Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Marine Microbial Ecology

Submitted by Ariadna S. Rubio Lebrón on 17 April 2023 - 10:28am

Forums:

Postdocs

Deadline:

Friday, 5 May 2023

Opportunity

The Simons Foundation invites applications for postdoctoral fellowships to support candidates who intend to pursue a career in basic research on fundamental problems in marine microbial ecology, with an emphasis on understanding the role of microorganisms in shaping ocean processes, and vice versa. The foundation is interested in applicants with training in different disciplines, including modeling and theory development, as well as applicants already involved in ocean research.

Eligibility

Applicants should have received their Ph.D. or equivalent degree within three years of the fellowship’s start date. Preference will be for applicants with no more than one year of postdoctoral experience. U.S. citizens may choose a postdoctoral research sponsor in either the U.S. or Canada. Foreign applicants may choose a sponsor in the U.S. Awards can only be issued to nonprofit research universities or research institutions in the U.S. or Canada (in a campus within these countries). Applicants should review the Glossary of Terms section of the foundation’s policies and procedures for the definition of a Postdoctoral Fellow.

Award

The award is for three years, contingent upon satisfactory annual progress reports, and will include an annual stipend of $65,000 and an annual allowance of up to $25,000. The stipend may be supplemented by the host institution or the mentoring Principal Investigator (PI). This fellowship is intended to support full-time research, and any exceptions, e.g., teaching positions, require advance approval from the foundation. The annual allowance may be spent on health insurance for the fellow and family and other benefits as required by the institution, research supplies, small equipment (including computers), attendance at scientific meetings and other research-related travel. Up to $5,000 per year may be reallocated from the annual allowance to the annual stipend at the institution’s discretion, in which case the maximum annual stipend funded by the foundation would be $70,000 and the maximum annual allowance would be $20,000. The stipend may not be reallocated to increase the research allowance. Up to $2,000 of the allowance may be used for relocation of the fellow and family to the host institution. Relocation costs must be in accordance with the policies of the host institution. Payment cannot be made directly to fellows. No indirect or overhead costs may be charged. Policies and procedures governing this award can be found at the following link.

Applications must include:

Short personal autobiographical statement, including a summary of prior research experience (one page)
Brief research proposal with title (two to three pages, plus references and one page for figures)
Biosketches of the applicant and sponsor, including publications; the applicant should provide full citations. Do not include funding sources for the applicant’s graduate work.
Technical abstract
Letters of recommendation from applicant’s thesis advisor and two additional research scientists, who should address the applicant’s potential for future leadership in the field, and letter of support from the postdoctoral research sponsor, who cannot be the applicant’s thesis advisor and who must acknowledge acceptance of the applicant to their laboratory. Only one application from a postdoctoral research sponsor will be considered in any year. Confidential letters must be submitted through the Simons Award Manager (SAM).
Budget (three years)
Brief budget justification
Renewable reagents and data-sharing plan
501(c)(3) determination or equivalency letter (Canadian institutions only) — The Simons Foundation requires a determination letter from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) stating exemption under 501(c)(3) and, furthermore, either a 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) classification. Applicants do not need to have this letter at the time of application. If an international institution is selected for funding and does not have the aforementioned documentation, the Simons Foundation will require the institution to complete an equivalency determination with NGOsource (see policies and procedures).
Submission of the application with institution signature will document the commitment from the fellow’s institution to administer the fellowship.

Instructions for Submission

Applications must be completed electronically and submitted through the Simons Award Manager (SAM) by May 5, 2023, 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Please refer to the How to Apply instructions for further details.