FELLOWSHIP TYPES

All NMNH fellowships, regardless of award source, are centrally administered by Natural History's Office of Academic Services.

There are three categories of fellowship appointment:

Smithsonian Fellowship: A "Smithsonian Fellowship" is an official academic appointment awarded by the Institution following application and competitive review through the formal Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program. Funding is provided and administered by Smithsonian's Office of Fellowships (OF). Awardees are granted the title "Smithsonian Fellow." For information about applying for a Smithsonian fellowship visit the Office of Fellowships web site at: http://www.si.edu/ofg/fellowopp.htm

Visiting Student, Scholar and Scientist Fellowship: Some individual units as well as specific researchers at NMNH may offer fellowship(s) using specialized funds, often received through grants. Although funded separately, these awards are also administered by OF. Awardees are given the title "Visiting Student Fellow" (Predoctoral level) or "Visiting Scientist/Scholar Fellow" (Postdoctoral level).

External Fellowship: NMNH welcomes students and scholars who have received external funding to support a fellowship at our Museum. These fellowships are considered External Fellowships and awardees use the title "External Fellows."

Smithsonian's Office of Fellowships (OF) manages only those fellowships whose stipend payment is administered through the Smithsonian (Smithsonian Fellowships and Visiting Scholar / Visiting Scientist Fellowships). Individuals awarded a fellowship appointment administer through OF will receive detailed information in the mail concerning the terms of their appointment. This web page and links, serve as the only information resource for individuals serving an External Fellowship appointment at NMNH.

Graduate Student Fellowships are typically awarded to Master's level students. These fellowships provide opportunities for students to conduct research in association with Smithsonian staff members. Students must be formally enrolled in a graduate program of study, must have completed at least one semester but not yet have been advanced to candidacy in a doctoral program.

Predoctoral Fellowships target students who have completed coursework and preliminary examinations for the doctoral degree, and are engaged in dissertation research.

Postdoctoral Fellowships are awarded to scholars who have held the doctoral degree or equivalent for fewer than seven years.

Senior Fellowships are awarded to scholars who have held the doctoral degree or equivalent for more than seven years.

BACKGROUND CHECK & FINGERPRINTING

All fellowship positions at the Smithsonian are now characterized as Non-Critical Sensitive. Fellowship placements require successful adjudication of a pre-appointment background check. If local to the DC area and reporting for fingerprinting in-person to the Smithsonian Office of Protective Services, we anticipate the background check process to take approximately 10 - 14 days. If non-local, please allow at least 4 weeks for this process to complete BEFORE your planned arrival. All individuals, U.S. citizens and Internationals, nominated for a fellowship position must undergo a pre-appointment background investigation before an appointment can be confirmed if:

• Requesting an appointment in-residence for 30 days or longer

Nominees are required to complete an OF 306 Declaration for Federal Employment, a standard form issued by the Office of Personnel Management. The OF 306 is available at the OPM web site as an on-line fill-in form at: http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/of0306.pdf.

Nominees are also required to complete an SF 87 Fingerprint Chart (fingerprint card). The SF 87 will be mailed directly by the Smithsonian to individuals nominated for a fellowship. The SF 87 is not available electronically and cannot be sent via e-mail.

Non-local (to DC/NY) nominees must take the SF 87 to their local law enforcement agency or courthouse to obtain fingerprints. A minimal fee is usually involved. The nominee must then mail the completed OF 306 and SF 87 to the Office of Protection Services.

GENERAL MAIL: Please send your response via the US Postal Service to:

Smithsonian Institution Office of Protection Services Personnel Security Division P.O. Box 23793 Washington, DC 20026-3793

We recommend that, minimally, you select First Class mail for timely delivery. To help ensure quicker service we suggest USPS Priority Mail and advise that you request Delivery Confirmation to track and confirm delivery of your response.

EXPRESS MAIL: Should you wish to use a delivery service (FedEx, UPS, etc.), address your response to:

Smithsonian Institution Office of Protection Services Personnel Security Division Capital Gallery Building 600 Maryland Avenue SW, Suite 4160 Washington, DC 20024

If the nominee is within commuting distance to Washington, DC, they may hand-deliver the completed OF 306 and be fingerprinted on-site at no cost. In addition, nominees having difficulty obtaining the proper fingerprints at their home location may request a deferment to be fingerprinted at the Smithsonian upon their arrival to DC.

The Smithsonian Office of Protection Services is located at 600 Maryland Avenue, SW, Suite 4036. Office Hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

If you have questions regarding the process, or the status of your submitted documents, please contact: ops.pso@si.edu.

The Smithsonian Office of Protection Services (OPS) contracts the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to conduct all investigations. Based upon the investigation results, OPS determines the nominee's suitability for a position at the Smithsonian. The turnaround time for investigation results is about 10 days from the time information is received by OPS from the nominee.

OPS will notify the NMNH Head of Academic Services when an investigation is closed. They will then contact the nominee to extend a formal fellowship offer, and provide further detail.