Development Fellowships

Development Fellowship

The Development Fellowship program helps the Texas A&M University System (TAMUS) researchers develop and deepen collaborative research partnerships with Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) technical staff members in areas of interest to the laboratory. Faculty who spend time at LANL learning the laboratory’s missions and problem sets are more likely to develop long-term partnerships with the laboratory’s technical staff members. Development fellowships aim to help researchers achieve such partnerships.

A typical development fellowship would support a one-year (or shorter) collaborative research project. Funding would cover up to 1½ months of salary for the TAMUS researcher and reimburse travel costs up to $5,000 for the TAMUS researcher to visit one or more LANL technical staff members for several weeks. The visit would enable the research partners to take tangible steps toward long-term funded collaborative research. A typical deliverable would be a joint publication or proposal.

Applicants should propose alternate uses of approximately the described amount of funding, and/or alternate deliverables if appropriate to better support the goal of establishing a partnership that can secure future funding for longer-term projects. Expenses incurred prior to application approval will not be reimbursed.

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

• Possess the skills, knowledge and interest to develop long-term collaborative ties with LANL technical staff members.
• Have identified one or more laboratory technical staff members willing and able to partner on collaborative research.
• Hold a principal-investigator-eligible (PI-eligible) faculty or staff position in any TAMUS component, including branch campus locations.

Individuals holding postdoctoral appointments are not eligible to apply. Priority may be given to early-career tenure-line faculty. Note: TAMUS researchers who already have a more mature established collaborative partnerships with LANL technical staff members are encouraged to consider applying to the Research Projects element of the Research Collaboration Program.

The application must identify at least one LANL staff member who has agreed to collaborate with the TAMUS applicant to execute the proposed effort. Applicants must specify what will be delivered (publication, proposal, etc.) upon completion of the proposed effort.

Reviewers chosen by the NLO and LANL will select applications for funding in accordance with joint TAMUS-LANL priorities, subject to availability of funds.

Applying for Development Fellowships

Applications must be submitted via email to lanl-engage@nlo.tamus.edu by September 15th, 2020. Notification of awards will be made by Winter Break 2020. PDF documents are preferred for the application and TAMUS applicant’s curriculum vitae. The application should be organized as follows:

1. Applicant information – Provide information about the TAMUS researcher requesting funds, including:

• Name
• Title (e.g., Assistant Professor)
• TAMUS entity and department (e.g., PVAMU Math)
• Citizenship (e.g., U.S. permanent resident)
• Email address and phone number
• Curriculum vitae (PDF format)

2. Collaborator information – Provide information about the identified LANL collaborator(s), including:

• Name
• Title (e.g., Scientist 3)
• Division and group (e.g., CCS-2)
• Evidence that the named LANL collaborator(s) have agreed to partner with the TAMUS applicant to execute the proposed effort (e.g., email from collaborator(s))
• LANL collaborator(s) curriculum vitae or resume (PDF format)

3. Proposed effort – Describe the research area that you and your collaborator(s) are interested in exploring over the long-term, details of the proposed effort and the tangible outcome (“deliverable”). It is best if you can show a connection to long-term LANL missions, “capability pillars” or initiatives. Also, specifically discuss the impact that the completed effort will have (i.e., what difference will it make?). The narrative should be less than three pages.

4. Cost and timeline – Provide a cost breakdown and approximate timeline, including the date by which the deliverable will be given to the National Laboratories Office (NLO). This information can be presented as a paragraph or two, a bulleted list, or a combination of both. Include a total budget for each category of expenses (salaries, fringe, travel), not just a description of costs. A formal budget generated by research services is not required. Fellowships are internally funded and include no overhead costs.

Review Procedure

The NLO’s Fellowship Review Panel (FRP) will review all fellowship applications once the application window has closed. The FRP comprises researchers and executives from TAMUS members and departments who have a working knowledge of LANL missions and TAMUS goals.

Once the proposal has passed the initial screening (element completion, allowable citizenship, etc.) it will be moved to the second step, in which the FRP will review each viable proposal and assess it against the following criteria:

• Technical merit (originality, creativity, and potential for impact).
• Applicant’s career history and potential for long-term collaboration with LANL.
• Alignment with LANL missions and/or its capability needs.
• Strength of collaboration plan.

The FRP and LANL will make the final selections from the proposals that receive the highest assessments. The FRP is committed to making unbiased diverse decisions based on technical merit and mission alignment across all TAMUS organizations and areas of research.

Conflict of Interest Disclaimer: Should any member of the FRP have a biased interest in an application, submit an application themselves or be unable to complete their duties, an alternative board member will be assigned in their place.

Questions should be directed to lanl-engage@nlo.tamus.edu. 

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