Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain Postdoctoral Fellowships
- Application Available
- Reference Letters Deadline
- Application Deadline
- Finalists Notified if invited for In-Person Interviews
- Finalists In-Person Interviews
- Award Notification
- Accept or Decline Deadline
- Award Start Date
- Application Available
- Reference Letters Deadline
- Application Deadline
- Finalists Notified if invited for In-Person Interviews
- Finalists In-Person Interviews
- Award Notification
- Accept or Decline Deadline
- Award Start Date
Opportunity
The Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain (SCGB) seeks applicants for postdoctoral fellowships whose intended work is at the interface of theory and experiment on the nature, role and mechanisms of the neural activity that produces cognition. Of particular interest is work that emphasizes the recording and perturbation of population neural data at cellular resolution and the application of advanced statistical analysis and modeling to such data. Candidates with a background in fields including neuroscience, mathematics and the physical and information sciences are encouraged to apply.
Eligibility
Candidates who hold or will hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree at the time of activation of the fellowship are eligible to apply. Applications may be submitted from scientists in domestic and foreign nonprofit organizations; public and private institutions, such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories and units of state and local government; and eligible agencies of the federal government. There are no citizenship or country requirements.
Timeline and Funding
Appointments will be for three (3) years contingent on yearly review and performance satisfactory to the SCGB Executive Committee. Finalists will be invited to Simons Foundation for interviews with members of the SCGB Executive Committee. Finalists will be notified by Thursday, November 24, 2016, if they are invited for an interview, and Simons Foundation will take care of all travel arrangements and expenses for the interviews at the time of notification. In-person interviews will take place on January 10 and 11, 2017 at the Simons Foundation in New York City. Applicants MUST be available to travel to New York City for interviews. Awardees will be notified by early February and must accept or decline the fellowship offer by April 1, 2017. Funding for fellowships may be activated on the first of the month between May 1, 2017 and July 1, 2017.
Annual stipends will be $60,000 USD for the first year with a cost of living increase in subsequent years, increasing the stipend to $63,000 USD for the second year and $66,150 USD for the third year. In addition to the stipend, awards will include up to $15,000 USD annually for health insurance, small equipment (up to $10,000 USD), supplies, publications and travel. No indirect costs may be taken. Fellowships will be administered by the host institution. Only one applicant per lab may apply.
- Application Available
- Reference Letters Deadline
- Application Deadline
- Finalists Notified if invited for In-Person Interviews
- Finalists In-Person Interviews
- Award Notification
- Accept or Decline Deadline
- Award Start Date
Instructions for Submission
The deadline for full application submission is Monday, October 3, 2016, 5:00 PM Eastern Time.
All applications must be completed electronically and submitted using forms provided at proposalCENTRAL. To submit your application:
- Log in to proposalCENTRAL using your username and password. If you are a new user, click on the create one now button under application login. Your registered email also works as your username. If you forgot your log-in information, you can retrieve your username and password from proposalCENTRAL by clicking the forgot your username/password? link under application login.
- To apply, after you log in, select the gray grant opportunities tab on the right side of the page and scroll down to the Simons Foundation section. Then click on apply now in the life sciences-simons collaboration on the global brain fellowships For assistance with proposalCENTRAL, please call 800-875-2562 or email pcsupport@altum.com.
All applications must include:
- Bio sketches of the mentoring PI(s) and postdoctoral fellow applicant
- Personal statement by the applicant, not to exceed one (1) page
- A research narrative — the narrative should not exceed two (2) pages (including references and figures) and must include
- background,
- specific aims,
- research design and methods, and
- the significance of this work to the Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain, with special focus on how this work interfaces theory and experiments in the field of neural coding and dynamics.
- Technical abstract
- Renewable reagents and data-sharing plan
- Budget
- Three confidential letters of recommendation, one of which must be a letter of support from the mentoring PI. Confidential letters of recommendation must be submitted through proposalCENTRAL (see instructions) by Monday, October 3, 2016, 5:00 PM Eastern Time, which is also the application deadline.
- Organizational assurances (e.g., IACUC and IRB, if applicable)
- 501(c)(3) determination or equivalency letter (foreign institutions only) — The Simons Foundation requires a determination letter from the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) stating exemption under 501(c)(3) and, furthermore, either a 509(a)(1), (2) or (3) classification. Applicants do not need to have this letter at the time of application. If an international institution is selected for funding and does not have the aforementioned documentation, the Simons Foundation will require the institution to complete an equivalency determination with NGOsource (see SCGB policies).
- Signature page (to document the commitment from the PI’s institution to administer the fellowship)
Simons Foundation Global Brain Policies
- Application Available
- Reference Letters Deadline
- Application Deadline
- Finalists Notified if invited for In-Person Interviews
- Finalists In-Person Interviews
- Award Notification
- Accept or Decline Deadline
- Award Start Date
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How do I submit an application?
New users first need to create a user account on proposalCENTRAL (pC) at https://proposalcentral.altum.com/. (For instructions on how to create an account, see the FAQ “How do I create a proposalCENTRAL user account?” below.) For all users with a pC account, log in under APPLICATION LOGIN at https://proposalcentral.altum.com/ and select CREATE NEW PROPOSAL or click on the GRANT OPPORTUNITIES tab. Scroll down to SIMONS FOUNDATION and then click APPLY NOW for the Life Sciences-Simons Collaboration on the Global Brain Fellowship program in order to start the application and access the templates. After all sections are completed, you will be able to click on the SUBMIT button to send.
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How do I create a proposalCENTRAL user account?
Go to https://proposalcentral.altum.com/ (pC) and click CREATE ONE NOW under APPLICATION LOGIN. Fill in the required fields, check the boxes to agree to pC’s Terms of Service and Acceptable Use Policy and then click SAVE.
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Can I email or mail an application?
No, the Simons Foundation only accepts applications submitted online through https://proposalcentral.altum.com/.
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Do I need institutional sign-off to submit an application?
Yes, a signed Signature page (located in pC) from the institution that will host you and your fellowship is required.
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Can postdoctoral associates apply as fellows?
Candidates who hold or will hold a Ph.D., M.D. or equivalent degree at the time of activation of the fellowship are eligible to apply. Only one applicant per lab may apply.
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Who do I enter as the Applicant/PI in my application?
Enter the Fellow’s name and information.
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What do I enter as my Lead Institution in my application?
Enter the institution that will host you and your fellowship.
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Can foreign institutions apply for this grant?
Yes, applications may be submitted from scientists in foreign nonprofit organizations; public and private institutions, such as colleges, universities, hospitals, laboratories and units of state and local government; and eligible agencies of the federal government. Please see “Policies and Procedures” https://www.simonsfoundation.org/policies-and-forms/SCGB for information on International Award policies.
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I am not a U.S. or Canadian citizen; am I eligible to be a SCGB fellow?
There are no citizenship or country requirements.
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Do I need to submit bio sketches with the application?
Yes, bio sketches are required for the mentoring Principal Investigator(s) (PIs) and postdoctoral fellow applicant.
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What are the font-style and size requirements?
Type should be set in 11-point, legible font. All margins should be set at 0.5 inches.
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Are indirect costs included in the annual budget limits?
No, indirect costs are not allowed.
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To whom is the grant awarded?
The grant is awarded to the Fellow’s host institution. We do not pay the Fellow directly.
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Does the Principal Investigator(s) need to sign the signature page?
No, only the signing official is required to sign the signature page.
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Can I make changes to the application once it has been submitted?
Before you can make changes to your submitted application, you must first contact the Simons Foundation. Please email lifegrants@simonsfoundation.org or call (646) 751-1280. Applications can only be changed prior to the October 3, 2016, 5:00 PM Eastern Time deadline.
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Where is the SUBMIT button?
The SUBMIT button is located in the last section of the application. You will be unable to submit if you have not provided all the required information. If the submission deadline has not passed, use the VALIDATE button to check for missing requirements. If the problem persists, please contact pcsupport@altum.com.
If the deadline has passed, the submission period has closed and you will not be able to submit.
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Does the Simons Foundation grant extensions for applications?
No extensions will be given. If you have any difficulties, please email lifegrants@simonsfoundation.org or call (646) 751-1280. Please do not contact pcsupport@altum.com directly.
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My reference(s) will be delayed and cannot submit a letter of recommendation by Monday, October 3, 2016, 5:00 PM Eastern Time. May I have an extension?
No extensions will be given. Plan accordingly with your references and the grants office at your host institution to submit your application on time.
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Are deadline times adjusted for time zones?
No, please be advised that application deadlines are in Eastern Time. We recommend registering early and submitting applications with ample time for corrections prior to the deadline hour. Site traffic can slow page-load times. The SUBMIT button will not work after the deadline time has passed.
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Is there a confirmation email when I submit?
A confirmation email is sent upon submission of the application. Please contact pcsupport@altum.com if you submitted your application and have not received a confirmation email within ten minutes. Make sure that spam filters allow emails from pcsupport@altum.com. The application will be in the SUBMITTED tab when you next log in.
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I get an error message citing a missing section when I try to submit.
The VALIDATE button reviews your application for missing sections. The submission instructions list the required sections and attachments. You must complete the missing sections listed. If you are still receiving error messages after completing and saving the indicated sections, please contact pcsupport@altum.com.
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Is validating my application the same as submitting it?
No. Validating the application checks for errors and omissions and will alert you to missing requirements of your application. If the application is complete, you must then click SUBMIT. You will receive an email within ten minutes. Contact pcsupport@altum.com if you do not receive confirmation and do not see your application in the SUBMITTED tab or with the status changed to SUBMITTED.
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The deadline for award notification has passed. What is the status of my application?
You should receive notification by early March. Please check your spam filter settings if you have not received notification by March 10th.
Adam Calhoun, Ph.D.
Anna Gillespie, Ph.D.
Amy Ni, Ph.D.
Sophie Aimon, Ph.D.
Chunyu Ann Duan, Ph.D.
Vikram Gadagkar, Ph.D.
Danique Jeurissen, Ph.D.
Scott Linderman, Ph.D.
Malavika Murugan, Ph.D.
Ian Oldenburg, Ph.D.
Marino Pagan, Ph.D.
Katherine Cora Ames, Ph.D.
Xiaoyin Chen, Ph.D.
Maria Dadarlat, Ph.D.
James Heys, Ph.D.
Matthew Kaufman, Ph.D.
Aaron Koralek, Ph.D.
Liang Liang, Ph.D.
John Long, Ph.D.
Braden Purcell, Ph.D.
Evan Schaffer, Ph.D.
