national science foundation graduate research fellowships

Graduate Research Fellowship Program

What is GRFP?

Fellowship benefits.

• Five year fellowship period with three years of financial support
• Annual stipend of $37,000
• Cost-of-education allowance of $16,000 to the institution
• No post-graduate study service requirement
• Access to supplemental funding to sustain research while on medical deferral (e.g. family leave)

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Am I Eligible ?

To be eligible for the NSF GRFP, you must:

• be a US citizen, US national, or permanent resident
• intend to pursue a research-based Master’s or Ph.D. program in a GRFP-supported field
• be enrolled in an eligible program at an accredited United States graduate institution, with a US campus, by fall following selection
• be at an early stage in your graduate career
• have completed no more than one academic year of full-time graduate study (or the equivalent)
• Graduate students are limited to only one application to the GRFP, submitted either in the first year or in the second year of graduate school

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What's My Level?

Application level selection.

The GRFP Application requires you to select the academic level that best describes the stage of your academic career. Use the GRFP Academic Level Questionnaire to help you select the appropriate academic level in your application. Levels are determined as follows:

Level 1. You have not previously enrolled in a graduate degree-granting program, but plan to start graduate study next fall. Includes undergraduates in the final year of a bachelor’s degree program and individuals who previously earned a bachelor’s degree.

Level 2. First year graduate student currently enrolled in a graduate degree-granting program, who has never applied to GRFP before as a graduate student or returning graduate student, or a student currently enrolled in a joint bachelor’s-master’s degree program (must have completed three academic years in program).

Level 3. Second year graduate student who has completed no more than one academic year of graduate study while enrolled in any graduate degree-granting program, does not have a graduate degree, and has never applied to GRFP before as a graduate student or returning graduate student.

Level 4. Returning graduate student who is not currently enrolled in a degree-granting program, and may have more than one academic year in a graduate-degree granting program and/or a master’s or professional degree, followed by an interruption of at least two years just prior to the GRFP application deadline. Note: address the reasons for the interruption and why you should be considered to be in the early stages of your graduate education in the Personal, Relevant Background and Future Goals Statement.

GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated the potential to be high achieving scientists and engineers, early in their careers. Applicants must be pursuing full-time research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education at accredited US institutions.

• Oct. 17, 2022 - Life Sciences
• Oct. 18, 2022 - Computer and Information Science and Engineering, Materials Research, Psychology, Social Sciences, STEM Education and Learning
• Oct. 20, 2022 - Engineering
• Oct. 21, 2022 - Chemistry, Geosciences, Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy
• Oct. 28, 2022 - 5:00 PM ET
• Aug. 31, 2022 - 11:15 AM to 1:15 PM ET Info for Applicants Webinar 1
• Sept. 21, 2022 - 11:15 AM to 1:15 PM ET Info for Applicants Webinar 2
• Sept. 28, 2022 - 11:15 AM to 1:15 PM ET Reading the Fine Points of the GRFP Solicitation Webinar

NSF welcomes scientists and engineers to serve as reviewers of GRFP applications. Serving as a GRFP Reviewer is an excellent opportunity to apply your research and career expertise to help identify future science and engineering leaders.

• Sep. 15, 2022 - 5:00 PM ET
• Nov. 1, 2022 - 11AM to 1 PM ET Reviewer Training Webinar #1
• Nov. 4, 2022 - 2 PM to 4 PM ET Reviewer Training Webinar #2
• Nov. 10, 2022 - 2 PM to 4 PM ET Reviewer Training Webinar #3
• Nov. 15, 2022 - 2 PM to 4 PM ET Reviewer Training Webinar #4

Reference Writers

Reference letters are a key component of a strong GRFP application package. The most effective reference letters provide detailed and specific information about how an applicant meets the NSF Merit Review Criteria of Intellectual Merit and Broader Impacts.

• Oct. 5, 2022 - 11:15 AM to 1:15 PM ET Info for Reference Writers & Research Mentors
• Oct. 6, 2022 - 11 AM to 1 PM ET Reference Writers Webinar

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships

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Up to three years of financial support for students pursuing doctoral studies in science, engineering, mathematics and social sciences

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships (NSF GRFP) recognize and support outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. Supported fields also include many social science disciplines, such as Psychology, International Relations, Economics, Sociology, Public Policy, and many more . Fellows benefit from a generous three-year annual living stipend of along with an allowance for tuition and fees, opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education they choose.

NSF Fellows are expected to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering. Applications will be reviewed by panels of disciplinary and interdisciplinary scientists, mathematicians, engineers, and other professional experts in graduate education. Each application is reviewed independently on the basis of merit using all available information in the completed application, paying special attention to both intellectual merit and broader impact review criteria.

A video presentation on details of the program, and the application process, is available and may be downloaded in PDF format . Please see the GRFP Solicitation NSF 20-587 for more details on the program.

Important Changes to the 2023 Application

• Currently enrolled second-year graduate students are strongly advised to provide official Registrar-issued transcripts as part of their application.
• Reference letter writers must use the Research.gov/GRFP site ( https://www.research.gov/grfp/Login.do ) to register in Research.gov and submit reference letters through the Reference Letter System. Reference letters are due October 27 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time (ET).
• Applicants and reference letter writers requiring accessibility accommodation are asked to notify the GRF Operations Center at least four weeks before the deadline to coordinate assistance with NSF in submitting the application or reference letter.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for NSF 20-587, Applicants to FY 2021 Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)

ELIGIBILITY

To be eligible for the NSF GRFP, you must:

• be a US citizen, US national, or permanent resident;
• intend to pursue a research-based Master's or Ph.D. program in a GRFP-supported field;
• be enrolled in an eligible program at an accredited United States graduate institution, with a US campus, by fall following selection;
• be at an early stage in your graduate career;
• have completed no more than one academic year of full-time graduate study (or the equivalent);
• Graduate students are limited to only one application to the GRFP, submitted either in the first year or in the second year of graduate school.

NSF GRF Formatting

As of August 2020, NSF has changed some of the formatting for GRF statements this year. The required formatting is now:

• Standard 8.5" x 11" page size
• Times New Roman font for all text, Cambria Math font for equations, Symbol font for non-alphabetic characters (it is recommended that equations and symbols be inserted as an image), no smaller than 11-point, except text that is part of an image
• 1" margins on all sides, no text inside 1" margins (no header, footer, name, or page number)
• No less than single-spacing (approximately 6 lines per inch). Do not use line spacing options such as "exactly 11 point," that are less than single spaced.

Please see the NSF website for additional information.

Dates & Deadlines

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National science foundation graduate research fellowship program, general information.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships (GRFP) provide support for outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in fields within NSF’s mission. The GRFP provides up to three years of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant achievements in the fields of science, technology, mathematics, and engineering.

U.S. citizens, nationals or permanent residents who are in the early stages of their graduate study are eligible to apply during the senior year of college, prior to or during the first year of graduate school, or prior to completing the fall term of the second year of graduate school.  

The GRFP encourages applications from underrepresented groups—including women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans—in order to broaden and diversify those participating in science and engineering.

National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship (NSF-GRFP) Information Session

Check back for updates. 

NSF-GRFP Writing Workshops

Application deadlines.

Nine Pitt Students Awarded 2019 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships

Nine University of Pittsburgh students were awarded a 2019 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Seven Pitt students and one alumnus also earned an honorable mention. 

University of Pittsburgh NSF-GRFP Fellows and Honorable Mentions

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• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

What is the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program?

The purpose of the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master's and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) or in STEM education. 

NSF actively encourages women, persons who are members of groups historically underrepresented in STEM, persons with disabilities, and veterans to apply. NSF GRFP was established to recruit and support individuals who demonstrate the potential to make significant contributions in STEM. Thus, NSF especially encourages applications from undergraduate seniors and Bachelor's degree-holders interested in pursuing research-based graduate study in STEM. First- and second-year graduate students in eligible STEM fields and degree programs are also encouraged to apply.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

The GRFP lists eligibility requirements in its program solicitation , beginning on page 2.

What is the award?

The GRFP provides three years of support over a five-year fellowship period for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements in STEM or STEM education. 

HOW DO I APPLY?

Students apply directly through the GRFP Application Module .

WHAT IS THE APPLICATION WINDOW?

The deadline is 5:00 p.m. local time of the applicant's mailing address. The date varies by discipline ( see website and/or program solicitation for due dates).

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Contact GRF Operations Center  Telephone: (866) 673-4737  Email: [email protected]

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National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP)

Holly Boulia

Cornell Affiliations:

Graduate School

Learn more about the NSF GRFP.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) supports graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master's and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. The fellowship provides a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 per 12-month year.

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National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship

Who Can Apply:  US Citizens, Permanent Residents – Graduating Seniors, Recent Grads, Graduate Students (who have not yet completed the first term of their second year of graduate study)

Description:  The purpose of the Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to ensure the vitality of the scientific and technological workforce in the United States and to reinforce its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in the relevant science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees. NSF Fellows are expected to become knowledge experts who can contribute significantly to research, teaching, and innovations in science and engineering.

Fellowships are awarded for graduate study leading to research-based master’s or doctoral degrees in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics supported by the National Science Foundation (See NSF  Fields of Study List ).

Award Amount:  Each Fellowship provides three years of support over a five-year fellowship period. For each of the three years of support, NSF provides a $37,000 stipend and $16,000 cost of education allowance to the graduate degree-granting institution of higher education for each Fellow who uses the support in a fellowship year.  The Fellowship is portable and can be transferred to a different institution of higher education if a Fellow chooses to transfer to another institution after completion of the first Fellowship year.  While the Fellowship is offered to the individual, the Fellowship funds are awarded to the institution of higher education at which a Fellow is enrolled and the institution is responsible for disbursement of the stipend to the Fellow.

Duration:  All awards will be for a maximum of three years usable over a five-year period.

National Deadlines: Must be received by 5:00 pm local time of applicant's mailing address.

NSF Graduate Research Fellowships are intended for individuals beginning in the early stages of their graduate study. Applicants may pursue graduate study at an institution in the United States or affiliate with a foreign institution. Prospective Fellows are responsible for all logistical arrangements required for affiliation with the foreign institution, including handling living arrangements and securing any necessary passports or visas.

Program Preferences:  The Graduate Research Fellowship Program supports a comprehensive holistic plan for graduate education and takes into account the individual interests and competencies of the Fellows. Thus, an applicant must provide a detailed profile of his or her relevant educational and research experiences and plans for graduate education in such a way as to demonstrate the potential to become an emerging knowledge expert in STEM disciplines.

Three Earn National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships

Three Syracuse University students have been awarded prestigious graduate research fellowships through the National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP), and two students have been recognized with honorable mentions.

The fellowship recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in the U.S. The five-year fellowship includes three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $37,000 and a $16,000 educational allowance.

The 2024 recipients of the NSF GRFP are the following:

• Edward (Cole) Fluker, a senior chemical engineering major in the College of Engineering and Computer Science (ECS). Fluker will be joining the Ph.D. program in chemical and biomolecular engineering at the University of Pennsylvania upon graduation.
• Dan Paradiso, a second-year Ph.D. student in physics in the College of Arts and Sciences.
• Melissa Yeung, a first-year Ph.D. student in mechanical and aerospace engineering in ECS.

  Edward (Cole) Fluker

Fluker, who was recently named a University Scholar, initially got involved in research in his sophomore year and took on his first significant research project the following summer. Through the University’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) program, he worked under Ian Hosein, associate professor of biomedical and chemical engineering, analyzing a gel polymer electrolyte system as an alternative to liquid electrolytes in calcium-ion batteries. The research resulted in a paper, on which Fluker was first author, in the American Chemical Society’s Journal of Physical Chemistry.

That experience led him to pursue more research opportunities in energy storage. In summer 2023, he completed the Internet of Things for Precision Agriculture REU at the University of Pennsylvania, where he studied the power and energy performance of aluminum air batteries (AABs) with Ag-based cathodes.

“By the end of the project, I had successfully fabricated cathodes that resulted in power performance of 70% of the commercial option at less than 1/4,000th of the cost,” Fluker says. “I was especially interested in creative efforts to improve efficient agricultural practices, and I hope to continue contributing to them while at UPenn.”

Fluker says the NSF GRFP will give him financial resources to help broaden his research to be more sustainable and inclusive. “There is a severe underrepresentation of Black students pursuing advanced degrees, and I believe this program will help me launch a pipeline program for African American students to support their advanced degree aspirations,” he says. “On top of my research goals committed to next generation energy storage, I want to pave a path for underrepresented students that opens doors they never thought were meant for them.”

Dan Paradiso

Paradiso’s research is focused on the deaths of massive stars in the universe, known as core-collapse supernovae. These stars, which have masses of around 10 to 100 times the mass of the sun, end their life in a cataclysmic and explosive death that produces light that can be detected with ground and space-based telescopes. Decades of research, however, suggests that not all stars that undergo core-collapse result in a successful explosion and instead the star can continue to implode until a black hole is formed. These events are referred to as failed supernovae, and it is estimated that approximately 20-30% of stars that undergo core-collapse result in a failed supernova.

“In my research I focus on the dynamics of shockwaves, which are ubiquitous with core-collapse supernova physics, using analytical and numerical methods to understand these failed supernova explosions,” Paradiso says. “I then use these techniques to make predictions about observable properties of failed and sub-energetic explosions.”

“As a second-year graduate student, the generous support from the GRFP is very welcome, and I am excited to continue my research with this support,” he says.

  Melissa Yeung

Yeung works in the fluid dynamics lab of Yiyang Sun, assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering, where she focuses on supersonic jet engines.

High noise levels have always been associated with supersonic aircraft, restricting their flight range to over sea. “The goal of my work is to alleviate the undesired features through strategically placed small micro-jets of air. I am currently focused on optimizing these micro-jets such that they can continuously modulate themselves to adapt to various flight conditions. By doing so, the flow can be controlled even in off-design conditions and with minimal energy input,” Yeung says. “Understanding these complex flow physics is vital for the development of next-generation high-performance aircraft. Successfully controlling this flow can improve upon the aircraft’s performance and ensure the safety of nearby workers or civilians. This work is one of many steps in pushing supersonic flight for commercial use.”

Yeung says the GRFP fellowship will allow her more flexibility in her research direction, fund her research activities and allow her to attend more conferences.

Yeung also notes the tremendous amount of support she received from Sun, Professor Emeritus Mark Glauser and Gina Lee-Glauser, retired vice president for research, throughout the application process. “Their guidance has been crucial to my success and without them I would have not have the honor of being an NSF GRFP recipient, she says.

Nicholas Rubino and Elizabeth Su

Two students also received honorable mentions in this year’s NSF GRFP competition. Nicholas Rubino, a second-year Ph.D. student in mechanical and aerospace engineering in ECS who is researching robotic devices for physical rehabilitation, and Elizabeth Su, a senior graduating with a bachelor’s degree in bioengineering and neuroscience from the College of Arts and Sciences. Su will pursue a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering at Purdue University, researching enhanced visual prosthetics.

The CFSA will hold an NSF GRFP virtual writing bootcamp the week of June 10-14. The bootcamp is for rising seniors and first- and second-year graduate students who are eligible for and plan to apply for the NSF GRFP this fall.

Students interested in learning more about or applying for the next NSF GRFP award cycle or any other nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships should visit the  CFSA website  or email  [email protected]  for more information.

Kelly Rodoski

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Four vcu students and two recent alums selected for prestigious national science foundation funding, the graduate research fellowship program supports their advancement in stem disciplines..

May 1, 2024

By William Lineberry University College & Honors College

Four Virginia Commonwealth University students and two recent alums have been selected for the  National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program , a prestigious national initiative that helps graduate students advance their studies in STEM-based disciplines.

The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support, including an annual stipend of $37,000 and a cost-of-education allowance of $16,000 to the institution. Fellows must be pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree at an accredited institution.

“Congratulations to our students and alumni on this incredible achievement,” said  P. Srirama Rao , Ph.D., VCU’s vice president for research and innovation. “The VCU research enterprise has been experiencing exponential growth, and our students have a big role to play in that success. These six awards are further proof that the research conducted by our students is not only important but some of the best in the nation.”

The four current VCU students honored as NSF Graduate Research Fellows for 2024 are:

• Gabriella Daire , an undergraduate senior graduating this spring from the  Honors College  with a biology degree from the  College of Humanities and Sciences .
• Trevor Franklin , a doctoral student in  mechanical and nuclear engineering  (working with  Lane Carasik , Ph.D.) in the  College of Engineering .

• Hannah Heintz , a doctoral student in  psychology  (working with  Annie Haynos , Ph.D.) in the College of Humanities and Sciences.
• Kelly Ott , a doctoral student and Honors College alum in  biomedical engineering  (working with  Jennifer Puetzer , Ph.D.) in the College of Engineering.

The two recent alums honored as NSF Graduate Research Fellows for 2024 are:

• Catherine Lamb , an Honors College alum who graduated in 2018 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology from the College of Humanities and Sciences.
• Caitlin Terry , an Honors College alum who graduated in May 2022 with biology and chemistry degrees from the College of Humanities and Sciences.

“It has been exciting and rewarding to work with more and more of our graduating seniors and graduate students on their applications for the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship – their research is incredible, and they are truly moving mountains, both within and beyond their labs,” said Meredith Sisson, associate director of VCU’s  National Scholarship Office , which is based in the Honors College. “That our students are increasingly competitive for awards like the GRF is a natural result of VCU’s growing focus on and success in research, innovation and transformative learning. The National Scholarship Office is delighted to be part of this growth.”

VCU’s National Scholarship Office assists students and alumni with applying for prestigious national and international scholarships. To learn more about opportunities, visit the  NSO website  and schedule an appointment.

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• Northwestern Engineering

Six Students Awarded NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

The five-year fellowship is awarded to outstanding students pursuing a graduate degree in stem.

Northwestern Engineering PhD students Mandi Cai, Melissa Chen, Lawrence Chillrud, Fiona Neylon, and Essien Taylor, and undergraduate student Carolyn Zou in Northwestern’s School of Communication, have been awarded National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowships in recognition of their demonstrated potential for significant research achievements.

The highly selective Graduate Research Fellowship program awards a five-year fellowship to outstanding individuals pursuing a full-time, research-based graduate degree in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines. The students will receive three years of financial support, including an annual stipend.

Prior to joining Northwestern, Cai was a data journalist at The Texas Tribune . Her award-winning work with editors Darla Cameron and Chris Essig inspired Cai’s curiosity about data visualizations in the media and shaped her current research focus.

“This fellowship provides me with the support to investigate all the big, pressing questions I had while working as a data journalist — ‘how is data journalism supporting the public’s ability to understand and interact with data, data visualizations, and statistical models in news coverage around high-profile topics like COVID-19 and elections? How do audiences understand and trust this coverage?’” Cai said.

Leading up to the November elections, she is investigating public perceptions around the use of data and statistical modeling in elections coverage, with a particular focus on the communication of live election results and winner projections. Cai and her collaborators — Kay and Erik Nisbet , Owen L. Coon Endowed Professor of Policy Analysis, and Communication — aim to determine participants’ baseline level of understanding, points of confusion, and degree of distrust toward winner projections in US elections. Using this data, the team will design and test alternative explanations of projections to improve user understanding and synthesize techniques for newsrooms to effectively communicate data-driven models.

“Ultimately, I wish to empower data journalists to be data educators who can consider the unique needs of their reader populations,” Cai said. “I also seek to empower readers to understand data they encounter in everyday life. More public data and statistical literacy supports individuals in evaluating and interrogating data as it is used to guide decisions or fuel algorithms.”

Melissa Chen

Chen studies students’ self-efficacy — or a person's belief in their ability to complete a task or achieve a goal — in introductory computing courses.

Building on research by O’Rourke and Jamie Gorson (PhD ’22), a graduate of the joint PhD program in Computer Science and Learning Sciences , Chen is examining students’ self-assessments during the process of learning programming and the tendency for novice programming students to be self-critical. Chen wants to understand how students with lower self-efficacy are influenced by personal experiences and interactions with the computing community and aims to design scalable systems that help students adjust their self-assessment criteria to be more aligned with what is expected of them as computing learners.

“Self-efficacy has an impact on students’ decisions to persist in computing,” Chen said. “By gaining a better understanding of how to improve and build self-efficacy, I hope to be able to equitably support students so that they feel confident learning and using their computing skills in their everyday lives.”

Supported by a 2023-24 Design Cluster research fellowship, Chen is also working on a related project with O’Rourke and Duri Long , assistant professor of communication studies in the School of Communication and (by courtesy) assistant professor of computer science at Northwestern Engineering. The team is designing a socially situated, small-group intervention to help students reframe their self-assessments and improve their self-efficacy. They plan to work with students to determine how to make the interventions scalable.

Lawrence Chillrud

Chillrud is developing machine learning methods for applications in biomedical imaging. He aims to create robust uncertainty quantification techniques for medical imaging models and to design reliable algorithms that can assist doctors and patients in making informed decisions.

“Knowing when to trust these complex predictive models in high-stakes clinical settings is of critical importance,” Chillrud said. “If a model could reliably estimate its case-by-case uncertainty, clinicians could have a better understanding of how to integrate model predictions in data-driven decision-making, and patients could be better informed and in control of their disease and treatment plan.”

Chillrud is working on two research projects. In his radiological work, he is developing models that seek to predict the presence or absence of important brain tumor biomarkers in a patient’s MRI scan. In pathology, Chillrud is investigating computational techniques to help renal pathologists identify patients most at risk of kidney transplant failure.

Chillrud earned a bachelor’s degree in computer science from Columbia University in 2020. Prior to joining Northwestern, Chillrud was a senior programmer in the Department of Environmental Health Sciences at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health. His research into the development of interpretable machine learning methods for assessing complex mixtures of environmental exposures in epidemiological studies with mentor Marianthi-Anna Kioumourtzoglou ignited Chillrud’s passion for research and inspired him to pursue a PhD.

“I feel tremendously lucky to have been awarded the fellowship and believe that it speaks more to the exceptional support and mentorship I have received over the years from advisers, colleagues, teachers, friends, and family, than it does say anything about me personally,” Chillrud said. “I am also hugely grateful to the NSF for their support during this early and exciting stage of my career.

Katsaggelos is the Joseph Cummings Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering and (by courtesy) professor of computer Science at Northwestern Engineering and professor of radiology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine . Cooper is the director of the Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Medicine’s Center for Computational Imaging and Signal Analytics in Medicine and associate professor of pathology and preventive medicine at Feinberg and (by courtesy) associate professor of electrical and computer engineering.

Fiona Neylon

Neylon’s research interests lie in human-robot interaction in the medical, rehabilitation, and assistive spheres. Drawing from her own prolonged rehabilitation experience during high school after a near-total spinal fusion, she aims to develop tools that clinicians and patients can use to improve overall quality of life.

“Having normal function one day and limited the next made me understand the importance of independence and improving the quality of life for all,” Neylon said. “I’m thankful for being in the unique position of pairing that experience with my technical training to make me the researcher I am today — one motivated to improve the lives of individuals through robotic and assistive solutions.”

After joining Argall’s Assistive and Rehabilitation Robotics Laboratory (argallab) at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab in 2022, Neylon began working with the argallab’s assistive robotic arm project team on developing a body-machine interface for customized control. The group is studying the learning effects of individuals with spinal cord injuries to control a seven-degree-of-freedom robotic arm via a shared control training paradigm.

“Receiving the fellowship is an incredible honor and is not only validation of the dedication I’ve put into my academic and research pursuits, but also a testament to the support of my mentors,” Neylon said.

Essien Taylor

Taylor investigates computer architecture and aims to reduce energy consumption in power-constrained embedded systems, including electronic medical implants and mobile phones.

“Understanding the energy consumption of microprocessors requires detailed models that take a large amount of time and labor to create,” Taylor said. “My current work will generate these complex models in a fraction of the time and effort, allowing us to rapidly explore countless research avenues.”

In 2023, the financial support of his GEM Fellowship afforded Taylor the opportunity to intern with Cadence Design Systems Inc., which aided his approach to electronics design.

Taylor is also a member of the Karsh STEM Scholars Program at Howard University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering. The program provides full scholarships for undergraduate students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines and support for underrepresented minorities completing graduate programs in STEM.

“My experience as a Karsh STEM Scholar at Howard University was crucial in developing my passion for research,” Taylor said.

Carolyn Zou

Zou builds AI tools that support the design of resilient social systems. Leveraging generative language models, her goal is to create ‘agents’ that faithfully represent the people that populate complex social systems.

“Simulations with these agents can reflect the contingent dynamics of social influence and interaction, and prototyping with populated systems allows decision-makers to assess the anticipated effects of, and iterate on, prosocial interventions,” Zou said.

This fall, Zou will join the PhD program in computer science at Stanford University, supported by both the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship and a Stanford Graduate Fellowship.

"I am immensely grateful for the NSF's support as I begin my graduate studies. This recognition is a testament to the incredible mentorship I've received at Northwestern and truly speaks to the opportunities afforded by the wide reach of human-computer interaction research across the University,” Zou said. “Northwestern's interdisciplinary environment allowed me to pursue HCI research from a starting point in the social sciences while developing the technical skills to prepare me for a PhD in computer science, and I look forward to bringing this unique perspective to my future work in human-AI interaction."

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Four from UB receive NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

By Charles Anzalone

Release Date: May 7, 2024

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Three University at Buffalo students and one alumna have received prestigious National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) scholarships.

Two alumni and one current students received honorable mentions.

The latest awards continue UB’s success in placing its students as winners in the GRFP scholarship program. Launched in 1952, the GRFP represents the oldest continuous investment in the nation’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) workforce. As one of the most competitive scholastic programs in the U.S., it recruits high-potential, early-career scientists and engineers, and supports their graduate research training.

“The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship is a great recognition of the recipients’ accomplishments,” says Ashlee N. Ford Versypt, associate professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering, and faculty fellow for NSF GRFP at UB. “Their potential for further impacts in their fields of research is a reflection of the outstanding research environment at UB.

“Additionally, Ariel Lighty, one of this year’s recipients, is a graduate student in my lab, which is very exciting personally.”

The UB students and recent graduates who received the GRFP are:

Lauren Heinzinger (Scarsdale, New York)

Heinzinger graduated from UB in 2021 with a BS in biological sciences and a BA in English and psychology. While at UB, she was a National Institutes of Health Undergraduate Scholarship Program (NIH UGSP) recipient and a Ronald E. McNair Scholar. After earning her bachelor’s degree, she worked at the NIH as a postbaccalaureate research fellow for two and a half years. In the fall, she will pursue a PhD in microbiology and immunology at the University of Michigan as a Rackham Merit Fellow. Heinzinger’s basic and translational research interests include host-pathogen interactions and bacterial pathogenesis.

Luke Hess (Grand Island, New York)

Hess graduates from UB this spring with a BS in biochemistry and will pursue a PhD in cancer biology at the University of Michigan. He conducted research in biochemistry professor Jennifer Surtees’s lab at UB and at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center under Katerina Gurova. His research pertains to understanding genomic instability and characterizing next-generation chemotherapies, called chromatin damaging agents. Hess has also served as a Civic Engagement Alternative Break team leader, Ready-Set-Buffalo team leader and is an academic tutor.

Ariel Lighty (Bremerton, Washington)

Ariel Lighty is a first-generation student and UB Schomburg Fellow pursuing a PhD in chemical and biological engineering. Her PhD research focuses on understanding the effects of aging and diet on gut health using mathematical models, and she hopes to continue advancing biomedical sciences through data-driven and mechanistic models after graduating.

Sarah MacDougall (New York, New York)

MacDougall is completing her master’s degree in linguistics and will pursue her PhD in psychology at UB in the fall focusing on language processing and cognition. A former music major, she took a winding path and eventually got her undergraduate degree in psychology from Purdue University before pursuing graduate studies at UB.

One current UB student and two alumni received honorable mention:

• Leah Maykish  received a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering at Ohio State University in 2015 is pursuing a PhD in engineering education at UB.
• Julia Shapiro  received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from UB in 2022. She will receive her master’s degree in mathematics from Virginia Tech this semester and will continue on at Virginia Tech to earn a PhD in mathematics.
• Matthew Simkulet  graduated from UB in 2022 with a bachelor’s of science degree in biomedical engineering and a mathematics minor. He is currently pursuing his PhD in biomedical engineering at Boston University.

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Charles Anzalone News Content Manager Educational Opportunity Center, Law, Nursing, Honors College, Student Activities Tel: 716-645-4600 [email protected]

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National science foundation graduate research fellowship information session.

Wed, May 22 2024, 1 - 2pm

GRFP recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who have demonstrated the potential to be high achieving scientists and engineers. Applicants must be pursuing full-time research-based master's and doctoral degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics or in STEM education at accredited U.S. institutions. Applicants must be a U.S. citizen, national or permanent resident.

Join us for an overview of the application process and for application tips. Please check your eligibility prior to attending a session.

Please register to receive the Zoom link.

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Stockham, ovalle earn nsf graduate research fellowships.

May 6, 2024 · 2 min read

Stockham, Ovalle earn NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Two University of Nebraska–Lincoln graduate students have been offered 2024 Graduate Research Fellowships from the National Science Foundation.

The program, the oldest graduate fellowship of its kind, helps ensure the vitality of the human resource base of science and engineering in the United States and reinforces its diversity. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students in NSF-supported science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees at accredited U.S. institutions. The fellowship provides the student with a $37,000 stipend and $12,000 cost of education allowance for each of three years, as well as access to opportunities for professional development.

The university’s 2024 award recipients are below.

Sophia Stockham , of Wauseon, Ohio, is pursuing a doctoral degree in political science under the guidance of Alice Kang. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and communication from Bowling Green State University. Her research interests lie in human rights, with a focus on women’s representation. Stockham received the NSF funding to support her work on the passage of informed consent laws for pelvic exams. She is passionate about advocating for greater representation of women in government and health care policy.

Xavier Ovalle (he/they) is a master’s student in the Hebets Lab in the School of Biological Sciences, under the mentorship of Eileen Hebets. He was born and raised in Tampa, Florida, and is a first-generation American and college graduate. They earned their bachelor’s degree in biology at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky. Ovalle has researched different invertebrate groups, most prominently the semi-aquatic spider Trechalea extensa in Costa Rica. He tracked the spiders to map their home ranges and investigate their sensitivity to stimuli due to ecotourism. At Nebraska, they are interested in quantifying and understanding the associated associated costs and benefits of the color-changing process in the crab spider Misumenoides formosipes . Ovalle will use the NSF funding to continue this research.

Zeenat Ahmed , a doctoral student in political science, received an honorable mention.

At Nebraska, the Office of Graduate Studies is available to help graduate students preparing fellowship applications. For more information, students and faculty may contact Lisa Rohde at [email protected] .

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Doctoral Student Receives NSF Graduate Research Fellowship

Cole Dickerson, an electrical engineering Ph.D. student advised by Ismail Guvenc, professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been awarded a prestigious Graduate Research Fellowship from the National Science Foundation.

The purpose of the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. A goal of the program is to broaden participation of the full spectrum of diverse talents in STEM. The five-year fellowship provides three years of financial support.

Dickerson is part of the  AERPAW Initiative  under Guvenc, his doctoral advisor, with his research focusing on the convergence of 5G-wireless technology and autonomous drones. He graduated as a Brinkley-Lane Scholar from East Carolina University with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a minor in mathematics. He has co-authored three published research papers in electrical and ocean engineering conference proceedings.

“I’m very grateful to have had wonderful advisors here at NC State and during my undergraduate career. Dr. Ismail Guvenc, who is my Ph.D. advisor, and Dr. Dror Baron both encouraged me to apply for the fellowship and helped me through the revision process,” thanked Dickerson. “Dr. Tarek Abdel-Salam and Dr. Zhen Zhu at East Carolina University wrote wonderful letters for me and helped me build a CV that was competitive for this award. Winning this fellowship wouldn’t have been possible without all of their help and support. I am also very appreciative of the NSF for investing in me and, by extension, the AERPAW group.”

Based at NC State, AERPAW—Aerial Experimentation and Research Platform for Advanced Wireless—is the first wireless research platform to study the convergence of 5G technology and autonomous drones. AERPAW is funded by a $24 million grant, awarded by the PAWR Project Office on behalf of the National Science Foundation, to develop an advanced wireless research platform, led by NC State, in partnership with the Wireless Research Center of North Carolina, Mississippi State University and Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; additional partners include Town of Cary, City of Raleigh, North Carolina Department of Transportation, Purdue University, University of South Carolina, and many other academic, industry and municipal partners.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have garnered significant attention and enthusiasm for their diverse applications such as delivery services, agricultural monitoring, establishment of aerial base stations, search-and-rescue missions, and enforcement of wireless spectrum regulations. With the increasing proliferation of advanced UAV technology, airspace congestion is becoming a pressing concern, necessitating the establishment of a robust air traffic management system.

In response to this challenge, various government entities, industry leaders, and drone manufacturers are collaborating to develop a dependable and secure UAV Traffic Management (UTM) system. Amidst these efforts, Dickerson aims to investigate the integration of search-and-rescue operations and spectrum monitoring into the UTM framework.

Both search-and-rescue missions and spectrum enforcement rely on signal source search and localization capabilities, wherein UAVs are tasked with pinpointing signals from mobile phones of missing individuals or identifying signal jammers, respectively. Leveraging the advantages of higher altitude signal capture and the autonomous 3D maneuverability of UAVs, this approach has demonstrated greater efficacy compared to terrestrial methods.

His research encompasses three primary goals: Firstly, to conduct foundational research aimed at refining algorithms to enhance the speed and accuracy of signal localization in search-and-rescue and spectrum monitoring scenarios. Secondly, to seamlessly integrate these localization systems into the broader UTM infrastructure. Lastly, to validate and assess the proposed concepts through deployment and testing within the real-world wireless and UAV AERPAW testbed hosted at NC State.

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Six Clemson students and alumnus awarded prestigious graduate research fellowships

Five Clemson University students and one recent alumnus were recently recognized with the country’s most prestigious STEM-focused graduate research fellowship, awarded annually through the National Science Foundation (NSF) . Three students also received Honorable mentions.

Clemson’s dedication to research fulfills our land-grant mission and supports the University’s strategic vision to transform lives in South Carolina and beyond while building economic prosperity. Our students’ selection for prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowships bears witness to that commitment. We are proud of their accomplishments and look forward to their achievements in the future. Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Robert H. Jones

The NSF’s Graduate Research Fellowship program helps ensure the quality, vitality and diversity of the country’s scientific and engineering workforce by supporting outstanding students pursuing research-based graduate degrees at accredited United States institutions.

Clemson’s recipients were selected from more than 12,000 applications. They each receive a three-year annual stipend of $37,000 and a $16,000 cost-of-education allowance, which is paid to the University to cover their tuition and fees. They also receive access to expanded opportunities for professional development.

Past graduate research fellowship recipients have become leaders in their respective fields, with 42 program alumni becoming Nobel laureates and more than 450 becoming National Academy of Sciences members.

Clemson Student GRF Recipients

Virginia (gracie) dellinger (‘24).

Gracie Dellinger, an Honors student from McClellanville, South Carolina, is a genetics and microbiology double major with a biochemistry minor and concentration in biomedicine. Dellinger has been working with Associate Professor Kimberly Paul in Clemson University’s Eukaryotic Pathogens Innovation Center (EPIC) since the summer after her junior year of high school. Their research focuses on the parasite that causes African Sleeping Sickness, a disease that can be fatal if left untreated. So far, they have shared their findings at academic conferences at Clemson and the University of Georgia.

Last summer, Dellinger also participated in an NSF-funded Summer Undergraduate Research Experience (SURE) at UNC-Chapel Hill. This full-time position allowed her to explore different adaptations of an intestinal pathogen responsible for a hospital-acquired disease called  C. difficile  infection and to present her findings to UNC medical school students. After she graduates from Clemson, Dellinger will attend Duke University to obtain a Ph.D. in molecular genetics and microbiology.

Annika DeVol (’24)

Annika DeVol is a materials science and engineering major with a chemistry minor from Central, South Carolina. Her research in Endowed Chair and Professor Rajenda Bordia’s research group explores the connection between material properties and performance, such as how heat can impact the structural integrity of a material, which she’s explored in lab environments both on and off campus. DeVol’s work has brought her several awards, including an Astronaut scholarship in 2023 and recognition as an outstanding student at the departmental and college levels.

By the time she graduates, DeVol will have written two research reports, presented a poster at an Oak Ridge National Laboratory symposium, given two presentations to industry research engineers and presented at the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation’s Annual Innovators Week conference. In addition to her research, she has held several leadership positions in campus and professional societies, supporting the next generation of scientists. She plans to pursue a Ph.D. at the Materials Department of the University of California Santa Barbara, working with high-temperature ceramic composites and coatings for turbine engine applications.

Lillian (Lily) Margeson (’24)

Lily Margeson is an environmental and natural resources major, with an emphasis on conservation biology, from Tega Cay, South Carolina. Her research explores how a beetle grub’s habitat or taxonomic family can impact its surface microbiome. Margeson has conducted her research in Assistant Professor Sharon Bewick’s multiscale ecology and evolution lab. They are currently finalizing a paper about the Zoraptera (angel insect) microbiome, which will be published in an industry journal. They are also embarking on a second round of data analysis exploring the ecology-versus-phylogeny of leafhopper insects, specifically the relationships between microbiome, host plant and phylogeny in leafhoppers from Purchase Knob in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. 

A class on immature insects inspired Margeson’s current research focus, which she says is not often studied in the terrestrial insect field. When she’s not researching insects, Margeson works in TV production for Clemson Athletics and plans to continue that line of work while pursuing a Ph.D. in entomology at Texas A&M University. 

Joshua Murray

Joshua Murray is an automotive engineering graduate student from Apex, North Carolina, exploring renewable fuels and developing emissions reduction strategies for internal combustion engines on the University’s International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR) campus. He has also conducted his research through a Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) grant at North Carolina State University, followed by internships at manufacturers in North Carolina. As an undergraduate student, Murray was also part of a team of students from the U.S., Japan and United Arab Emirates (UAE) that invented an award-winning design for a mask, called Chatterbox, that allows a person to have a private, online conversation while sitting in a crowded room.

Murray is also an active volunteer, serving as an engineering tutor, academic success coach and admissions ambassador while working towards his undergraduate degree. After Murray finishes his master’s degree, he plans to continue working with CU-ICAR researchers as he completes a Ph.D. focused on engine research and coursework.

Kayleigh Trumbull  (’24)

Kayleigh Trumbull from Chapin, South Carolina, is an Honors student and chemical engineering major who focuses on ways to facilitate peripheral nerve regeneration post-injury, work Trumbull started with Endowed Associate Professor Jessica Larsen’s research lab the summer after her first year on campus. As a sophomore, Trumbull formulated a promising post-injury nerve regeneration approach, which she later worked on collaboratively with Jeffrey Twiss at the University of South Carolina to determine how it could be applied to patients. Last summer, she participated in a REU at the University of Florida, where she focused on creating silk sponges as a platform for developing an in vitro skeletal muscle tissue model. 

Trumbull has presented posters of her work at several research symposiums and industry conferences. She has also mentored other students since high school and trained others, including graduate students, in the Larsen lab. Trumbull will be pursuing a Ph.D. in chemical engineering at Northwestern University in the fall. 

Clemson Alumni GRF Recipients

Michael smith  (’22).

Michael Smith from Columbia, South Carolina, graduated from Clemson with a degree in biosystems engineering and applied for a Graduate Research Fellowship as an alumnus. He is looking for ways to turn waste into something that can benefit society instead of burdening it. Smith’s excitement for this kind of research began in the Fall of 2020, when he started researching in Assistant Professor Diana Vanegas’ biosystems engineering lab group. In addition to his work on Clemson’s campus, Smith conducted research through a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) grant at Penn State and partnered with a local farm.

While at Clemson, Smith was involved in a STEM outreach program and worked for the Clemson Sustainability Commission, revamping the University’s sustainability action plan and designing a sustainability fellows program, which pairs students with a faculty member in their field. After graduating from Clemson, Smith worked as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant in the Czech Republic before starting a graduate degree in biological and agricultural engineering at the University of California, Davis, where he is exploring creative ways to use agricultural waste from the Central Valley in California. Next year, Smith plans to further explore an economic and environmental impact analysis of agricultural waste and renewable energy in California.

Alumni recipients who are pursuing graduate degrees at other institutions include:

• Sarah Fields (’22), a former physics major and Honors student, is now a Physics Ph.D. candidate at Columbia University.
• Danielle LaVigne (’23), a former genetics major and Honors student, is now a Ph.D. student at Washington University.
• Claudia Wong (’21), a former bioengineering major, Honors student and National Scholar, is now a Ph.D. student at Duke University.

Honorable Mentions

Students who received an Honorable Mention as undergraduates are eligible to apply for the Graduate Research Fellowship again as graduate students.

Grayson Cliff (’24), a National Scholar and Honors student majoring in mechanical engineering, is working to advance thermal management and generation through dynamic origami structures. Cliff plans to pursue a Ph.D. in mechanical engineering at the University of Texas at Austin this fall.

Marlee Johnson (’24, ’27) is a Graduate Research Assistant and Ph.D. student focusing on industrial-organizational (I/O) psychology. Johnson plans to continue researching teams in high-stress environments, such as in the military or athletics, with Associate Professor Marissa Shuffler.

Ashly Nussbaum (’28) is a Graduate Research Assistant and Ph.D. student who researches testing for a primed genomic architecture for rapid transcriptional responses to external stimuli in butterfly model organisms. Nussbaum plans to spend the summer collecting samples in southern Florida, proving her model before expanding into a population genetics study.

Alumni Honorable Mention recipients who are pursuing graduate degrees at other institutions are:

• Gerald Enverso (’22), a former microbiology major and Honors student, is now at the University of Georgia.
• Sam Holberg (’23), a former biosystems engineering major and Honors student, is now at North Carolina State University.

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NSF 101: Graduate and postdoctoral researcher funding opportunities

The U.S. National Science Foundation supports research opportunities and provides stipends for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and scholars.

There are multiple ways to find these programs, including the funding search on NSF’s website and the NSF Education & Training Application , which is growing its list of opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.

To help begin your search, opportunities for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers are listed below. The principal investigator, or PI (a researcher who oversees a project), is often listed on these grants, along with their graduate students or postdoctoral researchers.

Graduate Student 

While funding for graduate students is often included in a PI’s research proposal, the following opportunities are also available for early career researchers. 

• Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Awards/Grants (DDRI/DDRIG) These programs help fund doctoral research in a variety of fields to help provide for items not already available at the academic institution. The funding provided cannot be used for items such as, but not limited to, tuition, stipends, textbooks or journals. The monetary amount listed in each DDRI/ DDRIG section does not include indirect cost associated with the project. The doctoral student should be listed as a co-PI on the grants with their advisor listed as the primary PI.

Archaeology Program- DDRIG : This program supports doctoral laboratory and field research on archaeologically relevant topics, with the goal of increasing anthropologically focused understanding of the past. Awards provide funding up to $25,000 per awardee.  

Arctic Science Section DDRIG : The Arctic Sciences Section offers opportunities for DDRI proposals in the following programs: Arctic Social Sciences supports research in any field of social science. Arctic System Science supports projects that address the relationships among physical, chemical, biological, geological, ecological, social, cultural and/or economic processes to advance our understanding of the Arctic system. Arctic Observing Network supports projects focused on scientific and community-based- observations; development of in situ or remote sensors and automated systems; design and optimization of coordinated and scalable observation networks; and management of Arctic Observation Network data, data accessibility and data discovery. Awards provide funding up to $40,000 for a maximum of 3 years. 

Biological Anthropology Program- DDRIG : This program supports research on human and non-human primate adaptation, variation and evolution. Awards provide funding up to $25,000 for up to two years.  

Cultural Anthropology Program- DDRIG : This program supports research that is focused on cultural anthropology research, including topics such as: Sociocultural drivers of anthropogenic processes (i.e., deforestation, urbanization); resilience and robustness of sociocultural systems; scientific principles underlying altruism, conflict, cooperation, and variations in culture and behaviors; economy, culture migration and globalization; kinship and family norms. Awards provide funding for up to $25,000 for up to two years.  

Decision, Risk and Management Science DDRIG : This program supports research on decision, risk and management sciences. This includes research in the areas of judgement and decision making; decision analysis and decision aids, risk analysis; perception and communication; societal and public-policy decision making; and management science and organizational design. Awards are for a maximum of 12 months. 

Economics DDRIG :This program provides funding for research focused on improving the understanding of the U.S. and global economy from macroscale to microscale, including all field of economics such as macroeconomics, microeconomics, econometrics, economic theory, behavioral economics and empirical economics.  

Human-Environment and Geographical Sciences Program- DDRI : This program supports basic scientific research about the nature, causes and/or consequences of the spatial distribution of human activity and/or environmental processes across a range of scales. The program welcomes proposals for empirically grounded, theoretically engaged, and methodologically sophisticated, generalizable research in all sub-fields of geographical and spatial sciences. Awards may not exceed $20,000 in direct costs. 

Linguistics Program- DDRI : This program supports research on human language, including syntax, linguistic semantics and pragmatics, morphology, phonetics, and phonology of individual languages or in general. Awards provide up to $12,000 for a maximum of two years. 

Dynamic Language Infrastructure- DDRI : This program supports research on building dynamic language infrastructure, which includes describing languages; digitizing and preserving languages; and developing standards and databases for analyzing languages. Provides funding up to $15,000 for up to two years. 

Graduate Research Fellowship Program This fellowship supports full-time master's or doctoral students earning their degree in a research-based program focused on STEM or STEM education. Students are the primary submitter for the fellowship. Fellows will be awarded a $37,000 stipend and $12,000 cost-of-education allowance for three years of the five-year fellowship. For tips on applying, see our previous NSF 101 article on the fellowship program . 

Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students (INTERN) Supplemental Funding Opportunity   This supplemental funding opportunity is for graduate students funded by active NSF grants. PIs may submit for up to an additional six months of funding to allow students to participate in research internship activities and training opportunities in non-academic settings, such as the following: for-profit industry research; start-up businesses; government agencies and national laboratories; museums, science centers, and other informal learning settings; policy think tanks; and non-profit institutions. Students must have completed at least one academic year of their program. This funding request may not exceed $55,000 per student for each six-month period. A student may only receive this opportunity twice. In addition to the general INTERN opportunity, there are two topic-specific INTERN opportunities: 

Non-Academic Research Internships for Graduate Students in Geothermal Energy Supplemental Funding Opportunity : This opportunity is provided by NSF in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy. It maintains the same funding levels and requirements as the general INTERN program; however, funding may only be used for gaining knowledge, skills, training and experience in geothermal energy and technology.  

• Research Internships for Graduate Students at Air Force Research Laboratory Supplemental Funding Opportunity : This funding opportunity is for students supported on an active NSF grant to intern at a Air Force Research Laboratory facility. AFRL has several potential technology directorates available for students at locations across the U.S.: Aerospace Systems (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio), Information (Rome, New York), Materials and Manufacturing (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio), Directed Energy (Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico), Munitions (Eglin Air Force Base, Florida), Sensors (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio), Space Vehicles (Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico), 711th Human Performance Wing Training (Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio). 

Mathematical Sciences Graduate Internship This summer internship is for doctoral students in mathematical sciences through a partnership between NSF and Oak Ridge Institute for Science and E ducation. It provides students who are interested in academic and non-academic careers with the opportunity to learn how advanced mathematics and statistical techniques can be applied to real-world problems. Participants in the internship will receive a stipend of $1,200 per week during the 10-week internship. In addition, there is travel reimbursement for up to $2,000 for those who live more than 50 miles away from their hosting site. 

NSF Research Traineeship Program Graduate students can apply for this traineeship through their institutions, if available. These topics can range across the scientific spectrum. Current projects can be found by state . 

Research Experiences for Graduate Students Supplemental Funding These awards provide additional funding for graduate students with mentors who have an active NSF grant. Currently funding is available through the following programs:  

Cultural Anthropology provides up to $6,000 per student for research activities. 

Human Environment and Geographical Sciences at Minority Serving Institutions and Community Colleges provides up to $7,000 per student for research activities. 

Postdoctoral Scholars 

Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowship This fellowship supports research investigating a field within astronomy or astrophysics for up to three years. The stipend is $75,000, with a fellowship allowance (i.e., expenses for conducting and publishing research, fringe benefits) of $35,000. 

Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship This fellowship supports postdoctoral fellows in atmospheric or geospace sciences. Atmospheric science includes topics such as atmospheric chemistry; climate and large-scale dynamics; paleoclimate climate; and physical and dynamic meteorology. Geospace science focuses on aeronomy, magnetospheric physics and solar terrestrial research. This fellowship provides up to 24 months of support. The stipend is $70,000 per year, with a fellowship allowance of $30,000.  

Earth Science Postdoctoral Fellowship This program supports the study of structure, composition and evolution, the life it supports and the processes that govern the formation and behavior of Earth’s materials. Researchers are supported for up to two years at the institution of their choice, including institutions abroad. The stipend is $65,000 per year, with a fellowship allowance of $25,000 per year.  

Mathematical and Physical Sciences Ascending Postdoctoral Research Fellowships

This program supports postdoctoral fellows performing impactful research while broadening the participation of members of groups that are historically excluded and currently underrepresented in mathematical and physical sciences. This fellowship can last between one and three years. The stipend is up to $70,000 per year, with a fellowship allowance of $30,000 per year. 

Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships This fellowship has two options:  

• The Research Fellowship provides full-time support for any 18 months within a three-year academic period.  
• The Research Instructorship provides a combination of full-time and half-time support over a period of three academic years, which allows the fellow to gain teaching experience. Both options receive up to $190,000 over the fellowship period. The full-time stipend is $5,833 per month and the part-time stipend is $2,917 per month. In addition, the fellow will receive $50,000 in two lump sums ($30,000 in the first year and $20,000 in the second year) for fellowship expenses.  

Ocean Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships This fellowship supports research in topic areas such as: biological oceanography, chemical oceanography, physical oceanography, marine geology and geophysics, ocean science and technology. This two-year fellowship with a stipend of $67,800 for the first year and $70,000 for the second year, with a fellowship allowance of $15,000 per year.  

Office of Polar Programs Postdoctoral Research Fellowships This fellowship supports postdoctoral research in any field of Arctic or Antarctic science. This two-years fellowship, with a stipend of $67,800 for the first year and $70,000 for the second year, with fellowship expenses of $15,000 per year.  

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology The Directorate of Biology offers a fellowship for postdoctoral researchers in one of three areas: 

• Broadening Participation of Groups Underrepresented in Biology. This area requires a research and training plan that is within the scope of the Directorate for Biology and that enhances diversity within the field.  
• Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interaction between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. This area aims to understand higher-order structures and functions of biological systems. Research should use a combination of computational, observational, experimental or conceptual approaches. 
• Plant Genome Postdoctoral Research Fellowships. This area has a broad scope and supports postdoctoral training and research at the frontier of plant biology and of broad societal impact. Highly competitive proposals will describe interdisciplinary training and research on a genome wide scale. The fellowships are for 36 months and have a stipend of $60,000 per year, with a research and training allowance of $20,000 per year. 

SBE Postdoctoral Research Fellowships This fellowship supports postdoctoral research in the social, behavioral and economic sciences and/or activities that broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in these fields. Funding is up to two years and has two tracks available:  

• Fundamental Research in the SBE Sciences. This track supports research focused on human behavior, interaction, social and economic systems. 
• Broadening Participation in SBE Sciences. This track aims to increase the diversity of post-doctoral researchers in the social, behavioral and economic sciences. In addition to the research proposal, these applications should also answer the question: “How will this fellowship help broaden or inform efforts to broaden the participation of underrepresented groups in the United States?” The stipend for this program is $65,000 per year (paid in quarterly installments) and the research and training allowance is $15,000 per year. 

SBIR Innovative Postdoctoral Entrepreneurial Research Fellowship This fellowship supports postdoctoral researchers at start-up companies through the Small Business Innovation Research program. By recruiting, training, mentoring, matching and funding these early-career scientists, this fellowship addresses the need of doctoral-level expertise at small, high-tech businesses. The base stipend is $78,000 per year with optional individual health and life insurance, relocation assistance (company dependent), professional conference travel allowance, and professional development funds.  

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education Individual Postdoctoral Research Fellowship This fellowship is for postdoctoral researchers to enhance their research knowledge, skills, and practices of STEM education research. If the fellowship is granted, the fellow is expected to remain affiliated with the host organization and PI sponsoring them. The fellowship can last up to two years with an annual stipend of $70,000, with fellowship expenses of $15,000.  

Multilevel 

CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service This program is for students earning their associates, bachelor's, master's or doctoral degree in cybersecurity. A stipulation of the program is that the recipients must work after graduation in a cybersecurity mission of the federal, state, local or tribal government for an equal amount of time as the scholarship's duration. It will provide full tuition and fees plus a stipend of $27,000 per academic year for undergraduates and a stipend of $37,000 per academic year for graduate students, in addition to a professional allowance of $6,000 for all levels. 

NSF-NIST Interaction in Basic and Applied Scientific Research This supplemental funding request is for NSF-supported researchers to collaborate with researchers at a National Institute of Standards and Technology facility. It can be used for travel expenses and per diem associated with on-site work at NIST. It is available for NSF-supported PIs, co-PIs, postdoctoral scholars, graduate and undergraduate students and other personnel associated with the research. PIs should contact their NSF program director for their award before applying. 

This extensive list shows the ways in which NSF helps train the next generation of STEM researchers. If you are interested in learning more about any of these programs, reach out to contacts listed on the award webpages.  

If you are interested in awards for high school students, undergraduates and post-baccalaureate scholars, check out our previous NSF101 for more information! 

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