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: Postdoctoral fellowship to develop quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) methods for chemical and biochemical applications in environmental, clinical, pharmaceutical, and biomanufacturing fields.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens with a doctoral degree earned within the last 5 years; research conducted on-site at NIST facilities in Gaithersburg, MD and Charleston, SC.
Description
This fellowship opportunity supports postdoctoral research at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) focused on advancing quantitative nuclear magnetic resonance (qNMR) techniques. The research aims to improve solution-state measurement capabilities for accurately quantifying biological and chemical analytes in complex liquid matrices relevant to environmental science, clinical/nutritional science, pharmaceuticals, and biomanufacturing.
Key research areas include:
- Development of robust quantitative methodologies for qNMR.
- Establishing metrological traceability of measurement processes.
- Integration of qNMR with complementary analytical techniques such as gas chromatography–time-of-flight mass spectrometry (GC-TOFMS), liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS), and vibrational spectroscopy.
- Exploration of novel quantitative methods for two-dimensional NMR applications, e.g., heteronuclear single quantum correlation (HSQC).
- Application of chemometric methods for spectral data processing.
The research is interdisciplinary, suitable for candidates with expertise in biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, spectroscopy, and analytical separation techniques.
Facilities include a dedicated Bruker 600 MHz NMR spectrometer at Gaithersburg, MD, and access to 700 MHz and 800 MHz spectrometers with cryoprobe capability at the Charleston, SC NMR facility, which also supports LC-MS instrumentation for multidimensional analyses.
Due Dates
- February 1, 2025 (5 PM ET)
- May 1, 2025 (5 PM ET)
- August 1, 2025 (5 PM ET)
- November 1, 2025 (5 PM ET)
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
- Annual travel allowance: $3,000
- Typical appointment duration: 2 years
- Health insurance coverage required (cost shared between awardee and agency)
- Relocation assistance available for awardees moving more than 50 miles
Eligibility
- U.S. citizenship required.
- Applicants must have earned a Ph.D., Sc.D., M.D., D.V.M., or equivalent research doctorate before starting tenure.
- Postdoctoral applicants must have held their doctorate for less than five years as of the application deadline.
- Applicants with current or recent prior affiliation with NIST (e.g., employment or previous NRC fellowship) may be ineligible.
- Candidates must be able to conduct research on-site at NIST facilities in Gaithersburg, MD or Charleston, SC.
Application Process
Steps to Apply
- Review eligibility criteria on the NRC RAP For Applicants page.
- Identify this and other research opportunities via the NIST RAP Opportunities List.
- Contact the Research Adviser (Aaron Andrew Urbas; aaron.urbas@nist.gov) to discuss your research proposal and funding availability.
- Prepare application materials including:
- Research proposal (max 10 pages)
- Previous and current research description (max 4 pages)
- List of publications and presentations (max 2 pages)
- Letters of recommendation (minimum 3, including dissertation adviser)
- Transcripts (for postdoctoral applicants)
- Register and submit your application through the NRC RAP online application portal.
- Ensure all letters of recommendation are uploaded by letter writers before the deadline.
Review Process
- Applications are reviewed by expert panels in relevant scientific disciplines.
- The proposed Research Adviser and NIST program representatives review and endorse applications before panel review.
- Applicants are scored on academic record, research proposal quality, letters of recommendation, and relevance to NIST’s mission.
- Scores above 70 are typically recommended for awards, subject to funding availability.
Additional Information
- Awards are for on-site research only; remote or home institution research is not supported.
- Health insurance enrollment is mandatory throughout the tenure.
- Relocation and travel allowances are provided.
- Applicants may apply to up to three different federal agencies but only one application per agency per cycle.
- Applicants who previously held an NRC Research Associateship must wait at least two years before applying again.
External Links
Contact Information
For general questions about the NRC Research Associateship Programs, contact the Fellowships Office at rap@nas.edu.