Kenneth Jay Boss Fellowship in Invertebrate Zoology
Kenneth Jay Boss Fellowship in Invertebrate Zoology supports graduate students’ collections-based research at the National Museum of Natural History to study invertebrates, with priority for mollusks.
Funder: Smithsonian Institution
Due Dates: March 1, 2027 (Spring application) | September 1, 2027 (Fall application)
Funding Amounts: $1,000/week; up to $2,000 for supplies and $1,000 for relocation; generally one week–three months, up to six months
Summary: Supports graduate students conducting independent collections-based research in invertebrate zoology at the National Museum of Natural History.
Key Information: Applicants based in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area are ineligible; an IZ research scientist must sponsor the fellowship.
Description
The Smithsonian Institution’s Kenneth Jay Boss Fellowship supports currently enrolled graduate students conducting independent collections-based research in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology (IZ) at the National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). Supported research includes systematics, phylogeny, biogeography, comparative morphology, and species conservation. The fellowship provides financial support for short-term work at the museum, including housing, subsistence, research supplies, and relocation.
Established through a donation from the estate of Kenneth Boss, a longtime Curator of Malacology and Professor of Biology at Harvard University, the program preferentially funds research on mollusks. Proposals concerning other invertebrate groups are also considered, excluding insects, arachnids, and myriapods. Students seeking support for molecular studies at the museum should instead apply to the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program.
