NOMIS–STRI Fellowships 3 Year Postdoctoral Fellowships in Animal Behavior Grant

NOMIS–STRI Fellowships 3 Year Postdoctoral Fellowships in Animal Behavior Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
Amount: Up to US $75,000
Last Updated: February 27, 2026

Summary

The NOMIS–STRI Fellowships offer exceptional biologists the opportunity to conduct three years of postdoctoral research in animal behavior in Panama. Candidates will explore social behavior's causes and evolution, with a focus on sensory biology, cognitive ecology, and neurogenetics. The fellowship includes a stipend of $62,000 per year and a research budget of $13,000. Selected fellows will join a collaborative community at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, fostering interdisciplinary projects in one of the world's most biodiverse regions.

Overview

The NOMIS Foundation and the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) seek outstanding biologists to join cohorts of three-year postdoctoral fellows in animal behavior, based in the Republic of Panama. Successful candidates will explore fundamental questions addressing social behavior and its proximate and ultimate causes. Areas of specialty may include, but are not limited to, the evolution and maintenance of social behavior, sensory biology and neuroethology, cognitive ecology, socioecology, neurogenetics, and the genetic or physiological bases of social behavior. Candidates working on any animal taxa, marine or terrestrial, will be considered. Fellows will be resident in Panama and will have the opportunity to conduct comparative research throughout the tropics. NOMIS–STRI Fellows will join a cohort of postdoctoral fellows studying animal behavior at STRI. They will join the NOMIS Foundation’s vibrant scientific community of interdisciplinary, collaborative scholars, and be based in Panama, joining STRI’s international community of resident staff scientists and more than 1400 scientific visitors yearly, including fellows and interns supported through the Smithsonian. STRI maintains research facilities to support terrestrial and marine research throughout the Republic of Panama. In addition, STRI supports long-term monitoring programs of critical environmental variables, extensive laboratory infrastructure, a large, bilingual support staff, and a library with extensive holdings in tropical biology and related natural sciences, as well as electronic access to all Smithsonian Institution libraries. The Republic of Panama and the adjacent regions of tropical America are phenomenally rich in biodiversity and in terrestrial and marine habitats. Award A three-year position with a stipend of $62,000 USD per year and an annual research and travel budget of up to $13,000. Fellows may supplement their yearly research budget by competing for additional intramural and external research funds.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. A PhD is required in a relevant field.Preferably candidates will be more advanced in their scientific career, and will have already acquired their first postdoctoral experience. However, the Selection Panel will also consider exceptionally promising candidates who fall outside the above criteria.Candidates must:Propose an independent research project of their own design, with an emphasis on field research on animal social behavior and its proximate and ultimate causes, including sensory biology and neuroethology, cognitive ecology, socioecology, neurogenetics, and the genetic or physiological bases of social behavior.Identify at least three advisors. At least one of these advisors must be a STRI staff scientist; the other advisors may be other STRI staff scientists or collaborating PI partners. Candidates are strongly encouraged to contact potential advisors well in advance to discuss their proposed project and methodologies, and to request feedback during the application process regarding approach and feasibility, knowledge of the local habitats, species, seasonal variation, and other logistical matters. In addition to their three advisors, all NOMIS–STRI fellows will have the support of the Animal Behavior Fellowship Advisory Board (see members below) and will be supported through a cohort network of animal behavior fellows working at STRI.NOMIS–STRI Fellows are expected to commit a significant portion of their research at STRI’s field locations in Panama.