The Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program

Author: admin 29.09.2019

Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program

Дослідницька програма від Смітсонівського інституту (США) на проведення незалежних досліджень для широкого кола дисциплін.
Дедлайн: 01.11.2019 року

The Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program offers opportunities for independent research or study related to Smithsonian collections, facilities, and/or research interests of the Institution and its staff. Fellowships are offered to graduate students, predoctoral students, and postdoctoral and senior investigators to conduct independent research and to utilize the resources of the Institution with members of the Smithsonian professional research staff serving as advisors and hosts. These fellowships are offered through the Smithsonian’s Office of Fellowships and Internships, and are administered under the charter of the Institution, 20 U.S. Code section 41 et seq.

Applicants who wish to conduct research at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) should go here as SAO application requirements and deadlines may be different.

The publication, Smithsonian Opportunities for Research and 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.

The Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program offers fellowships for research and study in the following fields and encourages applications of an interdisciplinary nature:

PROGRAM GUIDELINES

Qualifications for Application

Applicants are encouraged to propose to conduct research in-residence 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 & Internships.

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:  The doctorate degree must be completed by the time the fellowship begins.

Senior Fellowships:  Applicants must have held a Ph.D. or equivalent for at least 7 years.

Application Submission and Deadline

All applications must be submitted by November 1, 2019 11:59 PM EST (enter 2020 for the cycle on the application) through the Smithsonian Academic Appointment System (SOLAA) found at https://solaa.si.edu.

The Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP) is listed in SOLAA under the Office of Fellowships.

Notification of decisions will be made through SOLAA on March 1st (possible delay due to government shutdown).

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. 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, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, or disability.

Conditions of Appointment

Predoctoral fellowships are awarded for periods of three to twelve months. Postdoctoral and senior fellowships are awarded for periods of three to twenty four months.* 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 & Internships.

Fellowship tenures must begin between June 1, 2020 and March 1, 2021. 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.

In submitting an application for a fellowship at the Institution, the applicant does not incur any obligation to accept the appointment if selected.

*Second Year Funding Opportunities at (SERC)

 Post-Doctoral Fellowships at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC)

Post-Doctoral Fellowships at SERC are awarded for periods of no more than one year. However, Post-Doctoral Fellowship applications can be written for up to two years of support with the understanding the second year is contingent on three conditions: (1) submission of a new proposal for the second year of funding that explains progress made during the first year of support, (2) a successful ranking of the new (second-year) proposal by the SERC SIFP evaluation committee, and (3) availability of funds to support the second year request.

For two-year proposals, please create one document (max 3MB) that clearly distinguishes between the research, timeline, and budget for each year (one and two) of the research (the budget limit is $4000 in year one and $4000 in year two, itemized separately). The applicant is evaluated on the scholarly objectives of the research and the potential for success both in year one alone, and over a two year period should the second year be granted.

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 2020

SENIOR FELLOWSHIPS -for scholars at least seven years beyond the Ph.D.

POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS – for scholars up to seven years beyond the Ph.D.

PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS -for doctoral candidates to conduct dissertation research.

TEN-WEEK GRADUATE STUDENT FELLOWSHIPS -for graduate students to conduct independent research usually before having been advanced to candidacy if in a Ph.D. program.

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. In most cases a maximum research allowance of $4,000 is available. Research allowances are not offered for graduate student fellowships. 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 & Internships cannot provide funds for the travel or living expenses of dependents.

Smithsonian fellowship stipends are not salary or compensation. They are meant to support study and research during the tenure of the appointment.

All funds provided under Smithsonian fellowships, including stipends and research and travel allowances, are subject to tax. Fellows awarded stipends receive a financial summary at the end of each calendar year and are responsible for meeting their own state and federal tax obligations.

We look forward to receiving your application.

If you have any questions about completing this application, please feel free to contact this office.

E-mail: siofi@si.edu
Phone: 202-633-7070

Office of Fellowships and Internships
Smithsonian Institution
470 L’Enfant Plaza SW, Suite 7102
MRC 902 PO Box 37012
Washington, DC 20013-7012

INSTRUCTIONS for APPLICATION MATERIALS

Apply Through the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA)

Completed general information in SOLAA

Application Materials (for upload):

The SOLAA application will allow you to upload the following files types (there is a 3MB limit and only the following types of documents are supported: .bmp, .doc, .docx, .gif, .jpeg, .jpg, .pdf, .png, .rtf, .tif, .tiff, .txt, .xls, and .xlsx):

Abstract

Research Proposal

In preparing your proposal, be sure to provide and address the following:

Time Table (“Other” in SOLAA)

Budget and Justification

Bibliography

Curriculum Vitae (CV)

Transcripts (unofficial are acceptable) (you may upload up to three 3MB files)

References – from two appropriate persons selected by you.

Web-Site: smithsonianofi.com

In headings: Uncategorized

 

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