
Types of Proposals
Traditional Sabbaticals
TRADITIONAL SABBATICALS
- Open to fellows of ALL nationalities.
- Terms of at least an academic year are preferred.
- Research projects should be carried out primarily on-site.
Sabbatical applicants can request stipends equivalent to half-salary fellowships (matching contribution of home institution) to support ambitious, synthetic research on any aspect of evolutionary biology and relevant disciplines. Full-salary fellowships may be requested for applicants from historically minority-serving institutions and from senior researchers (see Targeted Faculty Sabbaticals). A housing allowance up to $1000/month can also be provided. Proposals can include any type of synthetic project, but fellows should plan on mainly working on-site, to add to our intellectual community. Sabbaticals may be from 3 months to 1 year in duration.
NESCent will not fund collection of new data or field research, but encourages the mining of public and private databases. Products might include (but are not restricted to):
- Synthetic papers and reviews
- Databases allowing others to build on your foundation
- Software or mathematical tools that solve a major analytical problem
NESCent is committed to making data, databases, software and other products that are developed as part of NESCent activities available to the broader scientific community.
Proposals will be evaluated by the following criteria:
- The project addresses an important evolutionary question. Applications are encouraged for "risky" endeavors, so while there should be a reasonable chance of success, questions do not need to be "cut and dried."
- The project reflects NESCent's mission to facilitate synthesis and analysis of existing data, and cannot be readily supported by other funding mechanisms or opportunities.
- Sufficient data are available to tackle the question. Appropriate analytical tools are also available, or will be developed during the project.
- The qualifications and diversity of the applicant.
Before you Apply
Applicants are encouraged to contact Kathleen Smith, Director of NESCent or Joel Kingsolver, Associate Director of Science and Synthesis, for feedback on project ideas. Please review our Conflict of Interest and Data And Software policies before applying. For technical support, write to help@nescent.org

