Deadline: 31 May 2025
The Oak Spring Garden Foundation has announced its Plant Science Research Fellowship to provide advanced graduate students, post-docs, and beginning faculty, working in organismal plant biology, with an extended a stay of 2 – 5 weeks on the Oak Spring estate to undertake independent writing and thinking, away from the day-to-day demands of their other responsibilities.
The Fellowship is well suited for individuals working on dissertations, or writing projects that require dedicated time in a supportive community with minimal distractions. The Fellow will be scheduled to visit when there are other Interdisciplinary Residents or Fellows on-site. This scheduling will allow the Fellow to join in communal meals, and optional activities and field trips with other artists, ecologists, researchers, or scholars working on projects related to OSGF’s mission. These optional activities provide Fellows time to learn from, and interact with their staff.
At the culmination of their stay, they encourage, but don’t require, Fellows to give a 20 – 30 minute presentation with time for questions, to Oak Spring staff and any other Fellows, Residents, or program participants who might be on site.
Funding Information
- It includes a $10,000 individual grant.
Costs Covered
- The selected Fellow should make travel arrangements to Dulles International Airport, where Oak Spring will arrange ground transportation for them to their estate in Upperville, VA.
- The Fellow will be housed in nicely appointed shared accommodations. The Fellow will have a private bedroom and bathroom, and share a living room and kitchen with 1 – 3 other Residents or Fellows.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible applicants must be early-career plant scientists who have completed their undergraduate degree within the past ten years.
- The successful Fellow must be self-directed and able to work independently while on site.
- Applicants are expected to show dedication to their work in plant science, exceptional promise, good communication skills and excellence in what they have accomplished or plan to accomplish.
Selection Criteria
- A jury of established plant scientists, and science administrators will review the applicants and select the 2024 Oak Spring Garden Foundation’s Fellow in Plant Science Research.
Application Requirements
- You will be asked to submit:
- A resume/curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages),
- A 200 – 300-word statement on your current body of research,
- A 200 – 300-word statement on how your work relates to Oak Spring Garden Foundation’s mission
- A 200 – 300 description of how you anticipate using your time during a 2 – 5 week Residency at OSGF. OSGF does not currently have a laboratory or any laboratory/science equipment. However, their landscape and formal garden offers an abundance of plant life, and they are especially keen to support work that utilizes or relates to species growing on site.
- Successful applicants will also be able to indicate a clear and timely need for the Fellowship. Please keep in mind that the OSGF estate is set in a rural and tranquil setting, and they also welcome applicants who would use the Residency as an opportunity to observe and write, free from other distractions.
- A CV/resume.
For more information, visit OSGF.
