Kristian Fauchald Polychaete Research Fellowship Grant

Kristian Fauchald Polychaete Research Fellowship Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Smithsonian Institution (SI)
Amount: Up to US $10,000
Last Updated: February 22, 2026

Summary

The Kristian Fauchald Polychaete Research Fellowship offers funding for polychaete biologists at all career stages to conduct independent research at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. This fellowship promotes global collaboration in polychaete studies, providing access to extensive resources and facilities. Fellowships are awarded biannually, supporting projects of one week to six months, with eligible expenses including relocation and research costs. Applicants must engage actively in collections-based research and contact the curator before applying.

Overview

This fellowship was established through a generous donation from the estate of Leonard P. Hirsch (Smithsonian Institution Office of International Relations and Office of the Undersecretary for Science) and Kristian Fauchald (Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History Curator of Polychaetes). Purpose The Kristian Fauchald Polychaete Research Fellowships provide financial support to enable polychaete biologists from graduate students through senior researchers to conduct independent collections-based research in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology (IZ) at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History (NMNH). These funds enable Kristian’s legacy of encouraging and including polychaetologist from around the world in USNM Polychaete Collection research. Resources The Department of Invertebrate Zoology can provide access to the historical collection, provide equipment used to work with specimens including basic handling/dissection tools, imaging consumables, chemicals, and standard dissecting and compound microscopes with attached cameras, imaging facilities equipped with standard, low vacuum, environmental and field emission scanning electron microscopes, a compound fluorescent microscope, and digital microscopes with z-stacking capabilities, a histology lab equipped for paraffin sectioning and whole mount preparation. Fellows will also have access to the main NMNH Library and the polychaete reprint collection. Applicants interested in access to the microCT or genetics labs should apply to the SIFP fellowships program. Term Fellowship proposals are solicited biannually for projects ranging from one week to six months. Budget Eligible expenses include (more details below): Relocation expenses such as train/airfares, travel visas, shipping visa forms.Up to a maximum of $800 per week in subsistence, which includes all lodging, meals, local transportation, and incidentals.Direct expenses required to complete research at NMNH. Can include, but is not limited to, specialty handling/dissection equipment and consumables. See resources section to determine what is available at NMNH. Direct any questions about available resources to Dr. Osborn.Budgets should not exceed USD $10,000, which is approximately the annual program budget. The number of fellowships awarded will depend on the impact of the research and available funding, so please balance your research budget carefully with the potential impact of your work.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Fellowships are available to active polychaete researchers from graduate students through senior researchers who are actively involved in collections-based research (e.g. systematics, phylogeny, biogeography, comparative morphology, functional morphology, diversity, etc).Both US and non-US citizens are eligible at apply.Awardees are expected to be in residence in the Washington, D.C. area and to spend a significant amount of time working in the Department of Invertebrate Zoology during their tenure.Applicants should contact Karen Osborn, Curator of Polychaetes, well in advance of submitting their application to discuss feasibility of the proposed research.