Call for Nominations
New Graduate Student
BEACON Top-Up Recruiting Fellowships
Sponsored by
The BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action
An NSF Science and Technology Center
One goal of BEACON is to initiate and support research and training activities that involve the study of actively evolving systems and evolutionary dynamics, as well as applying these principles to solve tough computational or engineering problems. Furthermore, BEACON aims to recruit a diverse student population. To promote these goals, BEACON will be providing BEACON Top-Up Recruiting Fellowships to attract promising new Ph.D. students interested in this area to attend Michigan State University, funded by the University.
Eligibility: Top-Up Recruiting Fellowships can be used to support applicants to Ph.D. programs in all departments at MSU that conduct research in this area, with preference given to applicants who are citizens or permanent residents of the US. Any applicant nominated for a Top-Up Recruiting Fellowship must be nominated by a BEACON faculty member. In addition, the applicant must receive a 5-year support commitment from the faculty member and/or department, university or external agency (NSF, etc.). BEACON strongly encourages faculty to nominate women, students from underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities.
Top-Up Recruiting Fellowship Details: If an applicant is awarded a BEACON Top-Up Recruiting Fellowship, they will receive between $3,000 and $5,000 in additionalfellowship funds for each year they participate in BEACON activities, for up to a maximum of five years. If the applicant receives an NSF or other similar fellowship already providing $30,000 or more in annual support, BEACON will offer a one-time fellowship supplement of $5,000 for the duration of that fellowship.
Requirements: Students receiving this fellowship will be required to take two BEACON-related courses during their first year: one course on either evolutionary biology or computational evolution (whichever is not part of the student’s background) during Fall Semester 2012, and one project course where students work in interdisciplinary groups during Spring Semester 2013. This requirement is to support BEACON’s goal of encouraging students to pursue multi-disciplinary research. These courses are normally included in the student’s academic program.
Application Process: To nominate an applicant, please email the student’s application packet to Eric Torng (torng@msu.edu) by February 7, 2012. Please add the following two items:
- A letter of nomination from the prospective advisor. This letter should describe briefly the research area in which the student is expected to work and how this is connected to BEACON. Please highlight any multidisciplinary aspects of the research. If the research will involve any of the BEACON partner universities, that should be stated.
- If the candidate is a woman, member of an underrepresented minority, or a person with a disability, note that fact on the application for reporting to the NSF.
Decisions will be made within a week following the announcement of UDF/UEF recipients.
