Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships | Apply Online

Opportunity Summary:

The Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (AGS PRF) are National Science Foundation (NSF) awards designed to support early-career scientists as they build an independent research direction in atmospheric and geospace sciences. The core purpose of the program is to identify highly promising researchers who are within three years of earning their PhD and give them the time, resources, and professional community needed to transition into leaders in the field. Projects must tackle scientific questions that clearly fall within the scope of NSF's Division of Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences (AGS), and the fellowship structure is meant to broaden the fellow's perspective through independence, mobility, and interdisciplinary interaction.

A major feature of this opportunity is that the fellowship is awarded to the individual rather than to a university or laboratory. In practice, that means the candidate submits the proposal directly to NSF and, if selected, administers the award as a fellow. Applicants must name one or more sponsoring scientists and identify the host institution(s) where the work will be carried out. The program is portable: fellows can take the award to the institution or national facility of their choice, and the work may be conducted at an appropriate U.S. or foreign host institution. Eligible hosts include colleges and universities, private nonprofit research organizations and museums, and government labs or installations. NSF indicates that it is generally expected the research will be performed at an institution other than the applicant's PhD-granting institution. If the applicant plans to stay at their current institution, they are expected to justify how remaining there strengthens the proposed research and supports their career development.

The fellowship provides support for up to two years. Based on the opportunity data, NSF anticipated making about 10 awards, with an estimated total program funding level of $1,720,000 and an award floor of $172,000. There is no cost-sharing or matching requirement. The funding instrument is a grant, and the activity category is science and technology research and development. The CFDA number associated with the program is 47.050 (Geosciences).

Eligibility requirements are strict and are treated as gatekeeping criteria: applications that do not meet them are returned without review. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or nationals, or legally admitted permanent residents (green card holders) at the time of application. They must either be current graduate students or have received a PhD in a scientific or engineering field no more than three years before the award start date. Their research and education plans must be within AGS's disciplinary purview, and they may not submit the same project concurrently to another NSF program. NSF also notes that awardees must begin the fellowship within 12 months of being notified of an award, so the proposed timing and career transition plan need to be realistic.

Beyond research funding, the program is structured to create a professional cohort experience. Fellows are organized into a group and are expected to attend a workshop at the end of their first year, where they present and discuss their research and actively look for connections across different scientific areas. This cohort model is meant to encourage interdisciplinary thinking and networking among peers who are at the same career stage. Fellows may also have opportunities to participate in NSF's merit review process by serving as proposal reviewers or panelists, which can be valuable professional training for understanding how competitive research funding decisions are made.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is run by NSF, with the program announcement identified as NSF Publication 11-521 and Funding Opportunity Number 11-521. The posting date listed is January 12, 2011, with proposal deadlines noted for April 11, 2011, and later annual deadlines on February 2 in subsequent cycles (including February 2, 2012 and February 2, 2013), with the current closing date in the provided record shown as February 2, 2013. For access or technical issues related to the announcement, the contact listed is NSF's grants.gov support at grantsgovsupport@nsf.gov, and applicants who are uncertain about eligibility are encouraged to contact the relevant NSF program officer before submitting.

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