Jefferson Science Fellowships

The deadline for applications for the 2020-2021 academic year is October 31, 2019. The selection process is begun by your application, followed by an interview. Fellows will continue their university positions, with salary and benefits continued by a memorandum of understanding with your home institution, with a stipend of up to $50,000 paid by DOS or USAID. Washington is an expensive town. Applicants must be US citizens and a security clearance will be required. Upon arrival, the units of the DOS or USAID will present their cases and arrange for interviews. You will be expected to be available for JSF activities for a few years after the year in residence in Washington.

One of the required application essays will ask you to specify how your home institution will benefit from your experience. I will be happy to discuss your applications (jerry.peterson@colorado.edu), and I am sure that other JSF alumni would also be willing to help. A list of these alumni can be found at the Jefferson Science Fellowship website.

I found my year at the DOS to be highly satisfying, with my experience and background finding useful applications to new topics. One of the valuable sets of connections was with my fellow Fellows, a great bunch of men and women. And—it would surely be useful to be seen as a member of the APS Forum on International Physics (FIP), which you can join without cost as an APS member.

The author is Professor Emeritus in the physics department at the University of Colorado in Boulder and Past Chair of the FIP.