National Center for Photovoltaics Fellowship Program
The Fellowship Program is a competitive award program to enable exceptionally qualified Ph.D. graduate students to collaborate with National Center for Photovoltaics (NCPV) researchers on high-impact photovoltaic research. Applicants propose a research effort (between 3 and 12 months in duration) that they intend to conduct at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The results of research conducted through the NCPV Fellowship Program will be published in high-impact journals.
Eligibility Requirements
Ph.D. graduate students from U.S. universities may apply.
Application Process
Each applicant is required to identify an NCPV researcher to mentor the proposed research and is required to get a letter of support from the identified mentor. Students will need to work with their identified NCPV mentor to develop appropriate research objectives for their proposal. The proposed research must complement existing DOE-funded NCPV research objectives. All proposals to the NCPV Fellowship Program should be submitted to the NCPV Business Development Manager.
Proposal Requirements
Each applicant must submit a proposal that includes the following information:
- Objectives of the proposed research
- Scientific question(s) and/or technological barriers being addressed
- The anticipated significance of the results to be obtained, particularly as it relates to DOE SunShot goals
- Summary of the work that will be conducted at the NCPV and preliminary background results that validate the proposed approach
- Collaborative research project timeline
- Estimate of the NCPV resources (both personnel and equipment) that will be required, including an estimate of the time that will be required from each requested resource to accomplish the collaborative research objectives.
- Applicant's current resume.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated according to the following five selection criteria and scored as Excellent, Good, Fair, or Poor:
- Scientific merit and quality of proposed research
- Qualifications of applicant that will enable him/her to achieve the proposed research objectives
- Relevance of the proposed research to DOE SunShot goals
- Appropriateness and reasonableness of the request for resources in support of the proposed research.
- Likelihood that proposed research will lead to publishable results.
Timeframe
Application packages will be reviewed bi-annually and selected candidates will be announced in May and November.
| 2013 Proposal Deadlines | For Selection by: |
|---|---|
April 1 |
May 2013 |
September 1 |
October 2013 |
Fellowship funds will cover the student's stipend, housing and conference travel. The number of students chosen depends on the duration associated with the highest-quality proposals. For reference, this program could support two students for a full calendar year or more students if projects having shorter durations are chosen.
