Welcome to the Fellowships Office of Policy and Global Affairs

The Fellowships Office (FO) of the National Academies administers predoctoral, postdoctoral, and senior fellowship awards on behalf of government and private/foundation sponsors; these fellowship awards play an important role in the career development of doctoral and postdoctoral researchers and scholars for the academic, federal, industrial and international workforce. Current opportunities are as follows:

Research Associateship Programs (RAP)
The NRC Resident Research Associateship Programs were established in 1954. The goal of this program is to provide advanced training for highly qualified graduate postdoctoral and visiting scientists, while enhancing the research conducted in federal laboratories and affiliated institutions. A wide variety of research opportunities are available at top research laboratories across the U.S. and in select foreign locations. These awards are open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and with some limitations, foreign nationals in all fields of science and engineering.

Ford Foundation Fellowship Program
Through its Fellowship Program, the Ford Foundation seeks to increase the diversity of the nation’s college and university faculties. Administered by the National Research Council (NRC) since 1979, these programs provide fellowship support at the predoctoral, dissertation and postdoctoral levels. Eligibility is limited to U.S. citizens who can demonstrate superior academic achievement, are committed to a career in teaching and research at the college or university level, show promise of future achievement as scholars and teachers, and are well prepared to use diversity as a resource for enriching the education of all students.

Jefferson Science Fellowship
Recognizing that knowledge of state-of-the-art science, technology, and engineering (STE) is essential to the formulation and implementation of U.S. government policy, the Secretary of State began the Jefferson Science Fellows (JSF) program at the U.S. Department of State, in 2003. Tenured academic scientists and engineers from U.S. institutions of higher learning are eligible. Fellows spend one year at the U.S. Department of State in Washington, D.C. Following the fellowship year, the Jefferson Science Fellow returns to his/her academic career, but remains available to the U.S. government as an experienced consultant for short-term projects.