The Advanced Light Source (ALS) Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellowship program provides challenging opportunities to conduct collaborative research and instrument development in areas supporting the scientific mission of the Department of Energy (DOE), Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), and the ALS, including physical, chemical, material, energy, environmental, geological, and biological sciences. Fellows pursue research projects as part of research teams comprising members of ALS staff and the user community, and are exposed to current scientific challenges that can be tackled using advanced synchrotron radiation tools. They share and exchange innovative scientific ideas and techniques to enhance their skills and professional training.
Fellows will have access to a valuable combination of outstanding professional scientific and engineering staff, research instrumentation, and other facilities available at the ALS, as well as potential access to other LBNL user facilities including the Molecular Foundry, the National Center of Electron Microscopy, and the National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center.
ALS Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellowships provide only partial financial support, usually in the form of a stipend that does not include benefits. Applicants must 1) locate a source of collaborative funding, usually provided by a collaborating postdoctoral advisor outside the ALS or an external postdoctoral fellowship, and 2) contact one or more ALS staff members to discuss areas of common research interest and to agree on a potential research project and scope.
Program Objectives
The ALS Collaborative Postdoctoral Fellowship program seeks to identify outstanding individuals who will collaborate closely with ALS staff and users in new and emerging scientific and engineering research fields. The program will provide advanced training for careers paths that involve x-ray instrumentation and synchrotron radiation science. We are particularly interested in identifying outstanding scientists from historically underrepresented groups.
Eligibility
Applicants must be legally eligible to work in the United States, regardless of citizenship, and have received a doctoral research degree from an accredited academic institution in an appropriate scientific or engineering discipline no more than three years before the appointment start date. Awards are for one year with the possibility of renewal.
All contingencies of an appointment offer must be met before the Fellowship term begins. If an award is offered to a doctoral degree candidate, the candidate must present acceptable evidence that all formal academic doctoral degree requirements have been met before starting the fellowship.
Application Procedure
As noted above, individuals interested in applying for a fellowship must contact one or more ALS staff members (see ALS Beamline Directory for beamline information and associated scientists) to discuss possible projects and to clarify the sources of external matching funds. Candidates will be asked to provide their C.V., current publication list, and a statement of research to be performed (up to 2 pages). The ALS staff member with whom they propose to work and collaborate will review the research plan and will be asked to write a letter of recommendation.
Selection Procedure and Criteria
All Fellowship applications will be reviewed by the ALS Science Council on a quarterly basis. Selection meetings will be scheduled in January, April, July, and October, and applicants should contact ALS staff members at least 1–2 months earlier to discuss possible projects. Applications will be evaluated based on the qualifications of the applicant, the merits of the proposed collaborative research, and the alignment of the project with ALS strategic priorities.
Obligations
Fellowships involve a full-time commitment to the collaborative research program between ALS and external advisors and possibly other ALS users. Except when traveling, Fellows must be in residence at ALS/LBNL during the entire period of the fellowship. Fellowship research must be conducted in accordance with a plan that meets the overall research needs of the ALS.
Fellows are required to sign and abide by the appointment letter, the terms of appointment, and other required ALS/LBNL policies. They are also required to submit a final report of research accomplishments to the ALS, acknowledge the support of ALS/DOE/BES in publications and presentations related to research conducted during the fellowship, and submit these publications to the ALS publication database.
For more information: Please contact Andreas Scholl, Interim ALS Division Deputy for Science, for additional information about this program.
