Funder: NRC Research Associateship Programs
Due Dates: May 1, 2025 (Application Deadline)
Funding Amounts: Base stipend approximately $95,000 plus $5,000 travel allowance; supplements based on experience; typical award duration 2-3 years.
Summary: Supports postdoctoral and senior researchers in advancing turbulent combustion modeling for high-speed air-breathing propulsion systems through computational and experimental analysis.
Key Information: Open to U.S. citizens; requires Ph.D. prior to tenure; relocation and health insurance benefits included; application requires contacting research adviser before applying.
Description
This fellowship opportunity supports research to improve turbulent combustion models for high-speed air-breathing propulsion components such as flameholders and isolators. The research focuses on overcoming challenges in scale-resolving numerical simulations of internal flow fields, which involve complex interactions of turbulent mixing, combustion chemistry, shock waves, and boundary layers. The goal is to enhance the applicability, reliability, and performance of computational models used to predict system performance and operability.
Key research areas include:
- Advanced analysis methods for large, time-resolved simulation datasets
- Efficient implicit numerical methods for coupled transport equations
- Reduction of hydrocarbon chemical kinetics models
- Analysis and validation of scramjet components against experimental data
- Development of turbulent combustion subgrid modeling approaches
- Efficient wall modeling techniques for Large Eddy Simulations (LES)
The research is conducted at the Aerospace Systems Directorate, RQ/High Speed Systems Division, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, under the Air Force Science and Technology Fellowship Program (AF STFP).
Due Dates
- Application Deadline: May 1, 2025 (5 PM ET)
- Review Finalized: Early June 2025
If the deadline falls on a weekend or federal holiday, it is moved to the next business day.
Funding Amount
- Base stipend: $95,000
- Travel allowance: $5,000 annually
- Experience-based stipend supplements available for postdoctoral and senior researchers
- Typical award duration: 2-3 years
- Additional benefits include relocation assistance for those moving more than 50 miles and health insurance coverage for awardees and dependents
Eligibility
- Citizenship: Open to U.S. citizens only
- Education: Applicants must have earned a Ph.D., Sc.D., M.D., D.V.M., or equivalent research doctorate before beginning tenure
- Experience Levels:
- Postdoctoral Associateships: Doctorate held less than 5 years at application deadline
- Senior Associateships: Doctorate held at least 5 years or permanent appointment with significant research contributions
- Current or recent prior affiliation with the sponsoring agency may disqualify applicants (e.g., current employment or previous postdoctoral fellowship at the agency)
- Applicants must contact the proposed Research Adviser prior to applying
- Security clearance or National Agency Check may be required depending on the agency
Application Process
- Review eligibility criteria on the NRC RAP For Applicants page.
- Identify this Research Opportunity (Opportunity Number: 13.30.11.C0236) and contact the Research Adviser, Ez Adel Hassan (ezadelg1@gmail.com), to discuss research plans and funding availability.
- Prepare application materials including:
- Profile information (contact, education, employment, honors)
- Transcripts (required for postdocs)
- Research proposal (max 10 pages) detailing problem statement, background, methodology, expected results, and significance
- Letters of recommendation (minimum 3, including dissertation adviser for postdocs)
- Submit application via the NRC RAP online system before the May 1 deadline.
- Letters of recommendation must be uploaded by letter writers through the online system by the deadline.
- Applications are reviewed by expert panels; scores above 70 typically recommended for award.
Additional Information
- Awardees receive mentorship, access to state-of-the-art facilities, and opportunities to collaborate with leading scientists.
- Relocation assistance is provided for awardees moving more than 50 miles to the host laboratory.
- Health insurance is mandatory and partially subsidized by the sponsoring agency.
- Annual travel allowance supports conference attendance and fieldwork.
- Applicants with prior NRC Research Associateships must have a two-year gap before applying again.
- Review feedback is provided approximately one week after panel decisions.
External Links
Contact Information