The Sloan Research Fellowships seek to stimulate fundamental research by early-career scientists and scholars of outstanding promise. These two-year fellowships are awarded yearly to 126 researchers in recognition of distinguished performance and a unique potential to make substantial contributions to their field.
Program Director:
Daniel Goroff Bio
Direct inquiriesto:
Gayle K. Myerson
myerson@sloan.org
212-649-1632
Eligibility Requirements
- Candidates must hold a tenure track (or equivalent) position at a college, university, or other degree-granting institution in the United States or Canada. Tenure track faculty positions at the candidate's institution must include a yearly teaching requirement.
- Candidates must hold a Ph.D. (or equivalent) in chemistry, computational or evolutionary molecular biology, computer science, economics, mathematics, neuroscience, ocean sciences, physics, or a related field;
- Candidates' most recent Ph.D. (or equivalent) must have been awarded on or after September 1, 2009. Exceptions may apply. See footnote **, below.
For more detailed information on these eligibility guidelines, please consult our FAQ page.
While Fellows are expected to be at an early stage of their research careers, there should be strong evidence of independent research accomplishments. Candidates in all fields are normally below the rank of associate professor and do not hold tenure, but these are not strict requirements.
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation welcomes nominations of all candidates who meet the traditional high standards of this program, and strongly encourages the participation of women and members of underrepresented minority groups.
**The Selection Committees may make exceptions for candidates who were awarded their Ph.D. prior to September 1, 2009 if their careers were disrupted due to military service, child-rearing, or a change of field. The Committees may also make exceptions for candidates who are currently serving in their first faculty position and who were appointed to that position on or after September 1, 2013.
The Nomination and Selection Process
Candidates must be nominated by a department head or other senior researcher. Submissions unaccompanied by a nomination from a senior researcher are not accepted. More than one candidate from a department may be nominated, but no more than three.
Candidates must submit the following materials to be considered for a Sloan Research Fellowship.
- A letter from a department head or other senior researcher officially nominating the candidate and describing his or her qualifications, initiative, and research (Note: Nominators must upload their letters of nomination through Interfolio.com. Click here for more information);
- The candidate's curriculum vitae (including a list of the candidates scientific publications;
- Two representative articles by the candidate;
- A brief (one-page) statement by the candidate describing his or her significant scientific work and immediate research plans.
- Three letters from other researchers (preferably not all from the same institution) written in support of the candidate’s nomination. (Note: Letter writers must upload their letters of support through Interfolio.com. Click here for more information.)
Nominated candidates are normally below the rank of associate professor and do not hold tenure, but these are not strict requirements.
In keeping with the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's longstanding support of underrepresented minorities in the sciences, the Foundation strongly encourages the nomination of qualified women and minority candidates.
Materials are submitted electronically through Interfolio.com. To be considered, candidates must submit all required materials, including nomination letters and all letters of support, no later than September 15, 2015.
Nominations are reviewed and candidates selected by a selection committee of three distinguished scientists in each eligible field. The committees review more than 700 nominations each year. Fellows are selected on the basis of their independent research accomplishments, creativity, and potential to become leaders in the scientific community through their contributions to their field.
Nomination Deadline
Nominations for the 2016 Sloan Research Fellowships will open in summer 2015. All nomination materials, including nomination letters and all letters of support, must be submitted online no later than 11:59PM EDT, September 15, 2015.
Terms of Awards
Sloan Research Fellowships are awarded for a two-year period; if unexpended funds remain at the end of two years, an extension of the termination date may be obtained. Extensions are limited to a maximum of two years. Funds remaining at the end of that period must be returned to the Foundation.
If a Fellow transfers to another eligible institution during the term of the Fellowship, the Foundation will transfer unexpended funds to the new institution.
The size of the award is $50,000 for the two-year period.
Funds are awarded directly to the Fellow's institution and may be used by the Fellow for such purposes as equipment, technical assistance, professional travel, trainee support, summer salary, or any other activity directly related to the Fellow's research. If used for summer salary, support is limited to a maximum of two-ninths of established academic salary. This summer research period is to be regarded as two full months.
Funds may not be used to augment an existing full-time salary or for indirect or overhead charges by the Fellow’s institution. Expenditures must be approved by the Fellow's department chair and must be in accord with the expenditure policies of the Fellow's institution.
Reporting Requirements
The Fellow's institution is required to report annually on expenditures from the Fellowship grant. The Fellow must submit a brief scientific progress report annually, followed by a final report. Reprints or preprints of scientific papers may be submitted in lieu of such reports.
This opportunity has expired. It was originally published here:
http://www.sloan.org/sloan-research-fellowships/