Associateship Programs at US Environmental Protection Agency Associateship Faculty Fellowship Program (EPA/FFP)

History and Objectives	Eligibility	Benefits
Program Description	Consideration	Stipend and Daily Expense Allowance
Panel Review	Education and Experience	Taxes
Associateship Faculty Fellowships	Citizenship	Relocation and Travel
Research at EPA/AFFP	Eligibility and Status
Residence and Report Requirement	Prior Affiliation with the Laboratory	Application Procedure
Publications	Reapplication	Application Procedure and Materials
Information on Associateships		Panel Review Schedule
		Initiation of Tenure
Adviser & Lab Representatives		Notification of Awards
Adviser & Representatives
Research Proposal
Statement of Academic Benefit
EPA Research Facility Review

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Program Description

To complement research efforts and build critical links between Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) scientists and their counterparts in the academic community, the EPA and the National Research Council announce the Associateship Faculty Fellowship Program (AFFP). This program is administered by the National Research Council, which provides the oversight and administrative structure for the selection and appointment of applicants. The laboratory facilities and research support are provided by the host EPA research facility where the Faculty awardees will be in full-time residence for the duration of the award. No other employment or remuneration is permitted during the period of the award. Under the AFFP, US college, university, or technical institute faculty members holding Associateship Faculty Fellowships perform mentor-based research in areas of interest to EPA in EPA research facilities.

The objectives of the Associateship Faculty Fellowship Program are to:

• stimulate professional relationships among AFFP participants and the scientists and engineers at EPA Research Facilities;

• enhance the research interests and capabilities of faculty (both new and experienced researchers) in the US academic community;

• elevate the awareness in the US academic community of EPA research needs and foster continued research at AFFP participants' home institutions;

• provide the AFFP participant opportunities to perform high-quality and meaningful research at EPA laboratories;

• provide nationally accredited mentoring of academic researchers at EPA laboratories.

During the research duration, the faculty, under the mentorship of EPA researchers, will conduct research at EPA research facilities for a continuous period (other than federal holidays and weekends) of eight (8) to fourteen (14) weeks during the interval of March 1 to December 31. AFFP particpants may choose to perform their research at the EPA facilities listed below, but only in those research areas listed and approved for the EPA Associateship Program and with National Research Council approved Research Advisers. The AFFP participants must submit a research report at the completion of their appointment to their Research Advisers and Laboratory Program Representatives. The participating EPA laboratories are:

National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL)
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Environmental Sciences Division
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Ecosystems Research Division
Athens, Georgia

National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (NHEERL)
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Atlantic Ecology Division
Narragansett, Rhode Island

Environmental Public Health Division
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Integrated Systems Toxicology Division
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Mid-Continent Ecology Division
Duluth, Minnesota

Research Cores Unit
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Toxicity Assessment Division
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Western Ecology Division
Corvallis, Oregon

National Center for Computational Toxicology (NCCT)
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

National Risk Management Research Laboratory (NRMRL)
Cincinnati, Ohio

Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

Land Remediation and Pollution Division
Cincinnati, Ohio

Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division
Ada, Oklahoma

Sustainable Technology Division
Cincinnati, Ohio

Water Supply and Water Resources Division
Cincinnati, Ohio and Edison, New Jersey

National Homeland Security Research Center (NHSRC)
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

National Center for Environmental Assessment (NCEA)
Cincinnati, Ohio
Washington, DC
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina

The Panel Review

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

Evaluations for Associateship Faculty Fellowships 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 EPA.

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

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.

Associateship Faculty Fellowships

EPA Associateship Faculty Fellowships are awarded to faculty with research experience and will include assistant, associate, and full professors. Each AFFP award is for 14 weeks between March 1 and December 31. The AFFP participant may re-apply for and possibly receive awards for up to two additional awards in subsequent years (three total). AFFP participants receive a stipend based on the level of the award and may receive a daily expense allowance, where applicable.

In the Associateship Faculty Fellowship Program sponsored by EPA, an AFFP participant is a guest researcher, not an employee of the National Research Council or of an EPA research facility.

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

Holders of Associateship Faculty Fellowships 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 Faculty Fellowship. No period of tenure may be spent in residence at another laboratory or institution. AFFP participants have the status of visiting scientists or engineers but are subject to the general regulations of the EPA.

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

Research at EPA/AFFP

This website contains abstracts, or opportunities for research that describe areas of research in which Associateship Faculty Fellowships may be awarded at EPA, which includes the following laboratories:

• National Exposure Research Laboratory
• National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
• National Center for Computational Toxicology
• National Risk Management Research Laboratory
• National Homeland Security Research Center
• National Center for Environmental Assessment

EPA provides the funds for these fellowships and the EPA laboratories furnish all necessary support services, facilities, and equipment for the approved research program of each AFFP participant.

While every effort has been made 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 of temporary lack of equipment, laboratory renovation, staffing already sufficient to meet research goals, or a lack of funding.

Residence and Final Report Requirements

The AFFP participants will be in continuous, full-time residence for the duration of the award (other than federal holidays and weekends) at an EPA facility where research support will be provided by the host laboratory. No other employment or remuneration is permitted during the period of the award.

EPA requires that each AFFP participant submit a brief final report at the end of his or her appointment. The report is to be submitted to the Research Adviser and the Laboratory Program Representative before the AFFP participant leaves the laboratory. It is expected that the brief report will contain about ten pages of text, plus any figures or references, to include the major technical findings during the tenure period.

Publications

Since an AFFP participant's later scientific and technical career will be judged by others, publication in the accepted open technical literature, in accordance with laboratory's public release procedure, is highly encouraged.

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

Information on Research Associateships at EPA Research Facilities

In addition to the EPA Associateship Faculty Fellowships, the National Research Council also conducts a Research Associateship Program with awards to guest investigators to conduct research in EPA laboratories and other federal agencies. We provide this information here for your possible use, and also for your students and colleagues:

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.

Research Advisers and Laboratory Program Representatives

Shown with each opportunity for research is the name of a Research Adviser who conducts or directs the work described in the opportunity.

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

For a senior AFFP participant, an Adviser functions in a collegial relationship and assists as needed in securing technical support and resources.

The Laboratory Program Representative is a professional staff member at an EPA research facility who is responsible for managing its Associateship Faculty Fellowship Program and for assisting an AFFP participant with all administrative aspects of tenure:

National Exposure Research Laboratory-Laboratory Program Representative

Van Anderson, Laboratory Program Representative
National Exposure Research Laboratory
US Environmental Protection Agency
4930 Page Road, Mail Drop D343-01
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711

Telephone: (919) 541-0083
E-Mail: anderson.van@epamail.epa.gov

Division Program Representatives

Ms. Rebecca Clausen, Acting Program Operations Staff Director
ORD National Exposure Research
Laboratory Human Exposure & Atmospheric Sciences Division.
Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division
US Environmental Protection Agency
109 TW Alexander Drive, Mail Drop E205-01
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711

Telephone: (919) 541-3002
E-Mail: clausen.rebecca@epa.gov

Ms. Brandy Manders, Acquisition Specialist
National Exposure Research Laboratory
Ecosystems Research Division
US Environmental Protection Agency
960 College Station Road
Athens, Georgia 30605-2700

Telephone: (706) 355-8030
E-Mail: manders.brandy@epa.gov

National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory

Ms. Frances W. Richards, Acquisition Analyst/National Laboratory Program Representative
National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
Research Cores Unit
Toxicity Assessment Division
Environmental Public Health Division
Integrated Systems Toxicology Division
US Environmental Protection Agency
Mail Code B343-01
109 TW Alexander Drive
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

Telephone: (919) 541-3453
E-Mail: richards.frances@epa.gov

Dr. Wayne R. Munns, Jr., Laboratory Program Representative
National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
Jonathan Garber, Division Program Representative
Atlantic Ecology Division
US Environmental Protection Agency
27 Tarzwell Drive
Narragansett, Rhode Island 02882

Telephone: (401) 782-3017
E-Mail: munns.wayne@epa.gov

Dr. Janet Keough, Laboratory Program Representative
National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
Mid-Continent Ecology Division
US Environmental Protection Agency
6201 Congdon Boulevard
Duluth, Minnesota 55804

Telephone: (218) 529-5025
E-Mail:keough.janet@epa.gov

Priscilla Hoobler, Laboratory Program Representative
National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory
Thomas Fontaine, Division Program Representative
Western Ecology Division
US Environmental Protection Agency
200 SW 35th Street
Corvallis, Oregon 97333

Telephone: (541) 754-4389
E-Mail: hoobler.priscilla@epa.gov

National Center for Computational Toxicology

Karen Dean, Laboratory Program Representative
National Center for Computational Toxicology
US Environmental Protection Agency
Mail Code B-205-01
4930 Page Rd.
Research Triangle Park, NC 27711

Telephone: (919) 541-5037
E-Mail: dean.karen@epa.gov

National Risk Management Research Laboratory-Project Officer and Division Program Representative

Ms. Mary Sue McNeil, EPA/ORD Project Officer/
GWERD Laboratory Program Representative
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
Ground Water and Ecosystems Restoration Division/
NHSRC Laboratory Program Representative
National Homeland Security Research Center
US Environmental Protection Agency
PO Box 1198
Ada, Oklahoma 74820

Telephone: (580) 436-8711
E-Mail: mcneil.mary-sue@epa.gov

Division Program Representatives

Mr. G. Blair Martin, Associate Director
Division Program Representative
Air Pollution Prevention and Control Division
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
US Environmental Protection Agency
MD-E343-04
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711

Telephone: (919) 541-7504
E-Mail: martin.blair@epa.gov

Dr. Fran V. Kremer, Senior Science Adviser
Land Remediation and Pollution Control Division
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
US Environmental Protection Agency
26 West Martin Luther King Drive, MS-190
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268

Telephone: (513) 569-7346
E-Mail: kremer.fran@epa.gov

Mr. Thomas J. Holdsworth, Division Program Representative
Sustainable Technology Division
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
US Environmental Protection Agency
26 West Martin Luther King Drive, MS 497
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268

Telephone: (513) 569-7675
E-Mail: holdswoth.thomas@epa.gov

Mrs. Myrna Findley, Division Program Representative
Water Supply and Water Resources Division
National Risk Management Research Laboratory
US Environmental Protection Agency
26 West Martin Luther King Drive, MS-689
Cincinnati, Ohio 45268

Telephone: (513) 569-7686
E-Mail: findley.myrna@epa.gov

National Homeland Security Research Center-Adviser

Dr. Russell Wiener
National Homeland Security Research Center
US Environmental Protection Agency
D205-03, US EPA Mail Room
Research Triangle Park, North Carolina 27711

Telephone: (919) 541-1910
E-Mail: wiener.russell@epa.gov

National Center for Environmental Assessment

Marie Nichols-Johnson
US Environmental Protection Agency
NCEA-Cincinnati, MS-A110
26 West Martin Luther King Drive
Cincinnati, OH 45268

Telephone: (513) 569-7479
E-Mail: nichols.marie@epa.gov

David Kelley
US Environmental Protection Agency
NCEA-DC
Two Potomac Yard (North Building)
2733 S. Crystal Drive
Arlington, VA 22202

Telephone: (703) 347-8563
E-Mail: kelley.dave@epa.gov

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

The NRC Program Administrator for EPA/AFFP is:

Dr. Judith K. Nyquist
Associateship Programs
Keck 552
National Research Council
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Telephone: (202) 334-2202
E-Mail: jnyquist@nas.edu@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 an EPA research facility. 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.

Statement of Academic Benefit

In addition to the research proposal, each applicant must provide a one- to two-page Statement of Academic Benefit that describes how the Associateship Faculty Fellowship will benefit teaching and research activities at their home academic institution. For example, relate the proposed research project at the EPA laboratory to courses that have been taught or will be taught in the coming year, or to student research projects.

EPA Research Facility Review

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

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

No applicant will be eligible for further consideration until the Associateship Programs office has been advised by EPA that his or her proposal has been approved.

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 Ph.D., Sc.D., or other earned research doctoral degree recognized by US academic institutions as equivalent to the Ph.D. 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 for Associateship Faculty Fellowships funded by EPA are open only to US citizens and legal permanent residents whose immigrant status is valid throughout the appointment. No other visas can be accepted.

Although National Research Council approved Research Opportunities are unclassified, all guest investigators-including AFFP participants-are subject to EPA regulations governing visiting scientists to determine their access to the laboratory and eligibility for an award. All applicants must have full command of the English language.

Eligibility and Status

To be eligible, applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents; be a current, full-time faculty member of an accredited baccalaureate-granting US college, university, or technical institution; and have an earned doctorate in science or engineering.

Prior Affiliation with the Laboratory

A primary objective of the Associateship Faculty Fellowship Programs is to provide a mechanism for bringing new ideas and sources of stimulation to the sponsoring laboratory. Thus persons with recent prior affiliation with a specific laboratory may not be eligible to apply for a Faculty Fellowship at that laboratory.

Prior affiliation includes direct employment relationships either with the laboratory or with a contractor whose work is performed there. A long-term consulting relationship may make 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 a disqualifying prior affiliation.

Reapplication

Each Associateship Faculty Fellowship award is for eight (8) to fourteen (14) weeks. Persons who have previously held a Faculty Fellowship may apply for a renewal for a second or third award. The instructions for reapplication can be found on the National Research Council Associateship Programs Web page under the EPA Associateship Faculty Fellowship Program.

Candidates who were not offered an award because of funding or other limitations, or who were not recommended for an award by the panels, may reapply for an award for the following year.

Stipend and Daily Expense Allowance

An AFFP participant receives a stipend from the National Research Council while carrying out his or her proposed research. For the current year, the weekly stipend for an AFFP participant depends on the research experience and faculty status of the applicant:

Faculty with Research Experience:

Assistant Professor $1,250
Associate Professor $1,450
Full Professor $1,650

All stipends are subject to adjustments from time to time in accordance with general national guidelines pertaining to scientists and engineers.

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 AFFP participant.

Stipends for AFFP participants 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.

In addition to the stipend, AFFP participants may receive a daily expense allowance of $50 per workday (excluding weekends and federal holidays) if their commuting distance is greater than 50 miles (one way by the most direct route) and they obtain a temporary residence while at the EPA research facility.

Taxes

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

Relocation and Travel

A suitable relocation reimbursement for personal travel to the EPA research facility will be determined for each awardee. Details will be provided at the time of the award.

Application Procedure and Materials

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.

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
Email: rap@nas.edu
http://www.national-academies.org/rap

Panel Review Schedule

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.

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 EPA to complete all necessary administrative procedures.

During tenure, the faculty, under the mentorship of EPA researchers, will conduct research at EPA research facilities for a continuous period (other than federal holidays and weekends) of eight (8) to fourteen (14) weeks between the dates of March 1 and December 31.

The date on which tenure may begin is negotiated on an individual basis, by mutual agreement of the EPA, the AFFP participant, and the National Research Council Associateship Programs office.

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.