Post on 04-Jan-2016
Postdoctoral Fellowships in Postdoctoral Fellowships in Polar Regions ResearchPolar Regions Research
The newest NSF postdoctoral fellowship program
Kathleen Flint
AAAS Science Policy Fellow
• Support innovative research• Foster next generation of polar
scientists • Broaden participation in polar science
• Encourage best practices in the community for a postdoctoral research experience
Program GoalsProgram Goals
Fellowship OverviewFellowship Overview
• Independent postdoctoral research in polar science
• Up to 3 years
• Includes: Salary, health insurance, research budget, fieldwork support
• U.S. host institution under mentorship of specified host scientist
Program InnovationsProgram Innovations
• Travel grants: independent award opportunity, supports travel to 1-2 prospective host institutions during fellowship proposal development
• Health insurance: the first NSF postdoctoral fellowship to provide an explicit health insurance allowance
• Fieldwork: fellowship proposals can include a fieldwork component, logistics funded in addition to standard stipends
• Mentoring Plan: host scientists must detail a mentoring plan for the postdoc as part of their letters of support
Latest DevelopmentsLatest Developments
• Travel grant deadline changed to rolling deadline
• Increasing publicity & outreach of program – but more work needed
• Developing an information handbook for use by Fellows and OPP
• 2nd competition is underway; 70% increase in number of proposals
The Faces of The Faces of OPP’s 1OPP’s 1stst Postdoc Postdoc
Fellows: 2004Fellows: 2004
Gregory Balco• Cosmogenic-nuclide geochronology
of glaciated surfaces in the upper Dry Valleys
• Sponsor: Howard Conway, Univ of Washington
Matthew Wallenstein• Seasonal variability of the soil
microbial communities responsible for decomposition of the arctic tundra carbon pool
• Sponsor: Josh Schimel, UC Santa Barbara
Nate Bickford • Habitat use and life
history of fish in the eastern Bering Sea
Kenia Whitehead • Global patterns of gene expression and regulation
in response to UV radiation and low temperature stress
• Sponsors: Nitin Baliga, Institute of Systems Biology & Ferran Garcia-Pichel, Arizona State Univ
• Sponsor: Brenda Norcross, Univ of Alaska Fairbanks
Brook Nunn • The effects of iron supply on the size,
composition and bioavailability of dissolved organic carbon from Phaeocystis antarctica
• Host: David Goodlett, Univ of Washington
Bradley Buckley • Genomics of Antarctic notothenioids, an
extremely cold-tolerant group of perch-like fish
• Host: George Somero, Stanford
Program EvaluationProgram Evaluation3-year review period Decide renewal
late 2006
• Should we continue beyond Year 3?
• How do we evaluate its success?– Will it have met its goals?
• Changed community overall? (e.g. broadened participation? new polar scientists?)
• Individual Fellow successes? (e.g. jobs? publications?)
– Other metrics?