The purpose of the Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships (MSPRF) is to support future leaders in mathematics and statistics by facilitating their participation in postdoctoral research environments that will have maximal impact on their future scientific development. There are two options for awardees: Research Fellowship and Research Instructorship. Awards will support research in areas of mathematics and statistics, including applications to other disciplines.
Deadline: Oct. 16, 2024; Third Wednesday in October, Annually Thereafter.
Proposals may only be submitted by the following:
- The Mathematical Sciences Postdoctoral Research Fellowships are awards to individuals, and proposals are submitted directly by the fellowship proposer to NSF. Fellows must affiliate with institutions or organizations (e.g., Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs), government and national laboratories and facilities, privately sponsored nonprofit institutes and museums, and for-profit organizations under certain conditions).
An individual is eligible to submit a proposal to this program if all the following criteria are met:
- Must, at the time of submission, be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national, or a legally admitted permanent resident alien of the United States;
- May not have held the doctoral degree more than 2 years as of January 1 of the year of the award;
- Must propose research in an area of mathematics or statistics;
- May not have previously been a principal investigator or co-principal investigator of an NSF award (other than a graduate research fellowship or an award in support of a conference or workshop);
- May not submit a research plan duplicated in another NSF proposal;
- Must not have previously been offered an award by the MSPRF program; and
- Must have a doctoral degree conferred before the postdoctoral appointment start date.
Only individuals may submit proposals. There is no limit on the number of fellows that an institution may host.
The total Fellowship amount is $190,000 and consists of two separate types of payments.
(1) A monthly stipend of $5,833 (up to $70,000 annually) for full-time support (or $2,917 for half-time support) is paid directly to the Fellow as an electronic funds transfer into a personal account at a financial institution.
(2) A total allowance of $50,000 is paid in lump sums of $30,000 and $20,000 in the first and second Fellowship years, respectively, to the Fellow in the same manner for:
- expenses directly related to the conduct of the research, such as materials and supplies, subscription fees and recovery costs for databases, travel, and publication expenses, and/or
- expenses in support of fringe benefits, including but not limited to health insurance provided through either a group plan offered by the host organization or an individual plan secured by the Fellow, dental and/or vision insurance, disability insurance, retirement savings, dependent care, and moving expenses.