Visiting Fellow (postdoctoral or sabbatical)

The Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) sponsors a prestigious Visiting Fellows program, inviting scientists to join the thriving community of researchers in Boulder, Colorado. CIRES is a partnership between NOAA and the University of Colorado Boulder. CIRES Visiting Fellowships are intended to stimulate interdisciplinary research across the institute through engagement with CIRES researchers on campus and in Boulder’s NOAA Laboratories. Sponsored by CIRES Fellows, Visiting Fellows work with CIRES researchers on a wide range of environmental science topics. The CIRES Visiting Fellows Program has attracted more than 350 scientists from around the world over the past 50 years; many have gone on to lasting careers in CIRES and NOAA. We encourage applications from members of groups under-represented in the environmental sciences and related disciplines.

(View all this information here: https://cires.colorado.edu/about/institutional-programs/visiting-fellows-program) 

Two-year Visiting Fellowships are available for postdoctoral researchers, and terms of up to 12 months for senior scientists on leave or sabbatical.

Applicants should contact possible Visiting Fellow Sponsors well in advance of submitting an application. Successful proposals are typically designed in collaboration with your potential host at CIRES. Without the support of a current CIRES Fellow or CIRES Senior Research Scientist, your application is unlikely to succeed. 

The 2020 competition opens October 26, 2020 and the application deadline is January 5, 2021.

Info for Postdoc:

Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowships are available in two-year terms. An annual salary of $65,000 the first year and $66,625 for the second year. A research budget of up to $4,000 is included in the award, along with a modest relocation stipend for the individual (no family costs can be covered).

Eligibility

• The applicant should be no more than 4 years out from completion of PhD at the time of application (exceptions may be made for time off due to dependent care).
• Priority will be given to candidates affiliated with institutions outside the greater Boulder scientific community.
• Past or current CU Boulder graduate students and postdocs are not eligible.
• Current or former CIRES Visiting Fellows are not eligible.

Application Requirements

Candidates are required to submit the following materials:

• CV (NSF format)
• Transcripts
• Cover letter which includes the expected start date, the name(s) of the sponsoring CIRES Fellow(s) and other CIRES, NOAA, and University of Colorado researchers with whom the applicant intends to work, and a description of the nature of the collaboration with each scientist (1-2 pages)
• Research proposal (3 pages max including figures and references). Proposals should outline the motivation for the work, its novelty and potential contribution to the field, the research question, the methods to be pursued, and the expected outcomes. Proposals should also include the scientific rationale for doing the work in CIRES, such as linkages with the research of the CIRES Fellow/Senior Research Scientist supporting your proposal. Please remember that the proposals will be reviewed by an interdisciplinary scientific team.
• Description of prior collaborations and affiliations with CIRES, NOAA, and the University of Colorado, if any. (500 words)
• 3 letters of recommendation 
• Identification of CIRES Fellow/Research Scientist collaborator.

Applicants should contact possible CIRES Fellow/Senior Research Scientist collaborators well in advance of submitting an application. Successful proposals are typically designed in collaboration with your potential host at CIRES. Without the support of a current CIRES Fellow/Senior Research Scientist, your application is unlikely to succeed. 

Please start your application early so that your reference letter writers can be notified with ample time. The application submission website will allow you to save and return to finish your application.

Application materials must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (MST), January 5, 2021; letters of recommendation will be accepted through January 11, 2021. 

Application Review and Selection

Applications are evaluated by a committee of CIRES Fellows, based on the following criteria:

• Scientific merit: Quality of a candidate's previous research, potential for future achievement, and potential contribution to environmental science (this may include record of publication, awards, fellowships, etc.). 
• Significance and relevance of the proposed research to the mission of the Visiting Fellowship program, CIRES and NOAA.
• Potential for the development of novel partnerships that could benefit scientific understanding, CIRES, or NOAA.
• Support of a CIRES Fellow or Research Scientist.

More

• Tangible materials, such as computers, purchased under the grant must remain at CIRES after the end of the award.
• Fellowships must begin within 10 months of acceptance of the offer; no deferrals.
• Visiting Fellows must present their work in person at the CIRES Rendezvous science symposium in May, or must arrange a seminar for the broader CIRES audience prior to completing the fellowship.

Info for sabbatical:

abbatical Fellowships for senior scientists are available for between 3 and 12 months. Modest requests to reimburse lodging expenses up to $1,800/month and a budget for research-related travel, materials and supplies up to $4,000 may be included in the award.

Eligibility

• Applicant must have appointment at an academic or research institution.
• Individuals who have been University of Colorado Boulder graduate students, postdocs, researchers, or faculty within 10 years of the application due date are not eligible.
• Priority will be given to candidates affiliated with institutions outside the greater Boulder scientific community.
• Applicants must be in residence at CIRES (or be conducting related field research) for a minimum of 3 months. Vacation time and conference attendance do not count toward the 3-month minimum. 

Application Requirements

Candidates are required to submit the following materials:

• CV 
• Cover Letter which includes the expected start and end dates, the name(s) of the sponsoring CIRES Fellow/Research Scientist(s) and other CIRES, NOAA and University of Colorado researchers with whom the applicant intends to work, and a description of the nature of the collaboration with each scientist (1-2 pages)
• Research proposal (3 pages max including figures and references). Proposals should outline the motivation for the work, its novelty and potential contribution to the field, the research question, the methods to be pursued, and the expected outcomes. Proposals should also include the scientific rationale for doing the work in CIRES, such as linkages with the research of the CIRES Fellow supporting your proposal.
• Description of prior collaborations and affiliations with CIRES and the University of Colorado, if any. (500 words)
• Identification of CIRES Fellow collaborator.

Applicants should contact possible CIRES Fellow/Senior Research Scientist collaborators well in advance of submitting an application. Successful proposals are typically designed in collaboration with your potential host at CIRES. Without the support of a current CIRES Fellow/Senior Research Scientist, your application is unlikely to succeed. 

Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. (MST), January 5, 2021. 

Application Review and Selection

Applications are evaluated by a committee of CIRES Fellows, based on the following criteria:

• Scientific merit: Quality of a candidate's previous research, potential for future achievement, and potential contribution to environmental science.
• Significance and relevance of the proposed research to the mission of the Visiting Fellowship program, CIRES and NOAA.
• Novelty of the proposed research. 
• Potential for the development of novel partnerships that could benefit scientific understanding, CIRES, or NOAA.
• Support of a CIRES Fellow/Senior Research Scientist.

More 

• Tangible materials, such as computers, purchased under the grant must remain at CIRES after the end of the award.
• Fellowships must begin within 9 months of acceptance of the offer; no deferrals.
• Visiting Fellows must present their work in person at the CIRES Rendezvous science symposium in May, or must arrange a seminar for the broader CIRES audience prior to completing the fellowship.