Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: May 1, 2025 (Application Deadline)
Funding Amounts: $99,200 stipend plus $3,000 travel allowance; relocation and health insurance benefits available.
Summary: Postdoctoral fellowship to conduct research on acoustic wave propagation and thermal phonon transport in nanostructured materials and thin dielectric films at the Naval Research Laboratory.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents holding a Ph.D. within the last 5 years; research involves nanofabrication and cryogenic measurements down to 20 mK.
Description
This fellowship opportunity supports research focused on understanding acoustic wave propagation and thermal phonon transport in nanostructured materials, including thin films, nanocrystallites, and low-dimensional systems. Advances in micro- and nano-fabrication technologies have enabled progress in photonic and nano-electronic devices, and this research aims to extend similar advances to phononic properties of materials. The goal is to control phonon transport and scattering at length scales comparable to thermal phonon wavelengths or mean free paths, which directly impacts electronic and optical properties through electron-phonon interactions in semiconductors.
Research activities include designing and preparing samples using nanofabrication techniques such as electron-beam evaporation, sputtering, plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition, photolithography, electron beam lithography, reactive ion etching, and wet chemical etching. The fellowship also offers opportunities to perform thermal, elastic, electric, magnetic, and thermoelectric measurements at cryogenic temperatures as low as 20 millikelvin. Potential applications in thermoelectrics will be explored.
Key research topics include thermal conductivity, internal friction, nanomechanics, and phonon-related phenomena in nanostructured materials.
Due Dates
- Application Deadline: May 1, 2025 (5 PM ET)
Funding Amount
- Base stipend: $99,200 per year
- Travel allowance: $3,000 annually
- Additional benefits: Paid relocation for awardees living more than 50 miles from the host lab (after 6 months tenure), group health insurance for awardees and dependents in the U.S.
Eligibility
- Citizenship: U.S. citizens and permanent residents only
- Education: Ph.D., Sc.D., M.D., D.V.M., or equivalent research doctorate completed before starting tenure
- Career stage: Postdoctoral applicants who have held their doctorate for less than five years as of the application deadline
- Prior affiliation: Applicants with current or recent prior affiliation with the sponsoring agency (e.g., employment or previous NRC fellowship at the agency) may be ineligible
- Security: May require satisfactory completion of security clearance or National Agency Check depending on agency requirements
Application Process
- Applicants must contact the proposed Research Adviser (Xiao Liu, xiao.liu.civ@us.navy.mil) before applying to discuss research projects and funding availability.
- Applications are submitted online through the NRC Research Associateship Programs portal.
- Required materials include:
- Profile information (contact, education history, transcripts)
- Research proposal (up to 10 pages) detailing problem statement, background, methodology, expected results, and significance
- Letters of recommendation (minimum 3, including dissertation adviser for postdocs)
- Letters must be uploaded by letter writers via the online system by the deadline.
- Applications are reviewed by expert panels in relevant scientific disciplines.
- Applicants scoring 70 or above on a 100-point scale are recommended for awards, subject to funding availability.
Additional Information
- Research is conducted onsite at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, DC.
- The fellowship provides access to state-of-the-art nanofabrication and measurement facilities.
- Awardees are expected to contribute to the laboratory’s research mission and publish results in peer-reviewed literature.
- Health insurance is required throughout the tenure.
- Relocation assistance is available for eligible awardees.
- Applicants should review the full Applicant Guide (PDF) for detailed instructions.
External Links
Contact Information
| General Inquiries | Email | Phone |
|---|
| NRC Fellowships Office | rap@nas.edu | 202-334-2760 |