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Los Alamos – TAMUS Graduate Fellowship Program (LATAMUS GFP)

LOS ALAMOS-TAMUS Graduate Fellowship Program (LATAMUS GFP)

The Los Alamos-TAMUS Graduate Fellowship Program is a collaborative effort between the Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL) Partnership and Pipeline Office (PPO) and the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) National Laboratories Office (NLO). The purpose of the Los Alamos-NLO Graduate Fellowship Program (LATAMUS GFP) is to help ensure the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of Los Alamos National Laboratory. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based masters and doctoral degrees in areas critical to LANL’s core missions. The LATAMUS GFP provides one year of support for the graduate education of individuals who have demonstrated their potential for significant research achievements in core LANL mission space.

LATAMUS GFP was established to recruit and support master’s and doctoral degree students nearing graduation, who have demonstrated the potential to make significant contributions to the LANL mission and will be seeking employment at the laboratory post-graduation.

Description of Development Fellowships

Anticipated Type of Award: Fellowship

Estimated Number of Awards: 4

We will support up to 4 new graduate fellowships per fiscal year under this program solicitation pending availability of funds.

Anticipated Funding Amount: $100,000 pending the availability of funds.

Each fellowship provides one year of support.  The fellowship is to be used to provide a stipend and cost of education and travel allowance to the graduate degree-granting institution of higher education for each Fellow who uses the support in a fellowship year. The fellowship is for any student in the Texas A&M System (TAMUS). While the fellowship is offered to the individual, the fellowship funds are awarded to the institution of higher education at which a Fellow is enrolled, and the institution is responsible for disbursement of the stipend to the fellowship recipient.

TAMUS researchers who meet the following criteria are encouraged to apply:

  • Be a U.S. citizen
  • Be a student at a TAMUS University
  • Never previously accepted a Graduate Fellowship
  • Never declined any previously offered Graduate Fellowship by the acceptance deadline
  • Never previously applied to GFP while enrolled in a graduate degree program
  • Never earned a doctoral or terminal degree in any field
  • Be within one year of graduation

Applications that do not meet eligibility requirements will not be reviewed.

Number of Times an Individual May Apply

  • Students can apply only once per annual competition

Applications that do not meet eligibility requirements will not be reviewed.

Application Procedures and Submission Instructions

Due Dates:

Application Deadline(s) (received by 5 p.m. central time): September 15, 2024

Application must include:

  • Current resume (3 pages maximum)
  • A fellowship proposal (1” margins, 12 pt font, single spaced) that must include the following sections:

Abstract: (2400 characters / ~350 words) Provide a brief description of the proposed scope of research, and identification of the specialized facilities, data, instrumentation, or other unique resources that will be used at LANL.

Research Plan: (3 pages) Identify the specific aims, research activities, and scholarly contributions of the proposed research, including the innovative components that will advance scholarship in the proposed field. Include a description of the lab facilities, data, or resources that the applicant will use, and explain the importance of conducting the research with a LANL mentor and why this collaboration is necessary to accomplish the research. The proposed research is for a one-year time frame (Fall 2024 – Summer 2025), but applicants should provide a general overview of how the proposed research fits in with their overall doctoral research.

Collaboration and Training Plan with LANL: (1 page) The proposal must outline the mentorship structure and value the LANL co-mentor will provide. This could include specific training and mentorship activities, resources provided, and joint mentorship structure. 

  • Applicant Statement: (1 page) This statement should describe the applicant’s background and why they are meritorious for this fellowship. Include research and career goals and how this LANL partnership will advance these goals. The applicant should explain how they enhance the diversity of the research pipeline via personal experience or outreach/mentorship or how they bring perspectives historically underrepresented in their field or research area.
  • Unofficial transcripts
  • Nomination Letter from the faculty mentor (max of 2 pages) from the applicant’s doctoral advisor providing concurrence and approval of the proposed research; confirmation that the applicant is in good standing; indication when the student advanced or will advance to candidacy, and, for more advanced students, when the student is expected to graduate; and an estimate and justification for research-related expenses anticipated to incur during the fellowship period, which may include the applicant’s travel to LANL, and/or materials and supplies.
  • Letter of support from LANL researcher that includes a description of how the proposed work is related to one or more of LANL’s Capability Pillars, and commits to providing the necessary resources, mentorship, and training as described in the proposal.

All documentation must be submitted online through the supplication portal. Only the information listed will be reviewed. No additional items or information will be accepted or reviewed. Do not provide links to web pages within the application, except as part of citations in the References Cited section. Images must be included in the page limits. Review of the application and reference letters is based solely on materials received by the application and reference letter deadlines. No application materials will be accepted via email.

 

Applicants must follow the instructions in the portal to complete each section of the application. The statements must be written using the following guidelines:

  1. Standard 8.5″ x 11″ page size
  2. 11 point or higher font, except text that is part of an image
  3. Times New Roman font for all text, Cambria Math font for equations, Symbol font for non-alphabetic characters (it is recommended that equations and symbols be inserted as an image)
  4. Cited references should include the name of the journal (abbreviations accepted).
  5. 1″ margins on all sides, no text inside 1″ margins (no header, footer, name, or page number) No less than single-spacing (approximately 6 lines per inch)
  6. Do not use line spacing options such as “exactly 11 points,” that are less than single spaced PDF file format only

 

Documents that are not compliant will not be accepted. Applicants are strongly advised to proofread and upload their documents early to ensure they are format-compliant and that non-compliant documents do not delay upload of the complete application for receipt by the deadline. Applications that are not compliant with these format requirements will not be reviewed.

 

Applications that are incomplete due to missing required transcripts and/or reference and support letters will not be reviewed. Applicants are advised to submit applications early to avoid unanticipated delays to the deadline dates.

Reference and Support Letter

 

Reference and support letter writers cannot be family members of the applicant.

 

Reference and support letter are due 5:00 p.m. CT (Central Time) on September 15, 2024.  No exceptions to the reference or support letter submission deadline will be granted.

  1. Standard 8.5″ x 11”-page size
  2. 11-point or higher Times New Roman font and 1″ margins on all sides Single spaced using normal (100%) single-line spacing
  3. Maximum of two pages.

The reference letter should address the merit of the applicant. It should include details explaining the nature of the relationship to the applicant (including research advisor role), comments on the applicant’s potential for contributing to the LANL missions, statements about the applicant’s academic potential and prior research experiences, statements about the applicant’s proposed research, and any other information to aid review panels in evaluating the application.

Due Dates

 

  • Application Deadline(s) (received by 5 p.m. Central Time of applicant’s mailing address): September 15, 2024

 

Application Review Information

Review Principles and Criteria

 

Applications are reviewed by disciplinary and interdisciplinary scientists and engineers and other professional graduate education experts from TAMUS and LANL. Reviewers are selected by Program Officers charged with oversight of the review process. Care is taken to ensure that reviewers have no conflicts of interest with the applicants.

 

Each application will be reviewed independently in considering applications, reviewers are instructed to address the applicant’s technical background, ability to contribute to the LANL missions, current engagement with LANL and the applicant’s desire to work at LANL post-graduation.

 

Criteria for scoring will be as follows:

  1. Qualifications of the applicant and quality of academic preparation: The applicant’s academic record should demonstrate their potential to conduct successful research and make significant progress to degree with minimal start-up time, and include evidence of strong, appropriate preparation for the research through both coursework and prior research or training.
  2. Technical merit of the research plan: The results of the proposed research should make a significant advance in scholarship and should be appropriate for the level of the student’s stage in the degree program and be feasible in the proposed one-year timeframe. Relevance of the research to LANL resources and mission must be clearly demonstrated and endorsed by the LANL mentor. Consideration will be given to the added value of the collaboration with LANL, e.g., relevance of LANL expertise, and use of LANL facilities or resources.
  3. Strength of collaboration and training and potential for long-term collaboration with LANL: The quality and engagement of the LANL mentor and TAMU dissertation advisor’s support and endorsement of the proposed research and training plan, and level of supervision should be evident. The strength of the collaboration and training plan should ensure the student receives adequate time and supervision and has access to all necessary resources. A proposal should demonstrate collaborative and integrated oversight by both the TAMU faculty advisor and LANL mentor and a research plan that requires a collaborative approach with potential for future partnership.
  4. Additional considerations: Additional considerations could include the alignment of applicant with the diverse workforce needs of LANL and their advancement of diversity in STEM and the potential for engagement between TAMU and LANL after the project period.

Reporting Requirements

 

Acknowledgment of Support and Disclaimer

 

All publications, presentations, and creative works based on activities conducted during the Fellowship must acknowledge LATAMUS Support and provide a disclaimer by including the following statement in the Acknowledgements or other appropriate section:

“This material is based upon work supported by the Loas Alamos-NLO Graduate Fellowship Program. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Los Alamos or the TAMUS National Laboratories Office.”

Activities Report

 

Fellows are required to submit an Activities Report at the end of the fellowship using the LATAMUS application portal. The report should include information on research accomplishments and activities related to broader impacts, presentations, publications, teaching and research assistantships, awards and recognitions, and other scholarly and service accomplishments. These reports must be reviewed, and satisfactory progress verified by the faculty advisor or designated graduate program administrator prior to submission.

Agency Contacts

 

General inquiries regarding this program should be made to:

 

Other Information

Applicants are encouraged to review the Los Alamos National Laboratories agenda (see: https://discover.lanl.gov/publications/lab-agenda/).

[1] In this document the term “research” includes a broad range of research and development activities.