Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: February 1, 2025 | May 1, 2025 | August 1, 2025 | November 1, 2025
Funding Amounts: Stipend approximately $82,764 per year plus $3,000 travel allowance; typical appointment duration 2 years.
Summary: Supports postdoctoral research at NIST to develop rapid, point-of-care pathogen detection technologies addressing healthcare, food safety, and biodefense challenges including sepsis and antimicrobial resistance.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens with a doctoral degree earned within the last 5 years; emphasis on innovative, disruptive technologies for rapid, robust diagnostics.
Description
This fellowship opportunity at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) within the Material Measurement Laboratory, Biosystems and Biomaterials Division, supports postdoctoral researchers focused on developing rapid pathogen detection technologies. The goal is to address persistent global healthcare challenges such as infectious diseases, sepsis, hospital-acquired infections, and gastrointestinal infections, which are complicated by antimicrobial resistance and pathogen evolution.
Applicants are encouraged to propose innovative solutions including new technologies, chemistries, or fundamental studies of pathogens and microbial communities that improve understanding of pathogen biochemistry. The program particularly values disruptive technologies that enable rapid, robust, point-of-care diagnostic analysis, aiming to produce clinically actionable results that can reduce healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes.
Key research areas include pathogen detection, metagenomics, bioassays, microfluidics, rapid diagnostics, and point-of-care applications.
Due Dates
- February 1, 2025 (Review finalized early March)
- May 1, 2025 (Review finalized early June)
- August 1, 2025 (Review finalized early September)
- November 1, 2025 (Review finalized early December)
If a deadline falls on a weekend or federal holiday, it is moved to the next business day.
Funding Amount
- Annual stipend: Approximately $82,764
- Travel allowance: $3,000 per year
- Typical appointment duration: 2 years
- Health insurance coverage required and partially subsidized
- Relocation assistance available for awardees moving more than 50 miles
Eligibility
- U.S. citizenship required
- Applicants must have earned a doctoral degree (Ph.D., Sc.D., M.D., D.V.M., or equivalent) within the last 5 years as of the application deadline
- Open to postdoctoral researchers; senior applicants may apply to other NRC programs but this opportunity is for postdocs
- Applicants with current or recent prior affiliation with NIST (e.g., employment or previous NRC fellowship) may be ineligible
- Letters of recommendation must include the dissertation adviser
- Letter writers cannot be employed by NIST unless they have served as mentors or collaborators during the applicant’s prior academic or research training
Application Process
- Identify the opportunity number: 50.64.41.B8352
- Contact the Research Adviser (Jason G Kralj, jason.kralj@nist.gov) prior to applying to discuss research ideas and funding availability
- Prepare a research proposal (max 10 pages) including:
- Statement of the problem
- Background and relevance
- Methodology and timeline
- New or unusual methods
- Expected results and significance
- Literature cited
- Upload required documents including transcripts, research proposal, previous research description, and publications list
- Provide contact information for 3-5 references who will upload letters of recommendation via the online system
- Submit application by one of the quarterly deadlines (Feb 1, May 1, Aug 1, Nov 1)
- Applications are reviewed by expert panels; scores above 70 are recommended for awards
- Notification of award decisions typically occurs 6-8 weeks after review finalization
Additional Information
- The fellowship is a two-year term appointment at NIST in Gaithersburg, MD
- Emphasis on research that can lead to clinically actionable, rapid diagnostic tools
- Applicants must maintain health insurance coverage during tenure
- Relocation and travel support provided
- Applicants should ensure all application materials are complete and submitted on time; incomplete applications will not be reviewed
- Feedback on application reviews is provided approximately one week after review finalization
External Links
Contact Information