CIRES (CU Boulder/NOAA) Visiting Fellowship (Postdoc 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 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. This program is funded primarily through the CIRES Cooperative Agreement with NOAA.

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 2023 competition opens on October 24, 2022, and the application deadline is January 3, 2023. Submit your application online. 

Virtual Visiting Fellow Info Session will take place on November 2, 2022 at 11 am
This informational webinar about the CIRES Visiting Fellow Program answers: What is the program? How do I apply? What do I need to include in my application? How do I identify a sponsor? And more!! 
Please join this live event, led by Christine Wiedinmyer, Associate Director for Science, and Susan Sullivan, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, and ask any questions you may have. Register here: https://bit.ly/VFPinfo. This session will be recorded and posted to the Visiting Fellows page: https://cires.colorado.edu/about/institutional-programs/visiting-fellows-program 

A recording of the webinar held on November 1, 2021 can be viewed here.

Postdoctoral Application Info:

Postdoctoral Visiting Fellowships are available in two-year terms. The annual salary is $66,950 the first year with a second-year increase in line with campus merit and/or other base-building compensation increases, depending on start date. 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 caretaking responsibilities or other exceptional circumstances. Please contact Christine.Wiedinmyer@colorado.edu).
• 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 (1-2 pages)
  • Letters should include 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
• 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.
• Names and contact information of 3 people to provide letters of recommendation 
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
• Identification of at least one (and up to 3) CIRES Fellow/Senior Research Scientist sponsor(s).

Applicants should contact possible CIRES VFP Sponsors 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 3, 2023; letters of recommendation will be accepted through January 9, 2023. 

Application Review and Selection

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

• Research Proposal
  • Scientific merit of proposed work 
  • Novelty of proposed plan
  • Well-written
  • Achievable
• Applicant Qualifications
  • Quality of a candidate's previous research
  • Potential for future achievement
  • 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.
• Strength of reference letters
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
• Support of a CIRES Fellow or Research Scientist sponsor(s).

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.

Sabbatical Application Info:

Sabbatical 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 (NSF format)
• Cover Letter (1-2 pages)
  • Letters should include 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
• 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.
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
• Identification of at least one (and up to 3) CIRES Fellow/Senior Research Scientist sponsor(s).

Applicants should contact possible CIRES VFP Sponsors 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 3, 2023. 

Application Review and Selection

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

• Research Proposal
  • Scientific merit of proposed work 
  • Novelty of proposed plan
  • Well-written
  • Achievable
• Applicant Qualifications
  • Quality of a candidate's previous research
  • Potential for future achievement
  • 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.
• Strength of reference letters
• Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
• Support of a CIRES Fellow or Research Scientist sponsor(s).

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.