At recent Cottrell Scholar Conversations on reopening research programs, a significant number of Scholars expressed serious concerns about the immediate employment and careers of their postdoctoral fellows. At a critical time when they should be working productively in their research programs, many postdoctoral fellows are now feeling isolated, and some have seen their immediate job opportunities disappear due to the COVID-19 emergency.

To respond to this challenge, RCSA is creating Cottrell Fellowships, an emergency initiative to help alleviate this pressing need, and to nurture the next generation of teacher-scholars. Each Cottrell Fellowship is for $75,000 for a 12-month period salary, benefits and research-related expenses of one postdoctoral fellow for the 2020-2021 academic year and 2021 summer. The total amount can be prorated for shorter periods of time.

Applications are prepared by eligible postdoctoral fellows and entered in the online submission system by the Cottrell Scholar sponsor. Awards will be made to Cottrell Scholar sponsors on behalf of the postdoctoral fellows preparing the applications.

Eligibility

An eligible candidate is a postdoctoral fellow who:

• is a member of a research group overseen by a Cottrell Scholar;
• is the only postdoctoral fellow in the Cottrell Scholar’s research group submitting an application.
• had planned to assume an independent academic position in 2020-21 as an assistant professor, or the equivalent at a research institute
• is delayed in moving to this independent position because of a hiring freeze or cut-back at the new institution;
• now intends to continue postdoctoral training in the current research group, but finds that funding is insufficient for that extension;

Submission Guidelines

Submission process starts with a postdoctoral fellow completing an application package. Complete packages should contain the following materials:

• A cover sheet (provided)
• A two-page bio-sketch listing the most significant publications, awards and honors
• Up to three pages describing:
  • Research plans during fellowship
  • A commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), and how that commitment will be put into practice as an independent scientist
  • A statement of interest to teach one undergraduate course at your current institution in 2020-21 as the primary instructor
• Three letters of support:
  • One from the Cottrell Scholar sponsoring this application. This letter should address the need to extend the appointment of the postdoctoral fellow for up to one year, and contain a statement attesting to a delay in the start of the applicant’sindependent job due to changes in hiring budgets.
  • A second letter from the department chair agreeing to have the applicant teach.
  • A letter from an external expert in the field of the candidate that describes the suitability of the applicant for this fellowship program, sent directly to RCSA and not shared with the candidate (by following instructions in the online submission system to upload it into the nominee’s electronic file).

Support letters by the Cottrell Scholar and department chair should indicate a commitment to mentoring the candidate on pedagogical practices by the institution’s teaching and learning center and by the Cottrell Scholar. If the Cottrell Scholar sponsoring this applicant is the Department Chair, only one letter is necessary.  The letter from the department chair should also clearly agree that a successful applicant will be asked to teach one full semester or quarter undergraduate course, but only one such course, during the fellowship year so as to gain direct experience as the instructor of record and to practice implementing the pedagogical approaches.

Each applicant’s required materials should be combined in a single PDF and uploaded into the RCSA electronic system by the Cottrell Scholar sponsor.

Application deadline is July 15, 2020.

Selection Criteria

Successful candidates will be selected on the basis of:

• Strong productivity research records as a postdoctoral fellow and graduate student
• Strong evidence for the need of this support
• Compelling evidence on how an extension of postdoctoral work will position the candidate well in future research and educational activities