Calling all scientists! Don’t miss these opportunities to kick-start your career or fund research both in the lab and out in the field. The deadlines are approaching soon.


The Lewis and Clark Fund for Exploration and Field Research in Astrobiology

Deadline: February 16, 2016

The American Philosophical Society (APS) and the NASA Astrobiology Institute partnered in 2006 to promote the continued exploration of the world around us through a program of research grants in support of astrobiological field studies undertaken by graduate students, postdocs, and early-career scientists and scholars who are affiliated with U.S. institutions. Previous award recipients have traveled to astrobiology-relevant locations such as remote parts of Mongolia, Australia, and Canada. The list of past Lewis and Clark research trips and reports can be found at: http://nai.nasa.gov/funding/lewis-and-clark-fund-exploration-and-field-research-astrobiology/.

More details and application forms are available through the American Philosophical Society website: http://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/astrobiology.


The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP)

Deadline: March 1, 2016

The NASA Astrobiology Program element of the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) provides opportunities for Ph.D. scientists and engineers of unusual promise and ability to perform research on problems largely of their own choosing, yet compatible with the research interests of the NASA Astrobiology Program. Information about the award and a list of past recipients are available at: http://nai.nasa.gov/funding/postdoctoral-fellowship-program/.

The administration of the NASA Postdoctoral Program transitioned on January 15, 2016 from Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) to Universities Space Research Association (USRA). Applications may now be submitted through the USRA website: https://npp.usra.edu/.


The Minority Institution Research Support (MIRS) Program

Deadline: March 15, 2016

The MIRS Program aims both to train a new community of educators in astrobiology and to increase diversity within the astrobiology community. Over the past twelve years, the program has provided opportunities for faculty members from minority-serving institutions to partner with astrobiology investigators in a wide variety of research areas. One of the program’s main objectives is to engage more faculty from minority-serving institutions in astrobiology research to increase the number of underrepresented students pursuing careers in astrobiology. MIRS Fellows have been hosted at UC Riverside, NASA Goddard, NASA Ames, the SETI Institute, the Scripps Research Institute, JPL, RPI, U Wisconsin, and many other institutions.

For more information and a link to the MIRS application form, go to http://nai.nasa.gov/funding/nasa-astrobiology-minority-institution-research-support-mirs-program/.


For questions regarding any of the three funding opportunities, please contact Melissa Kirven at Melissa.kirven@nasa.gov.