Student and Post-Doc OpportunitiesNorthwestern University - Tel Aviv University Fellowships
Northwestern University-Tel Aviv University Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative
Expand your research horizons in nanoscience and related technologies with a paid exchange research fellowship at TAU! Grad students receive 1 full quarter of NU fellowship stipend on top of travel and additional living stipend in Israel for a 3 month research exchange. Post-docs receive travel expenses plus 6-12 months full living stipend in Israel. Opportunities are open to post-qualifier Ph.D. students and postdocs on a rolling basis, and are intended to support new or existing research projects with a partner lab at TAU.
Northwestern support for this initiative is provided by the Crown Family Fund for Engineering and Science in Israel.
This initiative brings together scientists and engineers – graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and their faculty research advisors – from Tel-Aviv University (TAU) with their peers at Northwestern University (NU: Weinberg School of Arts and Sciences and McCormick School of Engineering) for research in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The goal is to facilitate a robust synergy and cross-fertilization of ideas among researchers at Northwestern University and Tel Aviv University, with a view toward long term collaborations.
We invite applications for the following two programs for post-docs and graduate students, respectively:
Post-Doctoral Exchange Fellowships
Up to four researchers per year – two from each institution - will receive fellowships that will enable them to spend 6-12 months conducting research at the partner university. The Fellowship will cover international travel expenses and provide a separate living stipend to the applicant from which they can pay their own living expenses and housing.
Applications are accepted quarterly on the following schedule:
Period 1: applications due 1 Dec. 2023 for visits with a start date within 6 months after 1 Jun. 2024
Period 2: applications due 1 Mar. 2024 for visits with a start date within 6 months after 1 Sep. 2024
Period 3: applications due 1 Jun. 2024 for visits with a start date within 6 months after 1 Dec. 2024
Period 4: applications due 1 Sep. 2024 for visits with a start date within 6 months after 1 Mar. 2025
Application materials:
- A one-page research proposal appropriate to the planned length of stay written by the post-doctoral applicant. This statement should mention whether the home faculty advisor intends to also travel in person to the host institute and should conclude with a sentence stating the minimum useful length of stay.
- A CV with an included list of publications.
- Three letters of reference sent by scholars who are familiar with the applicant’s research. One letter must be from the applicant’s home faculty advisor including a statement whether that advisor also intends to conduct short-term travel to the host lab contingent upon acceptance of this award, and one letter must be from the lead PI of the host research lab.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to reach out to each of their referees to request letters, as well as ensure their recommendation letters are received by the deadline. Please instruct referees to send their letters to global.initiatives@northwestern.edu with the subject heading 'Recommendation: (followed by your last name)'.
Applications must be submitted via https://competitions.fsm.northwestern.edu/grants/nu-tau-nano.
- Select 'log in' in the upper right corner
- If you are at NU with a netID, click log in with net ID
- If you do not have a Northwestern netID, click New User 'Create an Account'
- The name of the application is Northwestern University-Tel Aviv University Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Application
Applications that include an explicit plan for the home faculty advisor of the applicant to travel to the partner institution will be prioritized. An additional increment of funding towards up to two weeks of short-term home faculty advisor travel is available.
Within two months after completion of the fellowship, awardees are asked to submit a brief one-page summary abstract describing the impact of their research visit on their core research objectives, including mention of other meaningful visit experiences. A collaborative photo of the visiting researcher with at least one other local researcher is required, ideally in a lab setting, and other photos that provide highlights of this opportunity are welcome.
Graduate Student Research Exchanges
Up to six graduate students – three from each institution – will visit the partner institution for 3 months to conduct research and expose participants to new scientific methodologies, ideas and cultures. The Fellowship will cover international travel expenses and provide a separate living stipend to the applicant from which they can pay their own living expenses and housing. Participating Northwestern students must travel within a single Northwestern academic quarter, and have already completed their candidacy exam prior to departure.
Applications are accepted quarterly on the following schedule:
Period 1: applications due 1 Dec. 2023 for visits with a start date within 6 months after 1 Jun. 2024
Period 2: applications due 1 Mar. 2024 for visits with a start date within 6 months after 1 Sep. 2024
Period 3: applications due 1 Jun. 2024 for visits with a start date within 6 months after 1 Dec. 2024
Period 4: applications due 1 Sep. 2024 for visits with a start date within 6 months after 1 Mar. 2025
Application Materials:
- A one-page research proposal appropriate to the planned length of stay written by the graduate student applicant. This statement should mention whether the home faculty advisor intends to also travel in person to the host institute and should conclude with a sentence stating the minimum useful length of stay.
- A CV (with publications, if any)
- Two letters of reference: one from the applicant’s home faculty advisor including a statement whether that advisor also intends to conduct short-term travel to the host lab contingent upon acceptance of this award, and one letter from the lead PI of the host research lab
It is the responsibility of the applicant to reach out to each of their referees to request letters, as well as ensure their recommendation letters are received by the deadline. Please instruct referees to sent their letters to global.initiatives@northwestern.edu with the subject heading 'Recommendation: (followed by your last name)'.
Applications must be submitted via https://competitions.fsm.northwestern.edu/grants/nu-tau-nano.
- Select 'log'in' in the upper right corner
- If you are at NU with a netID, click log in with net ID
- If you do not have a Northwestern netID, click New User 'Create an Account'
- The name of the application is Northwestern University-Tel Aviv University Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Application
Within two months of returning home, travelers are asked to submit a brief one-page summary abstract describing the impact of their research visit on their core research objectives, including mention of other meaningful visit experiences. A collaborative photo of the visiting researcher with at least one other local researcher is required, ideally in a lab setting, and other photos that provide highlights of this opportunity are welcome.
Applications that include an explicit plan for the home faculty advisor of the applicant to travel to the partner institution will be prioritized. An additional increment of funding for up to one week of short-term PI travel is available.
Applications will be reviewed by a committee comprised of faculty from both Northwestern University and Tel Aviv University.
Application Deadline
Applications for the 2023 -2024 academic year are currently being accepted on a rolling basis.
Period 1: applications due 1 Dec. 2023 for visits with a start date within 6 months after 1 Jun. 2024
Period 2: applications due 1 Mar. 2024 for visits with a start date within 6 months after 1 Sep. 2024
Period 3: applications due 1 Jun. 2024 for visits with a start date within 6 months after 1 Dec. 2024
Period 4: applications due 1 Sep. 2024 for visits with a start date within 6 months after 1 Mar. 2025
Please send questions to global.initiatives@northwestern.edu (for Northwestern University applicants) or to mickeysh@tauex.tau.ac.il (for Tel Aviv University applicants).