before a fellowship can begin.
Applicants who wish to conduct research at the National Zoological Park must
discuss their research with proposed mentors to clarify any potential issues
with Institutional Animal Care and Use process. Applicants to other Smithsonian
Museums and Research Institutes should contact their advisor to determine the
appropriate procedures for that unit.
Criteria for Selection
Applications are evaluated
and fellows are selected, by scholars in appropriate fields, on the basis
of the proposal’s merit, the applicant’s ability
to carry out the proposed research and study, the likelihood that the research
could be completed in the requested time, and the extent to which the Smithsonian,
through its research staff members and resources, could contribute to the proposed
research. Included in the proposal evaluation will
be its relevance in terms of the Smithsonian’s
Strategic Plan and how the research reflects one or more of the Four Grand
Challenges outlined in the plan (see details at http://www.si.edu/Content/Pdf/About/SI_Strategic_Plan_2010-2015.pdf ). The
number of appointments made each year is determined by the availability of
funds for the program. The Smithsonian Fellowship Program does not discriminate
on grounds of race, creed, sex, age, marital status, condition of handicap,
or national origin of any applicant.
Conditions of Appointment
Predoctoral, postdoctoral and senior fellowships are awarded for periods of
three to twelve months (Postdoctoral fellowships in science may be awarded
for up to twenty-four months and must be discussed in advance with the proposed
advisor**). Appointment periods are in accordance with the applicant's proposal
for the research, unless the length of tenure requested is considered by reviewers
to be more than required. All graduate student fellowships are ten weeks long**.
In accepting an appointment, the fellow will be expected to devote full time
effort to the research proposed and to be in residence at the Smithsonian except
for approved absences.
Financial support, in addition to a Smithsonian fellowship, for such purposes
as research travel and equipment may be received from other sources provided
that no special demands are made upon the fellow's time. Permission to receive
additional stipend support must be requested in writing from the Office of
Fellowships.
Graduate student, predoctoral and postdoctoral fellowship tenures must begin
between June 1, 2012 and March 1, 2013. Senior fellowship tenures must begin
between June 1, 2012 and September 15, 2013. It is important that applicants
consider the following factors carefully when choosing the dates for the proposed
fellowship: their academic schedule; completion dates of their preliminary
exams, course work, or dissertation (if applicable); the schedule of their
proposed advisor/host and the availability of required resources. Appointments
of three months or longer must begin on either the 1st or 15th of the month.
The dates of tenure proposed in the application (and any change of dates if
the fellowship is awarded) should be selected in agreement with the proposed
principal advisor.
**Postdoctoral and Graduate Fellowships with advisors at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH) are eligible for extended tenures through the Peter Buck Fellowship Program.
In submitting an application for a fellowship at the Institution, the applicant
does not incur any obligation to accept the appointment if selected.
Use of Smithsonian Facilities
Fellows will be provided with space to conduct their research within the department
in which they are working. Applicants should consult in advance with their
proposed advisor(s) regarding the availability of facilities and necessary
equipment. The amount of support services available to the fellow will be determined
by the workload of the department and the policy of the department chairperson
and/or unit director. Fellows have access to the Smithsonian Institution
Libraries with privileges which include borrowing library materials, interlibrary
loans, intralibrary loans, document delivery, database searching, and reference
assistance.
Stipends and Allowances 2012 - 2013
Predoctoral, Postdoctoral and Senior Fellowships: The stipend for Predoctoral
Fellows is $30,000 per year (twelve months). The stipend for Postdoctoral and
Senior Fellows (other than those in Earth and Planetary Science, see below*)
is $45,000 per year (twelve months). Stipends are prorated for periods of less
than twelve months. In addition to the stipend, allowances to assist with the
fellow's research related expenses and for temporary relocation to the Smithsonian
are possible. A maximum research allowance of $4,000 is available. The amount awarded will be determined based upon
the budget and justification presented by the applicant. The budget for the
research allowance should not include costs for relocation to the Smithsonian,
which is awarded separately. The Office of Fellowships cannot provide funds
for the travel or living expenses of dependents.
Graduate Student Fellowships: The stipend for Graduate Student Fellows is
$6,500. Graduate student fellowships are offered for a period of ten weeks
only and are not available for periods of less or more than ten weeks**. Relocation
and research allowances are not offered for graduate student fellowships.
*Postdoctoral and Senior fellows in Earth and Planetary Science will be awarded
a stipend based on $50,000 per year.
**Postdoctoral and Graduate Fellowships with advisors at theNational Museum of Natural History (NMNH) are eligible for extended tenures through the Peter Buck Fellowship Program.
All funds provided under Smithsonian fellowships, including stipends and research
and travel allowances, are subject to tax. |
