Science Policy Fellowship
The Gulf Research Program’s Science Policy Fellowship program helps scientists hone their skills by putting them to practice for the benefit of Gulf Coast communities and ecosystems. Fellows gain first-hand experience at the interface of science and policy as they spend one year on the staff of federal, state, local, or non-governmental environmental, natural resource, oil and gas, and public health agencies in the Gulf of Mexico region.
With the guidance of a mentor, fellows delve into activities like research, evaluation, restoration planning, stakeholder outreach, and policy development and learn what it takes to make scientific information not just useful but useable. Meanwhile, host offices get a talented technical expert with a fresh perspective and a new network of contacts across the Gulf of Mexico region.
Get to know the work of our current and past Science Policy Fellows.
What are the benefits of the fellowship?
Detailed information can be found in the terms of the Science Policy Fellowship.
Stipend
Fellows who have completed an MA, MS, or MPH/MSPH degree or who are currently enrolled in a doctoral program will receive an annual stipend of $45,000. Fellows who have completed a PhD, ScD, EngD, MD, DrPH, or DVM will receive an annual stipend of $55,000. Stipends will be paid directly to the fellow in monthly disbursements.
Professional development
Fellows will receive up to $5,000 in additional support as reimbursement for tuition and/or fees for professional development courses and activities or for professional travel related to their host office duties.
Additional funding
All fellows will attend an orientation in Washington, D.C., in September 2018 and the Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill and Ecosystem Science Conference in New Orleans in February 2019. Travel expenses for these events will be covered by the Gulf Research Program; they are in addition to the fellowship stipend and professional development support.
Am I eligible?
Applicants must:
- Hold an eligible degree, including MA/MS, MPH/MSPH, PhD, ScD, EngD, MD, DrPH, and DVM. Eligible degrees must be completed by August 15, 2018, and conferred by December 31, 2018.
- Come from an area of research including social and behavioral sciences, health sciences and medicine, engineering and physical sciences, earth and life sciences, and interdisciplinary scientific fields relevant to one or more initiatives of the Gulf Research Program.
- Be involved in graduate work relating to one or more initiatives of the Gulf Research Program.
- Be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or lawful permanent resident.
- Not be currently employed by the U.S. federal government. Full-time, paid, permanent federal employees are not eligible for the fellowship.
Finalists are selected based on a set of review criteria and we encourage applicants to read the criteria carefully. Factors that contribute to an applicant’s likelihood for success include:
- Recognition that the relationship between science and policy is not a one-way street. In other words, evidence of a strong interest in both applying science to public policy and decision making and incorporating public policy experience into their scientific work. Prior direct public policy experience is valued but not required.
- A strong scientific and technical background and superior academic achievement.
- Experience or demonstrated willingness to work in an interdisciplinary field or participate in interdisciplinary collaborations.
- Effective verbal and written communication to both scientific and non-scientific audiences. (Once placed in host offices, applicants will be communicating with peers, senior colleagues, and external stakeholders in a wide range of settings.)
- The initiative, creativity, organization, and interpersonal skills needed to help ensure projects, teams, or individuals accomplish their goals and achieve successful outcomes, whether small or large.
Applications can be submitted through our online application system.
| Key Dates December 1, 2017: Applications open March 14, 2018 5:00 PM ET: Application deadline April 2018: Finalist interviews, selection of fellows May 2018: Host office interviews & placement June 2018: All applicants notified of funding decisions September 1, 2018: Fellowships begin |
Required application materials:
- Your resume or CV (5 pages or fewer).
- A series of personal essays (totaling up to 1,750 words) that respond to the following prompts:
- Explain your graduate research using language a non-scientist will understand. (500 words)
- Describe how your past work or research is relevant to one of the initiatives of the Gulf Research Program: Healthy Ecosystems, Thriving Communities, or Safer Offshore Energy Systems. (500 words)
- Describe a time when you helped to ensure a project or team accomplished its goals or achieved a successful outcome. (250 words)
- Describe how this fellowship will help you achieve your professional goals. (500 words)
- Two letters of recommendation. We encourage applicants to choose references who know you well and can provide reviewers with insights about your experience, skills, and abilities beyond what can already be gleaned from your resume/CV.
All application materials, including the letters of recommendation, must be submitted through our online application system by March 14, 2018, at 5:00 PM ET. If you have difficulties submitting materials through our online application system, contact us at GulfFellowships@nas.edu.
References
Once you have created an account and started an application, you can enter the contact information for your two references. The system will generate an email to the references with instructions for logging in and uploading letters of recommendation. We encourage applicants to complete this task as soon as possible because final applications cannot be submitted until all reference letters have been uploaded. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
Once the application deadline has passed, all written applications are reviewed by at least three reviewers. Before submitting an application, we encourage you to familiarize yourself with the review criteria and the terms of the fellowship.
In addition to reviewer comments, the Gulf Research Program will be considering how applicants fit into our overall goals as well as balancing fellows across scientific disciplines.
Top applicants will be interviewed by phone for the final stage of the selection process. Applicants selected for a finalist interview will be notified in April 2018.
Up to ten fellows will be selected in 2018. All applicants will be notified of final award decisions by June 2018.
How are fellows paired with host offices?
Interviews
Once selected for the fellowship, fellows will participate in a month-long process to match with their host offices. In May 2018 fellows will be provided information about hosting offices, including a list of host offices, contact information, and a description of the potential projects fellows will take on during the fellowship year. Fellows will reach out on their own to set up interviews with the host office mentors; Gulf Research Program fellowships staff are not responsible for scheduling interviews.
Host offices are located in each of the five Gulf states and may be federal, state, or local government agencies or non-governmental organizations. We encourage fellows to interview with as many host offices as possible to get a full sense of the range of options. Interviews are intended to give both fellows and hosts a sense of how well they might work together, identify shared interests and goals, and serve as an initial first step in future collaboration. To see where fellows could be placed, view a list of potential 2018 host offices.
Matching
After the interview period, both fellows and hosts submit their top five choices for placement to the Gulf Research Program fellowships staff. Although we work hard to try to match everyone according to their preferences and needs, we cannot guarantee that everyone will receive their first choice.
Host offices
The Gulf Research Program identifies host offices, meaning applicants do not need to self-identify their potential host office. However, if you know of an organization who would like to serve as a host office, please encourage them to fill out a host office interest form. Please note that volunteering to serve as a host office is not a guarantee of being selected, and suggesting a host office does not guarantee an applicant will be awarded a fellowship or a fellow will be placed in that host office.
Questions?
Send questions about the fellowship to GulfFellowships@nas.edu