Associateship Programs at US Army Research Office (ARO)

History and Objectives	Eligibility	Benefits
History and Objectives	Consideration	Stipend
Panel Review	Consideration	Taxes and Insurance
Associates on Tenure	Education and Experience	Relocation and Travel
Research at ARO	Citizenship
Publication	Visa Requirements	Application Procedure
	Permanent Resident Status	Application Procedure
Adviser & Lab Representative	Associate Status and Length of Tenure	Initiation of Tenure
Adviser, Directorate & Lab Representative	Prior Affiliation with the Laboratory	Notification of Awards
Research Proposal	Reapplication
Laboratory/Center Review

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History and Objectives

The National Research Council conducts the Research Associateship Programs in cooperation with sponsoring federal laboratories and research organizations approved for participation.

The National Research Council, through its Associateship Programs office, conducts a national competition to recommend and make awards to outstanding scientists and engineers at recent postdoctoral and experienced senior levels for tenure as guest researchers at participating laboratories. These Programs have been conducted on behalf of a number of federal agencies since 1954.

The objectives of the Programs are (1) to provide postdoctoral scientists and engineers of unusual promise and ability opportunities for research on problems, largely of their own choice that are compatible with the interests of the sponsoring laboratories and (2) to contribute thereby to the overall efforts of the federal laboratories.

For recent doctoral graduates, the Programs provide an opportunity for concentrated research in association with selected members of the permanent professional laboratory staff, often as a climax to formal career preparation.

For established scientists and engineers, the Programs afford an opportunity for research without the interruptions and distracting assignments of permanent career positions.

Participating laboratories receive a stimulus to their programs by the presence of bright, highly motivated, recent doctoral graduates and by senior investigators with established records of research productivity. New ideas, techniques, and approaches to problems contribute to the overall research climate of the laboratories. Indirectly, Associateships also make available to the broader scientific and engineering communities the excellent and often unique research facilities that exist in federal laboratories.

The Panel Review

The Associateship Programs office receives all application materials and supporting documents and conducts the competitive evaluation of applications.

Evaluations for US Army Research Office (ARO) Associateships are conducted by special panels convened for this purpose. Panelists are chosen to review applications on the basis of their stature and experience in the fields of science and engineering, and their evaluations become the basis from which awards are made on behalf of ARO.

Applicants are recommended for awards only after this open, national competition, in which the panels rank candidates on the basis of quality alone.

Final ranking in order of quality and the recommendation of applicants for awards are the exclusive prerogatives of the panels, and only notification by the Associateship Programs office of an applicant's status in the competition is authoritative.

Associates on Tenure

A Research Associate is a guest researcher, not an employee of the National Research Council or of the laboratory. Associateships are analogous to fellowships or similar temporary programs at the postdoctoral level in universities and other organizations. They are not intended to be, or to compete with, permanent professional career positions.

No commitment on the part of an Associate, the sponsoring laboratory, or the National Research Council with regard to later employment is implied or should be inferred by the offer or acceptance of an award.

Associates must devote their full-time effort to the research program proposed in their applications and must be in residence at the sponsoring laboratory during the entire period of the Associateship. No period of tenure may be spent in residence at another laboratory or institution. Associates have the status of visiting scientists or engineers but are subject to the general regulations of the laboratory.

No additional monetary aid or other remuneration may be accepted from another appointment, fellowship, or similar grant, except for sabbatical leave, during the period of the Associateship.

Research at ARO

This website contains abstracts, or opportunities for research that describe areas of research in which Associateships may be awarded at ARO.

ARO provides the funds for this program and furnishes all necessary support services, facilities, and equipment for the approved research program of each Associate.

While every effort has been made by ARO to provide opportunities of ample scope and relevance, the publication of any opportunity in this website does not guarantee that it will be available at the time awards are offered. Changes and/or deletions may occur because of temporary lack of equipment, laboratory renovation, staffing already sufficient to meet research goals, or a lack of funding.

Publication

Since an Associate's later scientific and technical career will be judged by others, publication in the accepted open technical literature is highly encouraged.

Publications should include a statement indicating that the research was conducted while the author held a National Research Council Research Associateship.

Research Adviser and Laboratory Program Representative

Shown with each opportunity for research are the names of one or more Research Advisers who conduct or direct the work described in the opportunity.

An Adviser is a scientist or engineer at ARO with whom a Postdoctoral Research Associate works most closely. An Adviser acts as a surrogate of the National Research Council in monitoring an Associate, and all matters relating to an Associate's research program fall under his or her purview.

For a Senior Research Associate, an Adviser functions in a more collegial relationship and assists as needed in securing technical support and resources.

The Laboratory Program Representative is a professional staff member who is responsible for managing ARO's Research Associateship program and for assisting an Associate with all administrative aspects of tenure:

Dr. Stephen J. Lee, Senior Research Scientist
Office of the Director
US Army Research Office
PO Box 12211
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27709-2211

Telephone: (919) 549-4365
FAX: (919) 549-4310
E-Mail: stephen.lee2@us.army.mil

Prospective applicants may also contact the Program Representative if they have not received a response from the Research Adviser.

The NRC Program Administrator for ARO is:

Dr. Eric Basques
Associateship Programs
Keck 555
National Research Council
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Telephone: (202) 334-2707
E-Mail: ebasques@nas.edu

Please direct ALL Application inquiries directly to the Research Associateship Programs at rap@nas.edu or by phone at (202) 334-2760.

Research Proposal

Each applicant must submit a research proposal that relates to a specific opportunity for research at ARO. A proposal must be the original work of an applicant and be approved by an Adviser listed with the opportunity.

Before writing a proposal, however, an applicant is advised to communicate directly with the Adviser, who can provide more specific information on current research and available technical facilities and offer scientific support of proposal development.

Laboratory/Center Review

Each applicant's proposal must be approved by one of the Advisers listed in this website and endorsed by the Program Committee of ARO to be eligible for an award.

The endorsement affirms that the proposal is compatible with ARO's interests and that adequate programmatic support will be available if an award is offered.

ARO's action on the proposal, together with a copy of the Adviser's comments, will be provided directly to the applicant by the Laboratory Program Representative.

No applicant will be eligible for further consideration until the Associateship Programs office has been advised by ARO that his or her proposal has been approved by an Adviser and endorsed by the Program Committee. Otherwise, the Associateship Programs office will assume that the proposal is not of sufficient current interest to ARO or that support facilities cannot be made available.

Since the final review of applications is conducted by special panels appointed by the National Research Council, all applicants should note that endorsement by an Adviser or laboratory, while essential to the application process, does not imply or guarantee an award by the National Research Council.

Consideration

Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, creed, color, age, sex, or national origin.

Education and Experience

Awardees must hold the PhD, ScD, or other earned research doctoral degree recognized in US academic circles as equivalent to the PhD or must present acceptable evidence of having completed all the formal academic requirements for one of these degrees before tenure may begin. Applicants must have demonstrated superior ability for creative research.

An applicant's training and research experience may be in any appropriate discipline or combination of disciplines required for the proposed research.

Citizenship

Opportunities at ARO are open to all citizens of the United States and to citizens of other countries who have full command of the English language.

Visa Requirements

Non-US nationals who are offered awards must have valid visas throughout tenure. Only exchange visitor and immigrant visas are acceptable to the National Research Council. If an awardee chooses to apply for an exchange visitor visa, sponsorship must be by the National Research Council. If he or she chooses to apply for an immigrant visa, the National Research Council will not be involved in the procedure.

Permanent Resident Status

If an applicant does not yet have permanent resident status and intends to apply to obtain it, the National Research Council cannot act as a sponsor employer of the applicant.

Postdoctoral or Senior Research Associate Status and Length of Tenure

Postdoctoral Research Associateships are awarded to persons who have held the doctorate less than five years at the time of application and will be made initially for one year.

Senior Research Associateships are awarded only to applicants who have held the doctorate five years or more at the time of application or to persons who hold a permanent appointment in academia, government, or industry and have research experience that has resulted in significant contributions and recognition as established investigators in their specialized fields. Although awards to Senior Research Associates are usually for one year, awards for periods of three months or longer may be considered.

Under certain conditions, extensions may be granted to allow Associates to bring their research to a reasonable stage of completion. However, extensions are not automatically granted, and applicants are advised to plan their research programs to conform to the length of tenure stated above.

Prior Affiliation with the Laboratory

A primary objective of the Associateship Programs is to provide a mechanism for new ideas and sources of stimulation to be brought to the sponsoring laboratory. Thus, persons with recent prior affiliation with a specific laboratory may not be eligible to apply for an Associateship there.

Prior affiliation includes direct employment relationships either with the laboratory or with a contractor whose work is performed there. A long-term consulting relationship usually makes an applicant ineligible.

Research contracts with universities that provide support for graduate students or faculty who perform research on campus are not ordinarily considered to be disqualifying.

Reapplication

Persons who have previously held an Associateship may apply for another award only if a period of at least two years will have elapsed between termination of the first award and the proposed tenure of a second.

Persons who have previously applied for an Associateship, but who were not recommended for an award by the panels, may reapply after one year.

Candidates who were recommended for an award by the panels, but who were not offered an award because of funding or other limitations, may reapply at any time without a mandatory waiting period.

Stipend

An Associate receives a stipend from the National Research Council while carrying out his or her proposed research. At ARO, the current annual stipend for a Postdoctoral Research Associate is $56,000. An appropriately higher stipend will be offered to Senior Research Associates.

This stipend is subject to adjustments from time to time in accordance with general national guidelines pertaining to scientists and engineers.

The National Research Council is required by the US Tax Code to withhold an amount from the stipends of non-resident aliens who hold exchange visitor (J-1) visas. Exchange visitors are advised that approximately 14% per month will be withheld from stipends and reported to the US Internal Revenue Service annually.

Applicants are cautioned against entering into any agreement or understanding with individual Advisers or other laboratory personnel for additional funding or other remuneration for work as an Associate.

Stipends for Associates are limited to the amounts and by the conditions set forth above, and any other arrangement, formal or informal, between an applicant and laboratory personnel for additional monies or other considerations is strictly prohibited by the National Research Council.

Taxes and Insurance

As a guest investigator, an Associate is self-employed. All arrangementsfor payment of income taxes are the responsibility of the individual Associate, who is advised to become familiar with the relevant sections of the current tax codes.

The National Research Council is required by the US Tax Code to withhold an amount from the stipends of non-resident aliens who hold exchange visitor (J-1) visas. Exchange visitors are advised that approximately 14% per month will be withheld from stipends and reported to the US Internal Revenue Service annually.

A group health-insurance program is required for Associates and is optional for dependents. If you are not covered under a spouse's plan, you must participate in the National Research Council's plan. The cost of this program is shared by the Associate and the sponsoring agency. In addition, all exchange visitors and their dependent families are required by the US Department of State to carry health insurance while they are in the US. The Associateship Program's group insurance satisfies this requirement. The National Research Council provides this insurance during tenure.

Relocation and Travel

A suitable relocation reimbursement is determined for each awardee. Funds are also available for limited professional travel during tenure, provided such travel is approved in advance by the Associate's Adviser, the ARO Program Representative, and the Associateship Programs office. Details will be provided at the time of the award.

Application Procedure

Complete the WebRAP electronic application that can be accessed through this site. This system requires uploads of your proposal and other information. After completing the WebRAP application, you must submit supporting documents (transcripts, if applicable, and references) either electronically to RAP@nas.edu or by mail to the Associateship Programs office at the address listed below.

Application deadlines are February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1. All deadlines for receipt of application materials are strictly observed by the laboratory and the Associateship Programs office. No allowances or exceptions are made for late submissions.

Application materials from previous competitions may not be used.

If you need to contact us:

Associateship Programs
Keck 568
National Research Council
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

Phone: (202) 334-2760
FAX: (202) 334-2759

E-Mail: rap@nas.edu
Internet: www.national-academies.org/rap

Initiation of Tenure

Sufficient time must be allowed between the offer of an award and the beginning of tenure to enable the Associateship Programs office and ARO to complete all necessary administrative procedures.

The date on which tenure may begin is negotiated on an individual basis, normally within six months of the award. The starting date may be delayed by mutual agreement of ARO, the Associate, and the Associateship Programs office but cannot be later than 12 months from the date on which the award was originally offered.

If this condition cannot be met, a new application, including a newly approved research proposal, must be submitted to the Associateship Programs office and will be judged without prejudice in the next competition.

Notification of Awards

Research Associateship awards are made by the National Research Council on behalf of sponsoring federal agencies. The endorsement of an application and research proposal by the sponsoring agency, while essential to the application and review processes, does not constitute an agreement or obligation to confer an award.

A review board, comprised of Chairs and Co-Chairs of the National Research Council panels, determines a cutoff score. Applicants who score below this cutoff score cannot be considered further for an award. All applicants will be notified of their results one week after the review board meets.

Applicants who score above the cutoff score are recommended to the sponsoring agency as eligible for an award. Final decisions on awards are made by the sponsoring agency based on ranking of the NRC panels and the availability of funding. Applicants are generally notified of final award status within 4-6 weeks following the review.

Acceptances and declinations must be made directly to the Associateship Programs office of the National Research Council.

For NIST awards only: NRC awards for applicants to NIST are made directly by NIST.