Eligibility

• Applicants must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Citizenship or permanent resident status must be established by October 31, 2025. We are not able to waive this requirement. 

• The applicant must be pursuing research in an area under the umbrella of the NSF Engineering Directorate. 

• We encourage applications that highlight, as applicable, how the research project will:

1. Include the application of artificial intelligence techniques to research traditional fields of engineering 
2.  Have the potential to positively impact communities in rural areas 
3.  Have a potential translational application   

• Applicants must have completed their Ph.D. after 01/01/2022 and cannot have completed more than two postdocs in the intervening period.

• The research being proposed by the postdoc must  be conducted at a U.S. academic institution in an EPSCoR jurisdiction: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Delaware, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Vermont, US Virgin Islands, West Virginia, and Wyoming. See: https://www.nsf.gov/funding/initiatives/epscor/epscor-criteria-eligibility

• The applicant must select a faculty advisor that is tenured, or tenure-track faculty, employed at a U.S. academic institution.  

• The advisor the applicant co-creates their application with cannot be the applicant's PhD advisor or current/most recent postdoc advisor. 

• The postdoc applicant must coordinate with a faculty postdoc advisor to apply as a pair, developing the application in a collaborative manner.  

• Applicants may submit up to two applications, but only one can be awarded. 

• Applications must be submitted by October 31, 2025, at 11:59pm, ET. Application review will commence after this deadline.

• Contact Information 
• Demographic Information 
• Citizenship Information 
• Academic Background 
• Academic CV – 2 pages (pdf upload) 
• Discipline  
• Research Proposal (project-based, technical plan)  
• Proposed Fellowship Institution  
• Letter of Reference (Current Research Supervisor)  
• Letter of Reference  
• Letter of Support (Mentor) 
• Mentor Department Chair Letter  
• Research Professional Development & Mentoring Plan (additional developmental activities outside the scope of the proposed research project)  

Application Evaluation

• Educational Background: Suitability of educational preparation for undertaking proposed research.
• Strength of References: Knowledge of and ability to judge qualifications of candidate. Content of reference.
• Professional Research Experience: Preparation for proposed research indicated by prior professional experience or prior research center experience.
• Research Productivity: Prior experience and accomplishments of applicant in area of proposed research. Number of papers and quality of outlets (refereed journals, proceedings, monographs and technical reports).
• Research Mentor Endorsement: Strength of commitment of research mentor to participate in the proposed research. Interest in applicant.
• Research Mentor’s Capabilities Relative to the Proposed Research: Match between applicant and faculty advisor pertinent to the proposed research and capability of the institution to provide equipment or other research support.
• Quality and Effectiveness of Research Proposal: Clarity of presentation, organization, and approach. Literature awareness: Significance and feasibility of proposed research.