NIST Recovery Act Measurement Science and Engineering Fellowships for Advanced Research

1. To provide opportunities for scientists and engineers in training to perform research in broad areas of measurement science at NIST through research fellowships called Research Training Fellowships. Research Training Fellowships will be offered to qualified undergraduate students and graduate students at U.S. universities and colleges, and to postdoctoral researchers, in fields of science and engineering that contribute to NIST’s measurement science programs.

2. To provide opportunities for practicing scientists and engineers in the public and private sectors to perform research in broad areas of measurement science at NIST through research fellowships called Senior Research Fellowships. Senior Research Fellowships will be offered to qualified scientists and engineers working at U.S. private firms, U.S. non-profit organizations, U.S. universities and colleges, and other organizations in fields of science and engineering that contribute to NIST’s measurement science programs.

NIST intends this financial assistance program to address both types of opportunities listed above through a single cooperative agreement, or through more than one cooperative agreement.

Through the cooperative agreement(s), the program will advance purposes established in Section 3 of the Recovery Act by:

• creating jobs,
• promoting economic recovery,
• providing investments needed to increase economic efficiency by spurring technological advances in science, and
• by making investments in areas of research that will provide long-term economic benefits.

NIST performs a broad range of research, measurements, modeling, and other activities to support its broad measurement science and engineering programs in ten operating units comprising the NIST laboratories: Technology Services (TS, www.ts.nist.gov ), NIST Center for Neutron Research (NCNR, www.ncnr.nist.gov ), NIST Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology (CNST, www.cnst.nist.gov ), Electronics and Electrical Engineering Laboratory (EEEL, www.eeel.nist.gov ), Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory (MEL, www.mel.nist.gov ), Chemical Science and Technology Laboratory (CSTL, www.cstl.nist.gov ), Physics Laboratory (PL, www.physics.nist.gov ), Materials Science and Engineering Laboratory (MSEL, www.msel.nist.gov ), Building Fire and Research Laboratory (BFRL, www.bfrl.nist.gov ), and Information Technology Laboratory (ITL, www.itl.nist.gov ). Descriptions of NIST measurement science and engineering programs can be found at the Websites for each of the laboratories and at www.nist.gov . All the Laboratories have research and measurement programs at the NIST Laboratories in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Several laboratories also have research and measurement programs at the NIST laboratories in Boulder, Colorado: EEEL, CSTL, PL, MSEL, and ITL, and CSTL has research operations at the Hollings Marine Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina.

Additional information about NIST can be found at: www.nist.gov.

A recipient of a NIST Recovery Act Measurement Science and Engineering Fellowships Program award will work jointly with NIST to publicize NIST measurement science opportunities, including those listed below. A recipient will identify candidates for fellowships from any U.S. educational institution or other entities such as a non-profit or for-profit organization. NIST and the recipient will collaborate in selecting Fellows for particular research opportunities based on cooperatively developed criteria. The recipient will provide all stipends, benefits, administrative support, and other expenses associated with the fellowship using the funds from the cooperative agreement.

A recipient may cooperate with any U.S. institution of higher education and other organizations to support Fellows to collaborate with NIST programs in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Boulder, Colorado or Charleston, South Carolina. Any participating undergraduate or graduate student must also be enrolled in an academic program acceptable to both the recipient and to NIST. The recipient is responsible for ensuring the Fellows are available to work on-site at NIST programs in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Boulder, Colorado or Charleston, South Carolina.

Candidates for fellowships through these programs should be able to make significant contributions to NIST measurement science and engineering programs, collaborating with NIST scientists and engineers at the NIST Laboratories, commensurate with the level of training and experience of the type of fellowship. For example, Senior Research Fellows are expected to perform at the level of an independent researcher working with minimal guidance from NIST staff, while undergraduate Research Training Fellows will require substantial direct guidance and training from NIST staff. The successful applicants for fellowships must demonstrate excellence in the areas of science and engineering relevant to their proposed work, and commensurate with the particular type of fellowship.

NIST expects applicants to possess the necessary background competencies to ensure that the research, education, training, and outreach aspects of the Program can be appropriately fulfilled. A successful applicant is also expected to possess organizational capability related to science and technology programs and management. In addition, applicants should take into account the unique role of measurement science and standards in development and implementation of a successful fellowship program proposal.

The U.S. Department of Commerce, National Institute of Standards and Technology, announces the availability of up to $20 million to award from one to five cooperative agreements for a fellowship program(s) to bring scientists and engineers at all stages of their careers to participate in research training or collaboration at NIST programs in Gaithersburg, Maryland, Boulder, Colorado and Charleston, SC. The recipient(s) will work jointly with NIST to identify candidates for fellowships. NIST will collaborate with the recipient(s) to select Fellows for particular research opportunities based on criteria developed in cooperation with the recipient(s). The recipient(s) will provide all stipends, benefits, administrative support, and other expenses associated with the fellowships using the funds from the cooperative agreements.