1. How is an ORNL Distinguished Staff Fellowship different from a postdoctoral appointment?
A postdoctoral appointment is temporary. Distinguished Staff Fellows join ORNL as independent, early-career research staff and are retained beyond their 3-year term if mutually beneficial to ORNL and the Fellow. A Distinguished Staff Fellowship is like a tenure-track position at a university; Fellows are given an opportunity to advance their scientific experience and are envisioned to pursue a long-term career at ORNL and establish their research portfolio.
2. Do I need to apply for a specific fellowship?
Distinguished Staff Fellowships are jointly posted on jobs.ornl.gov, so you apply to the program rather than a specific fellowship. The fellowships are named in honor of ORNL thought leaders Liane B. Russell, Alvin M. Weinberg, and. Eugene P. Wigner. Our Fellows represent a broad range of disciplines and are found in research groups spanning the Laboratory’s research missions. The Laboratory designates the fellowship awarded to selected candidates based on their research area(s) of interest.
3. Do I need to make a connection with an ORNL staff scientist prior to my application?
You are not required to designate an ORNL mentor on your application. However, it is helpful to identify and contact research groups at ORNL that align with your proposed research idea or research area(s) of interest to ensure your proposal would be of interest to the division. Please list ORNL research groups you identify as pertinent to your proposed research under the Significance section of your research statement. You are welcome to contact ORNL staff scientists about areas of mutual interest at any time.
4. Do I need to have completed my PhD to apply for the Distinguished Staff Fellowship Program?
No. You are welcome to apply even if you have not yet completed your PhD. If you are offered a DSF position, you will need to complete all degree requirements before your start date. Generally, applying within 6 months of your degree being conferred is standard. Applicants who are currently in postdoctoral or similar positions are also welcome, as long as they meet the no more than 5 years from degree requirement.
5. What are the qualifications for a Distinguished Staff Fellowship position?
Applicants must have received their PhD or its equivalent in a STEM field before they begin their fellowship and can be no more than 5 years beyond receiving their highest technical degree on the date of application. Applicants may apply before receiving their terminal technical degree, with the understanding that they must finish their degree before starting the fellowship and start within a year of the application window open date. Current ORNL postdoctoral researchers and staff members are not eligible to apply.
Because Fellows serve as ORNL representatives with the US Department of Energy and other R&D sponsors, demonstrated leadership skills such as creativity, delegation, responsibility and the ability to cultivate diversity of thought are integral to selection, in addition to a track record of scientific excellence and a proposal to address a problem of interest to the laboratory. You’re encouraged to review our Current Fellows tab.
6. How do I apply for a Distinguished Staff Fellowship?
When the application window is open, the Apply Now button on the DSF website landing page will link to a position announcement on jobs.ornl.gov. Follow instructions on jobs.ornl.gov to submit your application.
Please attach the following documents with your application submission:
- Cover letter addressed to the Distinguished Staff Fellowship Selection Committee
- Unofficial PhD transcript
- CV/résumé including a list of scholarly outputs (e.g., scientific publications in journals, conferences, reports, patents, etc., which distinguishes refereed from non-refereed items, and other notable scientifically related achievements, such as technical achievements, spin-offs, startup companies)
- Three letters of recommendation: You are responsible for requesting the recommendation letters from your references, and all references should submit their letters directly to ornlfellows@ornl.gov. Please have your references address their letters to the Distinguished Staff Fellowship Selection Committee. To ensure proper receipt, please ask your references to use a subject line with your name included. Letters must be received during the application window.
- A one-paragraph abstract of the research statement described below explaining, in general terms, what information will be discussed in your proposal. This should be in a standalone cover page.
- A concise but thorough research statement (up to 1,500 words, not including illustrations or references) that describes a vision for tackling a grand research challenge, its significance and relationship to ORNL research programs, and its alignment to one (or more) of ORNL's targeted research directions
- Background and significance
- Problem to be solved, the need to be addressed, or the gap in knowledge to be filled.
- Current state of the field (including citations to relevant literature).
- Research plan and approach
- Your specific research aims and specific questions to be addressed or steps that will be taken to reach the overarching goal of your proposal
- For each specific aim, the approach that will be taken to address that aim, providing enough detail to allow reviewers representing a broad range of research areas to assess the appropriateness and novelty of your approach
- References
7. Am I allowed to submit more than one proposal?
There is a one-proposal limit per application window for each applicant. You may submit a unique proposal during a later application window if you wish.
8. Am I allowed to submit more recommendation letters than the three required?
Only the first three recommendation letters we receive at ornlfellows@ornl.gov will be accepted for your application.
9. How long do I have to complete my application?
The requirements for a complete application are listed in FAQ#6. Your application materials, including recommendation letters, should be received by our program team by or before the date on which the window closes. Please be sure to inform the people from whom you request recommendations of this deadline.
10. When do the application windows open and close, what happens to my application, and when can I expect to be notified of my application status?
There are three application cycles per year: January 1–31, May 1–31, and September 1–30. They are announced in bold, large font under the slider on the DSF website landing page, so please keep us bookmarked. The deadline will also be noted on the position announcement on jobs.ornl.gov.
The DSF program selection committee strives to notify candidates of their application’s status within 6 weeks of the application window closing date. As an open-area search, there are multiple levels of review. Finalists will participate in a full interview process.
Our process prior to sending out notifications includes reviews of applications by our recruiter, candidate selection by committee members and applicable R&D division director, and a full interview process.
You are encouraged to review all opportunities (particularly Research Professional or Research Development openings) available at ORNL on jobs.ornl.gov.
11. If I am extended an offer, how soon should I plan to start my fellowship?
Start dates are negotiated with successful applicants, but all fellows are strongly encouraged to join ORNL to begin their fellowship within 6 months of the date of offer.
12. What will my first couple months in the DSF Program look like?
You will go through lab-wide New Employee Orientation on your first day at ORNL and then orientation through your directorate, division, or group. You will be embedded in your division and meet with mentors and line managers from the beginning. In month 1, you will write a proposal for Laboratory-Directed Research and Development funding, which is separate from the research plan and approach you wrote for your application, and work with the Office of Institutional Strategic Planning and the LDRD Program Manager to finalize the proposal. In month 2, you will work on division or group projects agreed-upon with your mentors and line managers while your proposal is approved.
13. I see that current ORNL postdocs and employees are not eligible. Am I eligible if I have previously been an ORNL intern, GRO or SCGSR scholar, or postdoctoral fellow?
Yes. Anyone who is not a current ORNL employee or postdoc (and is otherwise eligible) may apply.
14. Can I simultaneously apply for open research scientist positions or postdoctoral positions at ORNL?
Yes. If an appropriate position within our normal channels posted at the same time, you may apply independently to both it and the DSF track.
15. What are the career paths for DSFs at ORNL?
A key aspect of the Distinguished Staff Fellowship program is a mentorship plan designed to facilitate the successful integration of each DSF into ORNL’s scientific community and the alignment of each fellow’s research activities with US Department of Energy (DOE) missions. We strive to provide all our DSFs with an experience that encourages a long-term relationship with the laboratory. Our alums have gone on to make significant impacts at ORNL—some becoming group leaders and section heads—and in their scientific communities. Some have taken on high-level roles at DOE or in industry. Please visit the DSF Alumni page to read about their accomplishments.
ORNL offers competitive salaries, benefits, and relocation assistance. More information is available at https://jobs.ornl.gov/content/Benefits/?locale=en_US. You are encouraged to review all opportunities (particularly Research Professional or Research Development openings) available at ORNL on jobs.ornl.gov.
16. What if I have additional questions?
Please contact us at ornlfellows@ornl.gov.