Be an RCSA Fellow
Host an RCSA Fellow
ABOUT THE RCSA FELLOWS INITIATIVE
The RCSA Fellows initiative seeks to advance the scientific enterprise in the United States and Canada by building and strengthening an engaged community of faculty who bring a variety of perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds to teaching and research in the physical sciences. This program supports the academic career advancement of a cohort of outstanding postdoctoral scholars over a critical period in their careers: as they are preparing to look for faculty positions; as they are actively interviewing; and their first year as newly independent tenure-track faculty investigators at U.S. and Canadian institutions of higher education. The initiative evolved from a Cottrell Scholar Collaborative project that RCSA funded in 2019 and seeks to better prepare postdoctoral scholars for the faculty search process and the professoriate, where they will thrive as innovative research scientists, teachers, and mentors.
Who can be an RCSA Fellow?
RCSA welcomes nominations of outstanding postdoctoral scientists who aspire to secure tenure-track faculty positions in astronomy, chemistry, physics, and allied fields, and who, based on exceptional records and potential in research and teaching, will make important scientific advancements while also advancing teaching and learning in their respective fields of study. The distinctive features of this program will see participants prepared for their job search by pairing them with host institutions for mock interviews with structured feedback before they begin their job search, and by creating a welcoming intellectual community for sharing of experiences as they build a supportive, cross-disciplinary professional network they can rely on throughout and beyond the multi-year cycle of the program. Apply here.
Who can be a host institution?
Brief applications to serve as a host institution will be accepted from Cottrell Scholars, Holland Awardees, or Scialog Fellow or Facilitators from the physical sciences. The program will benefit host institutions by preparing them to conduct interviews in ways that strengthen their tenure-track hiring processes. It will also give them an early look at strong candidates for upcoming positions. Funds are provided to the host institution to defray the costs of organizing an authentic, day-long mock interview and to contribute to their departmental-based funds that support a seminar series. Apply here.