Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology
Agency: National Science Foundation
Posted: 2023-09-02 | Closing date: 2024-11-07
Estimated total program funding: 15000000
Award floor: 240000
Cost sharing or matching requirement: No

 The Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO) awards Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology (PRFB) to recent recipients of the doctoral degree for research and training inselectedareas supported by BIO and with special goals for human resource development in biology. For proposals 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 full advantage of this funding opportunity. Fellowships are awards to individuals, not institutions, and are administered by the Fellows. 

Eligibility: *Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following:   - Proposals must be submitted by the individual and not the host institution.    NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowships in Biology proposals are submitted directly by the fellow to NSF and the award is made directly to the postdoctoral fellow. Each postdoctoral fellow must identify a sponsoring scientist(s) and must affiliate with an appropriate U.S. or international host institution(s) at the time of proposal submission e.g., U.S. Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), private nonprofit institutes and museums, government agencies and laboratories, and,<span>under special conditions and with prior approval from a Program Officer, for-profit organizations. Appropriate international institutions include institutions of higher education.</span>   *Who May Serve as PI:  The PRFB awards are intended primarily for graduate students who are seeking independent support for their first postdoctoral position, or postdoctoral Fellows early in their careers. Proposers are not eligible for this award if they have worked in any position that requires the doctoral degree for a combined total of more than 15 full time months prior to the deadline.    An individual is eligible to submit a proposal to any Competitive Area if all of the following criteria are met:    &middot; Must be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or U.S. permanent resident,i.e., have a "green card," at the time of submission ;    &middot; Must 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;    &middot; Must earn the doctoral degree in an appropriate field prior to beginning the fellowship;    &middot; Must select sponsoring scientists, departments, and institutions that offer a significant opportunity to broaden your research focus and training; and    &middot; Must not have submitted the same research to another NSF postdoctoral fellowship program.    Proposals that fail to meet the above eligibility requirements will be returned without review.    By signing and submitting the proposal, the fellowship candidate is certifying that they meet the eligibility criteria specified in this program solicitation. Willful provision of false information in this request and its supporting documents or in reports required under an ensuing award is a criminal offense (U.S. Code, Title 18, Section 1001).