Biota Awards Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Biota Awards Postdoctoral Fellowships Program supports emerging leaders in biodiversity and conservation science during the postdoctoral phase of their career at institutions and organizations in Illinois. The program aims to attract and retain exceptional postdoctoral scientists in Illinois, help them develop independent research projects, and encourage creative thinking about how research can be applied to deliver on-the-ground results. The fellowships also focus on developing a more inclusive and equitable biodiversity research community by supporting fellows from a wide range of backgrounds. The Foundation is seeking proposals in all areas of biodiversity and conservation science, from the molecular to landscape scale, with particular interest in interdisciplinary projects that bridge academic research and conservation practice. These two-year awards provide annual salaries of $70,000 in Year 1 and $73,500 in Year 2, fringe benefits, an annual research and travel allowance of $20,000, up to $3,000 in relocation costs, and indirect costs of up to 15%. Funding is granted to Illinois institutions rather than individual researchers.