Grants / National Science Foundation / U.S. National Science Foundation

NSF 22-625: Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowships

Closed Closed Opportunity NSF 22-625 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Major Research Instrumentation Program: (MRI) (NSF 27-500). Status: Closes January 29, 2027 (83 days left). It is in our archive of U.S. National Science Foundation notices from 2025.

• Award floor$90,000
• Total funding$2.2 million
• Expected awards12
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeGrant

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to the applicants described in the notice.

• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

*Who May Submit Proposals: Proposals may only be submitted by the following: -<p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 10pt; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto;">Proposals must be submitted by individuals. NSF postdoctoral fellowships are awards to individuals not to institutions. However, the individuals must affiliate with an appropriate host institution (e.g. institutions of higher education, privately-sponsored nonprofit institutes and museums, government agencies and laboratories) anywhere in the world. *Who May Serve as PI: <p class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 5pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">An individual (also referred to as proposer)is eligible to submit a proposal to the NSF EAR Postdoctoral Fellowship program if all the following criteria are met:</span> <ul style="margin-top: 0in;" type="disc"> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 5pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Be U.S. citizens (or nationals) orpermanent residents of the United States (i.e., have a “green card”) at the time of proposal submission; </span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 5pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><span>Either currently be a graduate student or, at the deadline date, have served in a position requiring the doctoral degree for no more than 18 full-time-equivalent months since earning the degree;</span><br /></span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 5pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Must present a research plan that falls within thetheme of the solicitation and within research areas supported bythe Division of Earth Sciences disciplinary programsat NSF (</span><a href="http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=EAR"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; color: #3c75cf; font-size: 10pt; text-decoration: none; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-bidi-font-size: 11.0pt; text-underline: none;">http://www.nsf.gov/div/index.jsp?div=EAR</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">).Fellowship proposals that address questions at the intersections of several EAR disciplinary programs, such as interdisciplinary critical zone (CZ) science or topics related to Cooperative Studies of Earth’s Deep Interior (CSEDI), are also appropriate;</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 5pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: list .5in;"><span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Proposers are encouraged to expand the network of collaborators and implement the fellowship at an institution new to the proposer. However, proposers who choose to carry out the postdoctoral fellowship at the institution where they received their PhD or their current institution at the time of submission must meet thesethree conditions: (1) have been at this institution for at least 12 months at the time of submission; (2) present a strong justification and clearly explain the benefits of this choice to their research andprofessional developmentgoals; and (3) have two scientific mentors, one at the hosting institution and a second mentor at a different institution who is a new collaborator with the proposer;</span></li> <li class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin: 0in 0in 5pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; tab-stops: li

Is this a realistic fit?

• Most of the program's money (71% over five years) went to colleges and universities.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The Division of Earth Sciences (EAR) awards Postdoctoral Fellowships to recent recipients of doctoral degrees to conduct an integrated program of independent research and professional development. Fellowship proposals must address scientific questions within the scope of EAR disciplinary programs and must align with the overall theme for the postdoctoral program. Fellowship proposals that address questions at the intersections of several EAR disciplinary programs, such as interdisciplinary critical zone (CZ) science or topics related to Cooperative Studies of Earth’s Deep Interior (CSEDI), are also appropriate. The program supports researchers for a period of up to two years with fellowships that can be taken to the institution of their choice (including institutions abroad). The program is intended to recognize beginning investigators of significant potential, and provide them with research experience, mentorship, and training that will establish them in leadership positions in the Earth Sciences community. Because the fellowships are offered only to postdoctoral scientists early in their career, doctoral advisors are encouraged to discuss the availability of EAR postdoctoral fellowships with their graduate students early in their doctoral programs. Fellowships are awards to individuals, not institutions, and are administered by the Fellows. EAR has made it a priority to address challenges in creating an inclusive geoscience discipline through activities that increase belonging, accessibility, justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (BAJEDI). Proposers are encouraged to explicitly address this particular priority in their proposed activities. Proposers who are women, veterans, persons with disabilities, and underrepresented minorities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), or who have attended two-year colleges and minority-serving institutions for undergraduate or graduate school, or plan to conduct their fellowship activities at one of these institutions (e.g. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Tribal Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Alaska Native Serving Institutions, and Hawaiian Native and Pacific Islander Serving Institutions) are especially encouraged to apply.

Category: Science and Technology and other Research and Development.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, NSF 27-500, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.