Simons Postdoctoral Fellowships in Plant Biology – Request for Applications 2027

These postdoctoral fellowships support candidates who intend to pursue a career in basic research on fundamental problems in plant biology. This program aims to support researchers seeking to understand the inner workings of plants at the level of the whole organism or below. We are interested in applicants with training in disciplines that could be brought to bear on plant biology, including but not limited to engineering, computational modeling, theory, chemistry, synthetic biology and physics, as well as applicants already involved in the plant sciences. The program is purposefully flexible to attract diverse expertise: Applicants may be (i) people already in plant biology who are seeking to acquire new skills from mentors working outside of plant biology, or (ii) people who are from another field who are going to apply their expertise to plant biology. Either track can have one or two mentors. All applicants need to fit into one track or the other. If there are two mentors, one of them should be researching plant biology.

Applicants should have received their Ph.D. or equivalent degree no earlier than three (3) years before the fellowship application deadline. Applicants who have not yet received their Ph.D., but who will have it by the award start date, are eligible to apply. Both U.S. citizens and foreign applicants are invited to apply to work with postdoctoral research sponsor(s) in the U.S. Awards can only be issued to U.S. nonprofit research universities or research institutions.

The postdoctoral research sponsor(s) cannot be the applicant’s thesis adviser. Only one application from a postdoctoral research sponsor will be considered in any year.

Simons Foundation (“the Foundation” or “SF”) employees who receive a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) from the Foundation, including employees of the Flatiron Institute, may not apply as a principal investigator (PI) to any SF or Simons Foundation International (“SFI”) Requests for Applications (RFAs) released by the Foundation. PIs and any project personnel listed on the application who will receive funding for salary; travel; support for students, postdocs or research staff; lab equipment, computing time or other individual expenses may not be employees of the Foundation, which includes the Flatiron Institute.

• Award Amount: Up to $360,000 USD.
• Award Duration: Three years. Awards may begin on the first of the month between July 1, 2027, through October 1, 2027.
• Use of Funds:
  • The award will include an annual stipend of $85,000 and an annual allowance of up to $35,000.
  • The annual allowance may be spent on health insurance for the fellow and family and on other benefits as required by the institution, research supplies, small equipment (including computers), sequencing costs, attendance at scientific meetings and other research-related travel. Undergraduate research assistants may be permitted if well justified.
  • Up to $2,000 of the allowance may be used for relocation of the fellow and family to the host institution. Relocation costs must be in accordance with the policies of the host institution. Payment cannot be made directly to fellows.
  • No indirect or overhead costs may be charged.

Applicants must submit a full application via Simons Award Manager (SAM). Applications will be reviewed by Simons Foundation scientific staff and an expert review committee.

Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations, The Simons Foundation, Inc. (“the Foundation” or “SF”) reserves the right to refer an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (“SFI”) for consideration and funding. SFI and SF have entered into an agreement pursuant to which SF provides program operations and grant administration services, including payment processing, to SFI. SFI grant recipients are subject to SF Policies and Procedures.

The following policy exceptions and/or terms are also in effect for these awards:

• This fellowship is intended to support full-time research, and any exceptions (e.g., teaching positions) require advance approval from Simons Foundation staff. Recipients may not concurrently hold another postdoctoral fellowship or position.
• Reallocation: Funds from the annual allowance may be reallocated to the annual stipend if required to meet the institution’s minimum salary for postdoctoral fellows, at the institution’s discretion. The stipend may not be reallocated to increase the research allowance.
• No indirect or overhead costs may be charged.

Additional award terms may be included in the official award notification. Grantees are subject to the conditions outlined in their official award notification.

Applications must be completed electronically and submitted through the Simons Award Manager (SAM) by December 3, 2026, 12:00 p.m. (noon) Eastern time. Please refer to the How to Apply instructions for further details.

Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences. The Simons Foundation is committed to advancing basic science and mathematics to benefit humankind and expand our collective understanding of our world. As part of our mission, we support partners, programs and initiatives that seek to broaden the scientific community and open pathways to science and mathematics careers.

The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for funding without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law.