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Associateship Programs at National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Master's Level Program (NIOSH/MLP)
The National Research Council conducts the Master's level 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 Master's level candidates at participating laboratories. The objectives of the Programs are (1) to provide Master's level professionals opportunities for career development, 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 Master's level graduates, the Programs provide an opportunity for concentrated research or career development in association with selected members of the permanent professional laboratory staff, often as a climax to formal career preparation. Participating laboratories receive a stimulus to their programs by the presence of bright, highly motivated, recent Master's level graduates. New ideas, techniques, and approaches to problems contribute to the overall professional climate of the laboratories. Indirectly, the fellowships and internships also make available to the broader public health community the excellent and often unique facilities that exist in federal laboratories. The Associateship Programs office receives all application materials and supporting documents and conducts the competitive evaluations of applications. Evaluations for National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) fellowships and internships 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 field of public health and their evaluations become the basis from which awards are made on behalf of NIOSH. 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. A fellow or intern is a guest professional, not an employee of the National Research Council or of the laboratory. Fellowships and internships are not intended to be, or to compete with, permanent professional career positions. No commitment on the part of the fellow or intern, 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. Fellows and interns must devote their full-time effort to the program proposed in their applications and must be in residence at the sponsoring laboratory during the entire period of the award. No period of tenure may be spent in residence at another laboratory or institution. Fellows and interns 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 during the period of the award. Professional Development at NIOSH This website contains abstracts or opportunities for career development that describe areas in which fellowships or internships may be awarded at NIOSH. NIOSH provides the funds for this program and furnishes all necessary support services, facilities, and equipment for the approved program of each fellow or intern. While every effort has been made by NIOSH 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 goals, or a lack of funding. Since a fellow's or intern's later professional career will be judged by others, publication in the accepted open technical literature is highly encouraged. Publications should include a statement indicating that the activity was conducted while the author held a National Research Council Fellowship or Internship. Manuscripts that result from work performed at NIOSH must be cleared by the agency to ensure compliance with its publications policies. Research Adviser, Associate Director for Extramural Programs, and Laboratory Program Representatives Shown with each opportunity are the names of one or more Research Advisers who conduct or direct the work described in the opportunity. An Adviser is a staff professional at NIOSH with whom a fellow or intern works most closely. An Adviser acts as a surrogate of the National Research Council in monitoring a fellow or intern, and all matters relating to a fellow's or intern's program fall under his or her purview. The overall administration and coordination of the Institute's NRC programs are conducted by the Office of Extramural Programs (OEP) in the office of the NIOSH director. This includes justification and acquisition of Institute funding, budgetary projections and control, design and execution of the administrative procedures used for selecting those projects that ultimately receive Institute funding, and promulgation of executive decisions. In addition, the Laboratory Program Representatives, professional staff members who coordinate the Institute's NRC Programs, are members of OEP. Dr. W. Gregory Lotz, Director
Telephone: (513) 533-8462
Dr. Aleksandr B. Stefaniak, Morgantown Laboratory Program Representative
Telephone: (304) 285-6302
Dr. Ronald Shaffer, NRC-Morgantown and Pittsburgh Laboratory Program Representative
Telephone: (412) 386-4001
Dr. Patrick Coleman, Spokane Laboratory Program Representative
Telephone: (509) 354-8065
Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, Deputy Director
Telephone: (907) 271-2383
Prospective applicants may also contact the Program Representative if they have not received a response from the Research Adviser. The NRC Program Administrator for NIOSH is: Dr. Judith K. Nyquist
Please direct ALL Application inquiries directly to the Research Associateship Programs at rap@nas.edu or by phone at (202) 334-2760. Research Proposal/Statement of Purpose Each applicant must submit a proposal or statement of purpose that relates to a specific opportunity at NIOSH. A proposal or plan for career development must be the original work of an applicant and be approved by an Adviser listed with the opportunity. Before writing a proposal or plan, 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 support of proposal development. Consult the section "Index of Research Advisers," later in this website, for a list of Adviser telephone numbers and E-mail addresses sorted by division. Each applicant's proposal must be approved by one of the Advisers listed in this website and endorsed by the Institute's specially convened Associateship Program Committee to be eligible for an award. The Committee's endorsement affirms that the proposal is compatible with NIOSH's 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 NIOSH 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 NIOSH 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. Qualified applicants will receive consideration without regard to race, creed, color, age, sex, or national origin. Awardees must hold a Master's degree or must present acceptable evidence of having completed all the formal academic requirements for the degree before tenure may begin. An applicant's training, professional experience, and research experience may be in any appropriate discipline or combination of disciplines required for the proposed project. Opportunities at NIOSH are open to all citizens or legal permanent residents of the United States. 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. Fellowship or Internship Status and Length of Tenure Fellowships are awarded to persons who have a Master's degree and are made initially for one year. Internship awards are made for 12 weeks. Fellowships can be renewed for an additional year. Internships can be renewed for one 12-week extension. A fellow or intern receives a stipend from the National Research Council while carrying out his or her proposed project. The current annual stipend for a fellow is approximately $38,000. The exact stipend is determined by laboratory location and takes into account the cost of living for the area. A $3,000 allowance is available for health insurance, educational courses, etc. This allowance applies to the fellowships only. The stipend for the 12-week internship is $9,000. This stipend is subject to adjustments from time to time in accordance with general national guidelines. 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 a fellow or intern. Stipends for fellows and interns 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. A fellow or intern is self-employed. All arrangements for payment of income taxes are the responsibility of the individual, who is advised to become familiar with the relevant sections of the current tax codes. Complete the WebRAP application that can be accessed through this site. This application must be submitted ONLY in hard copy and sent by Express Delivery to the Associateship Programs office at the address listed below. After completing the WebRAP application, you must also mail your supporting documents (transcripts and references) to the same address. 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
Phone: (202) 334-2760
E-Mail: rap@nas.edu
Sufficient time must be allowed between the offer of an award and the beginning of tenure to enable the Associateship Programs office and NIOSH 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 NIOSH, the fellow or intern, 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 or career development plan, must be submitted to the Associateship Programs office and will be judged without prejudice in the next competition. 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. Location of Research Facilities Division of Applied Research and Technology
Division of Respiratory Disease Studies
Division of Safety Research
Division of Safety Research
Education and Information Division
Health Effects Laboratory Division
Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
Pittsburgh Research Laboratory
Spokane Research Laboratory
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