|
|
RAP Research Opportunities |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Associateship Programs at National Energy Technology Laboratory Methane Hydrates Fellowship Program (MHFP)
The National Research Council conducts the National Energy Technology (NETL) Methane Hydrates Fellowship Programs (MHFP) in cooperation with sponsoring federal laboratories, research organizations, and accredited universities. The National Research Council, through its Associateship Programs office, conducts a national competition to recommend and make awards to M.S., Ph.D., and postdoctoral level candidates. The objectives of the Programs are (1) to provide postgraduate students and postdoctoral candidates opportunities for career development, largely of their own choice in the Methane Hydrates field that are compatible with the interests of the sponsoring laboratories and universities, and (2) to contribute thereby to the overall efforts of NETL in their support in the development of Methane Hydrate Science. For postgraduate students, the Programs provide an opportunity for concentrated research or career development in association with selected members of the permanent professional laboratory or university staff, often as a climax to formal career preparation. Participating laboratories and universities receive a stimulus to their programs by the presence of bright, highly motivated, recent graduates. New ideas, techniques, and approaches to problems contribute to the overall professional climate of the laboratories. Indirectly, the fellowships also make available to the broader research community the excellent and often unique facilities that exist in federal laboratories and universities. The Methane Hydrate Fellowship supports highly qualified postgraduate students in the advancement of Methane Hydrate science. In particular; interest is in advanced geological and geophysical projects that will provide improved methods and tools for real time, remote or in situ detection, characterization, and appraisal of gas hydrates occurrence and distribution in nature as well as their production potential as an energy resource. Interest is in projects that provide an improved understanding of the processes that control hydrate stability and their potential role in global climate including formation of Methane Hydrates in permafrost and seafloor settings and the fate of dissociated hydrates through sediments, the water column, and into the atmosphere. The Associateship Programs office receives all application materials and supporting documents and conducts the competitive evaluations of applications. Evaluations for NETL Methane Hydrates 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 field of Methane Hydrates and their evaluations become the basis from which awards are made on behalf of NETL. 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 is a guest professional, not an employee of the National Research Council or of the laboratory or university. Fellowships are not intended to be, or to compete with, permanent professional career positions. No commitment on the part of the fellow, the sponsoring laboratory or university, 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 must devote their full-time effort to the program proposed in their applications and must be in residence at the sponsoring laboratory or university during the entire period of the award. No period of tenure may be spent in residence at another laboratory or institution. Fellows are subject to the general regulations of the laboratory or university. No additional monetary aid or other remuneration may be accepted from another appointment, fellowship, or similar grant during the period of the award. Since a fellow’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 NETL Methane Hydrates Fellowship. Manuscripts that result from work performed at NETL must be cleared by the agency to ensure compliance with its publications policies. Each Methane Hydrate Program fellow will be closely affiliated with a Research Adviser at the host venue, such as a senior scientist or full-time research faculty member at an accredited university. Advisers will guide and assist fellows with their research programs and in all matters pertaining to their professional work, including assessment of the progress on the research program, and preparation and publication of the results of their research work. As the locations for performing the Methane Hydrate Fellowship research are not pre-set, neither is the list of potential Advisers. Most potential applicants will already have an Adviser in mind. For those that have questions about contacting a potential Adviser, prospective applicants may also contact the NRC/NETL Program Representative listed below: Dr. Eric O. Basques
Please direct ALL Application inquiries directly to the Research Associateship Programs at rap@nas.edu or by phone at (202) 334-2760. Each applicant must submit a research proposal delineating the Methane Hydrate research they intend to pursue at their chosen laboratory or university. The proposal must be the original work of an applicant and be approved by their proposed Adviser. 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 support of proposal development. Each applicant’s proposal must be approved by their Adviser and endorsed by NETL to be eligible for an award. NETL’s endorsement affirms that the proposal is compatible with NETL’s interests, is in concurrence on the appropriateness of the proposal to the Methane Hydrates Program, 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 NETL that his or her proposal has been endorsed. Otherwise, the Associateship Programs office will assume that the proposal is not of sufficient current interest to NETL 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 the appropriate prior degree for the level of fellowship they intend to pursue. 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 for this NETL Methane Hydrates Fellowship Program are open to all citizens of the United States Fellowship Status and Length of Tenure Fellowships are awarded initially for one year. Fellowships can be renewed for an additional year for Master’s and postdoctoral level researchers (total tenure of two years) or an additional two years for Ph.D. level fellows (total tenure of three years). Renewals are contingent on research progress. A fellow receives a stipend from the National Research Council while carrying out his or her proposed project. The current annual starting stipend for a Master’s level fellow is $30,000, for a Ph.D. level fellow $35,000, and for a postdoctoral researcher, it starts at $60,000 with increments for additional experience. 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. Stipends for fellows 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 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. This application MHFP Application must be submitted ONLY in hard copy and sent by Express Delivery to the Associateship Programs office at the address listed below. You must also mail your supporting documents (transcripts and Reference Reports) to the same address. Application deadlines are February 1 and August 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 NETL 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 NETL, the fellow, 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. 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 These fellowships will be tenable at any qualified university, or national or federal laboratory. |
Return to top of page