Marie Tharp Fellowship 2012-2013 - The Earth Institute and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University

Marie Tharp Fellowship 2012-2013


***Application Deadline: March 31, 2012***



Overview: The Earth Institute and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University invite applications for the Marie Tharp Fellowship 2012-2013. This fellowship is part of a greater EI/LDEO effort at promoting the advancement of women in science. The purpose of the award is to provide an opportunity for earth scientists to conduct research at Columbia University for a period of 2-3 months. Fellows will have an opportunity to work with faculty, research staff, post docs, and graduate students during their fellowship. Each fellow is expected to participate in EI/LDEO activities and make a scientific presentation during their residence.

Background: This fellowship honors Marie Tharp, the first to map details of the ocean floor on a global scale. She published the pivotal interpretation of mid-ocean ridges that was crucial to the eventual acceptance of the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift. Tharp came to the Lamont Geological Observatory (now the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory), where she began work on mapping the ocean floor. Her map of the ocean floor is still a foundation for research and education in the ocean sciences.

Who Is Eligible to Apply for a Marie Tharp Fellowship? The competition is open to junior and mid-career scientists in the earth sciences. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. at the time of application. The goal of this award is to promote women in science. Faculty (full-time or adjunct) and researchers at Columbia University are not eligible to apply. Postdoctoral scholars are not eligible to apply.

What Does the Fellowship Entail? The duration of the Marie Tharp Fellowship is between 2-3 months over the period July 2012 through June 2013. The fellowship must be taken in residence at one of the earth science units of the Earth Institute (see end for complete list of eligible units) and will provide up to $25,000 for support of the fellow during the fellowship period. The duration of the fellowship period must be agreed upon by both the fellow and the proposed collaborator.

Budget: Fellows can use this award for salary, research and travel expenses up to a maximum of $25,000 over the fellowship period, subject to the following maximum individual limits: Salary $20,000; Research & Miscellaneous Expenses $10,000; Travel: $5,000. That is, if you request a salary of $18,000 then you can request only up to $7,000 for research and travel expenses combined. In case of compelling reasons, the fellow may submit a written request to the LDEO Directorate to waive one or more of these limits. Applicants are required to submit the attached budget form as part of the application.

Application Procedure. Applicants must submit a proposal (maximum three pages) describing the proposed project and with whom at Columbia they plan to work. Applications MUST be endorsed by the proposed Columbia collaborators prior to submission. The proposal must be accompanied by a curriculum vitae, a proposed budget, two letters of reference and the budget form according to the guidelines given above. All application materials must be submitted by March 31, 2012 via email to Kuheli.Dutt@columbia.edu. All materials must be submitted as a single combined PDF document. Incomplete applications will not be considered. References may be either included in the combined document or sent via email separately. In the event that reference letters are to be sent directly by the letter writers, it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that the letters are sent in a timely manner.

Selection Criteria. All proposals will be reviewed by a committee of scientists and administrators at EI and LDEO. The criteria for selection will be based on scientific excellence and potential contribution to LDEO / EI research activities. The following specific points will be considered:

· Quality of scholarly record as evidenced by publications and reference letters;

· Feasibility and quality of the proposed research as evidenced by the research proposal and reference letters;

· Relevance of the proposed research to the LDEO/EI Research activities as evidenced by the research proposal.

Marie Tharp Fellows will be notified of their appointment by May 15, 2012.


Eligible Research Units at the Earth Institute
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO)
Center for Research on Environmental Decisions (CRED)
Cooperative Institute for Climate Applications and Research (CICAR)
Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS)
Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN)
International Research Institute for Climate and Society (IRI)
Center for Rivers and Estuaries
Center for Climate Systems Research (CCSR)
Center for Environmental Research and Conservation (CERC)
The Earth Engineering Center (EEC)
Lenfest Center for Sustainable Energy (LCSE)
The Center on Globalization and Sustainable Development (CGSD)
The Center for Sustainable Urban Development (CSUD)
The Center for Hazards and Risk Research (CHRR)
The Columbia Water Center
The Black Rock Forest Consortium
Contact:

Dr. Kuheli Dutt, Assistant Director, Academic Affairs & Diversity

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University

61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964-8000