University of Illinois is currently seeking applications for the 2012 Beckman Institute Postdoctoral Fellows program intended for recent PhDs or students in their final year of doctoral study with research interests relevant to the Beckman Institute. A competition is held yearly and four fellows are selected for terms of up to three years.
The Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is an interdisciplinary research institute devoted to leading-edge research in the physical sciences, computation, engineering, biology, behavior, cognition, and neuroscience.
The fellowship program offers a unique opportunity to young scientists to spend several years doing independent research in the behavioral and biological sciences, chemistry, engineering, and physics before launching formal academic careers. Fellows are selected on the basis of their professional promise, capacity for independent work, interdisciplinary interests, and outstanding achievement to date. Preference is given to those applicants whose research interests correspond to one or more of the programs in the Beckman Institute.
Eligibility, Responsibilities and Provisions
The fellows are expected to have a recent Ph.D. in an area of research relevant to Beckman Institute research and to be involved in interdisciplinary studies related to one of the Beckman Institute’s research themes.
Fellows are expected to interact with Institute faculty members who are in their area of research and collaborative publication is encouraged. Fellows are also expected to be capable of doing independent research.
The fellows don’t have any teaching or administrative duties during the term of appointment, other than a brief written annual report to the director of the Institute. Each fellow is assigned an office in the Beckman Institute, and is provided with clerical and other staff support, computing resources, and access to facilities necessary to her or his research program. Because fellows have no specific administrative or teaching responsibilities during their tenure, they are able to take maximum advantage of the opportunity to launch strong research careers. Past fellows have competed effectively for research positions in major universities, and corporate and governmental laboratories throughout the nation.
Funding
Funding for Beckman Institute Fellows consists of an initial stipend amounting to $52,000 annually. Each three-year fellowship is awarded $25,000 to cover certain expenses, plus a health insurance award.
Foreign Nationals – Visa Sponsorship Information
Postdoctoral fellowships are not a form of employment. Therefore, the postdoctoral fellowship appointments are not eligible for H-1B visa sponsorship. In order to qualify for a Beckman Institute fellowship, foreign nationals must be eligible for J-1 visa sponsorship (i.e., J-1 Research Scholar) for the full three-year period of the fellowship. The Beckman Institute will provide the J-1 visa sponsorship for those individuals who are selected to the Beckman Institute Fellows program.
Last date for submission of applications is November 28, 2011.
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