ACADEMIC PROGRAMS

Smalley-Curl Innovative Research Graduate Fellowship

About the Fellowship

The Smalley-Curl Innovative Research Fellowships are awarded to outstanding Applied Physics students with a compelling project that goes beyond the scope of their PhD research.

Details

  • A call for nominations will typically be issued before the beginning of the fall term. The nomination form may be found here.
  • There are up to three fellowships available each year.
  • Each awardee will receive $10,000 over one academic year.
    ($9,000 to be added to student’s existing salary and $1,000 for travel and expenditures)
  • Awardees will be selected by a faculty committee on the basis of academic excellence and on the compelling nature of the proposed project that goes beyond the scope of the student’s PhD research.

Eligibility Requirements

The nominated student will normally have completed at least one full year of graduate study at Rice University before the upcoming fall term.

  • An outstanding student with a minimum cumulative graduate GPA of 3.5.
  • Must be eligible for a Rice graduate appointment for the entire upcoming academic year (excludes students who will exceed their term of funding eligibility limit at any time during the year of the award).

Nomination Process

Students should submit the following to their advisor:

  1. Project Plan (Proposal)
    • Include a description of the background, aims, methodologies (if appropriate), and anticipated outcomes of project. The project should go beyond the planned scope of the student’s PhD research.
    • Include a clear explanation of primary goals to be achieved during the year in which the student would receive this funding.
    • Should be written in language that would be understandable to an informed layperson to assist in the review process.
    • Should be no more than two pages (single-spaced and in 12-point font). One additional page may be included for references, images, and/or models.
  2. 2-page CV
    • Two (2) letters of recommendation from faculty members (other than advisor), each no more than two pages in length (faculty may choose to send letters directly to nominee’s advisor, if desired)

The student’s advisor will then add the final items (listed below) and send a single, consolidated pdf (with nominee’s name in the document title as “FirstLast_YEAR.pdf”) to sciapp@rice.edu with “SCI Innovative Research Fellowship” in the subject line.
 

  • Completed nomination form
  • Advisor’s letter of recommendation (no more than two pages in length)