Early Career Postdoctoral-Faculty Bridge Grant
Grant at a Glance
Purpose
This award provides a post-doctoral fellow/associate or faculty in first 9 months of appointment who plans to launch an independent research career in academia, funds to support a post-doctoral associate/fellow for two years once their new research group is launched.
Description
Building a productive research group as a new faculty member in chemistry and engineering is highly challenging. To that end, the support available to a faculty member in the first two years is critical to developing the foundation for a robust research program that attracts grant funding, provides holistic training and mentorship to graduate students, and contributes to the culture of the department and the professional community. In recognition of this need, the ACS Early Career Postdoctoral-Faculty Bridge Grant provides support at this crucial junction in the form of a salary for a postdoctoral fellow/associate, who can both help launch the new research lab and gain invaluable experience in the process that can be applied to their own ability to launch an independent career in the future. To ensure meaningful mentorship for the postdoctoral fellow/associate, the award stipulates that the new PI will participate in ACS-based training in green chemistry education and mentorship. This grant mechanism is synergistic with the ACS P2F workshop, which provides critical training to a select group of postdoctoral fellows/associates from around the country.
The program will grant multiple awards in December 2024. The award supports the salary, benefits, and travel of a postdoctoral fellow for a two-year period. The sum is capped at $125,000. No overhead cost may be charged, which includes secretarial and/or administrative salaries. Funds may not be used to support laboratory technicians, contractors, consultants, or visiting faculty. Awardees will receive a letter of award stating that the funds will be disbursed in the first three months following the state date of the faculty appointment (or, in the case of faculty already in their first 9 months of appointment, the funds will be disbursed as soon as possible.)
Deadline
5:00 p.m. ET, September 20, 2024
Eligibility
- Applicants (of any nationality) must currently hold a postdoctoral fellow or associate position at a U.S. institution (university, national laboratory, or company). Other eligible applicants may also include those who have secured a faculty position (but have not started) or are in the first 9 months of a faculty position at a U.S. Ph.D.-granting university.
- Applicants should have held a postdoctoral fellow/associate position at any university for less than 5 years.
- Applicants must be planning to pursue a faculty position.
- Applicants must anticipate launching an independent research career focusing on green and sustainable chemistry.
To accept the award, applicants must commit to:
- Participate in a teacher-training workshop in green chemistry.
- Teach either one undergraduate or graduate course in green chemistry and sustainability, or a chemistry course that explicitly incorporates green chemistry in their faculty post.
Funding Criteria
The award committee makes relative rankings of proposals and recommendations for funding on the basis of the following criteria (in order of importance):
- The relevance of the proposed research of the PI to green and sustainable chemistry.
- Novelty, overall quality, significance, and scientific merit of the proposed research, including the extent to which it will increase basic knowledge and/or stimulate additional research.
- Research track record of the applicant and its applications related to green and sustainable chemistry.
- Evidence of dedication and passion for teaching, with emphasis on green and sustainable chemistry.
Guidelines for Applicants
The majority of your application will be entered directly into a web form; therefore, it is highly recommended that you collect this information in a document that you can easily copy and paste into the web form. We do not require a budget or letters of recommendation. You will need the following:
- Title of Proposed Research: 250 characters maximum
- Abstract: The abstract must be 250 words or less.
- Total number of years you have held as PD: Total number of years you have held postdoctoral appointments. This includes detailed information for the two most recent appointments.
- List the Institution(s): List the institutions to which you are applying. If you have already secured or are currently in the first 9 months of your faculty position, indicate the institution.
- Sustainability Teaching Plans: Provide a 200-word statement that describes your plans for teaching courses that incorporate or focus on some or all aspects of green and sustainable chemistry.
- Sustainability Impact: Provide a 200-word statement that succinctly explains the impact of your research on (a) the fundamental toolset of green chemistry and (b) the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
- Principal Investigator Information (Applicant Mentor): the supervisor at your most recent postdoctoral appointment
- Research Technical Proposal: A 2-page research technical proposal that describes: (a) your research contributions to date; (b) your research plan as an independent investigator; and (c) a statement that clearly describes how your independent research plan is distinct from your prior research experience. It is a single PDF file (to be uploaded as part of your application), with the text body double-spaced, in 12-point font (Times Roman, Arial, or Courier) with 1-inch margins, and pages numbered in the footer. You may include references and figures within the 2 pages. Your application will be rejected if you exceed the 2-page limit.
- CV: As a single PDF file to be uploaded as part of your application.
Guideline for Reviewers
Sustainable Futures Initiative Grant Program
The ACS Campaign for a Sustainable Future aims to advance chemistry innovations to address the challenges articulated in the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. This multifaceted initiative will have a lasting impact on how we conduct research, how we teach chemistry, and how we collaborate globally. The initiative begins with a campaign to fully engage the chemistry community in designing solutions to the grand challenges of sustainability, reimagining how we teach and practice chemistry with a sustainability focus, and raising public awareness about chemistry’s role in a sustainable future. One of the key initiatives of the Campaign is a grant program, which aims to provide catalytic funding for early and mid-career faculty interested in developing a research and teaching portfolio that contributes directly to developing transformative chemistries that address Sustainable Development Goals.
