Application Process

• Eligibility

  The Education Research track's goal focuses on contributing to the advancement of science, STEM and environmental education in the Gulf region or Alaska by considering the impacts of establishing sense of place* in formal or informal learning environments.

  Applicants must, at the time of application:

  • Hold a permanent, fully independent position as an investigator, faculty member, clinician scientist, or scientific team lead in industry, academia, or a research organization. A postdoc is not considered a fully independent position.
    
  • Be an early-career scientist who has received their eligible degree within the past 10 years (on or after January 1, 2015).
    
  • Hold a doctoral degree (e.g., PhD, ScD, EngD, MD, DrPH, EdD, DSW or DVM) in the social and behavioral sciences, health sciences and medicine, engineering and physical sciences, earth and life sciences, or interdisciplinary scientific fields relevant to the charge of the Gulf Research Program.
    
  • Not be currently employed by the U.S. federal government.

  *Sense of place describes the wide range of connections between people and places that develops based on the place meanings and attachment a person has for a particular setting. For the purpose of this opportunity, sense of place may include research terminology such as place-based education (PBE) or learning, identity of place, placemaking, and/or pedagogy of place.

• How to apply

  Applications can be submitted through our online application system.

  Required application materials:

  • Your resume or CV (up to 5 pages).
    
  • A series of personal essays that respond to the following prompts:
    
  • Relevance (1000 words total): Using language for a lay audience, explain how your research has contributed to and will continue contributing to the Education Research Track Goal: “The advancement of science, STEM, and environmental education in the Gulf region or Alaska by considering the impacts of incorporating place-based education or establishing sense of place* in formal or informal learning environments.”

  *Sense of place describes the wide range of connections between people and places that develops based on the place meanings and attachment a person has for a particular setting. For the purpose of this opportunity, sense of place may include research terminology such as place-based education (PBE) or learning, identity of place, placemaking, and/or pedagogy of place.

  • Describe what learning environments your research focuses on in the Gulf region or Alaska, and what strategies your research uses to advance STEM and environmental education by establishing sense-of-place.
    
  • Describe how your research is addressing the impacts of building or establishing a sense-of-place within educational opportunities. How will your research explore these impacts as it relates to the educational system of one or more state or localities within the Gulf region or Alaska?
    
  • Research Portfolio (2,000-word limit): The Gulf Research Program Early-Career Research Fellowship funds people, not projects. Therefore, your research portfolio statement should include information about your research portfolio as a whole, not a specific project. We encourage you to write your research portfolio statement in a way that is understandable to a scientifically literate lay reader and to make the best use of the space provided by utilizing the entire word count, rather than uploading images, diagrams, or figures. The use of references should be minimal and only when absolutely needed. If references are included, they will be counted toward the total word count, and we do not have a preference as to citation style. Your research portfolio statement should include:
    
    • A description of your relevant research and projects to date.
      
    • A description of future work and the research goals you hope to accomplish in the next two years.
      

  Please note, a budget is NOT required and should not be included in the research statement. You may upload a budget as a separate task if your university requires that one be submitted.

  • Special Skill Essay (600-word limit): Working toward establishing a sense of place in educational settings requires experience studying or working in the region or “place” to understand its unique communities/populations and the challenges and opportunities they face. Describe your experiences working or studying in one or more states or localities within the Gulf region or Alaska, including the communities and populations you have engaged with, particularly those in coastal or rural areas.
    
  • Personal Growth and Mentoring:
    
    • Part 1: How will the mentoring provided by the fellowship help you to address your career goals and challenges? What is your strategy to be a productive mentee? (400-word limit)
      
    • Part 2: How will you know when you have achieved professional success in your career? What skills or characteristics do you need to work on in order to achieve this success? (350-word limit)
      
    • Part 3: Select one of the following questions to respond to as you reflect on your educational and research journey.
      
      • How have your lived experiences, educational journey, and/or understanding of the world shaped your identity as a scientist and an early-career researcher? (500-word limit)
        

  OR

  • • If applicable, we invite you to share your lived experiences of overcoming barriers related to your identity in your academic journey, along with the strategies you employed to overcome these challenges. These experiences could pertain to various aspects such as culture, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religion. (500-word limit)
      
  • A statement (up to 1,000 words) from your selected mentor.
    
    • Your selected mentor must be in a senior-level position at your affiliated college, university, research institution, or organization.
      
    • Do not choose a mentor for a research collaboration. Choose a mentor who is willing and able to meet at least twice a month to provide guidance and advice on professional development and career topics beyond merely promotion and tenure, such as work/life balance, time and project management, teaching and mentorship, committee and other professional service, community engagement and outreach, lab and research management.
      
    • In their statement, your mentor should address how you, the applicant, will benefit from mentoring. Your mentor should consider your professional development holistically, beyond research productivity alone, and identify areas for improvement or potential growth.
      
    • If you are unable to find a mentor at your affiliated organization, the mentor honorarium will be waived and you will be asked to answer an additional question justifying your selection of an external mentor.
      
    • Once you have created an account and started an application, you can enter the contact information for your mentor. The system will generate an email to the mentor with instructions for logging in and uploading the mentor statement. We encourage applicants to complete this task as soon as possible because final applications cannot be submitted until the mentor statement have been completed. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.
      

  All application materials, including the mentor statement, must be submitted through our online application system by June 18, 2025 at 5:00 PM ET / 4:00 PM CT / 2:00 PM PT. If you have difficulties submitting materials through our online application system, contact us at, GulfFellowships@nas.edu.

  Requesting mentor statement

  Once you have created an account and started an application, you can enter the contact information for your mentor. The system will generate an email to the mentor with instructions for logging in and uploading the mentor statement. We encourage applicants to complete this task as soon as possible because final applications cannot be submitted until the mentor statement has been completed. Incomplete or late applications will not be considered.