Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP)

The Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program offers in-resident opportunities for independent research and study related to Smithsonian collections, facilities, and/or research interests of the Institution and its staff. Fellowships are offered to graduate students, predoctoral students, and postdoctoral and senior investigators to conduct independent research and to utilize the resources of the Institution with members of the Smithsonian professional research staff serving as advisors and hosts. Applicants must propose to conduct research in a discipline pursued at the Smithsonian and must submit a specific and detailed research proposal indicating why the Smithsonian is an appropriate place to carry out the study. Projects that broaden and diversify the research conducted within these disciplines are encouraged. Fellowships are offered to support research at Smithsonian facilities or field stations. Fellows are expected to spend most of their tenure in residence at the Smithsonian, except when arrangements are made for periods of field work or research travel. The program offers fellowships ranging from ten weeks for graduate students to up to 24 months for postdoctoral researchers in science. Research fields include animal behavior, ecology, anthropology, astrophysics, earth sciences, evolutionary biology, history of science and technology, history of art, materials research, molecular biology, and social and cultural history of the United States.