Statement of Research Grant Policy & Procedure

The Arnold O. Beckman Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemical Sciences or Chemical Instrumentation Award Program supports advanced research by postdoctoral scholars within the core areas of fundamental chemistry or the development and build of chemical instrumentation; research must be innovative in method, speed or process, or represent new instrument technology. This fellowship will be a catalyst from "mentored yet independent" postdocs to outstanding, independent researchers in academic or industry/governmental labs. 

The Fellowships will be in two tracks (applicants will choose one):

• Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemical Sciences allows chemists to pursue advanced research within fundamental chemistry, such as chemical physics, chemical engineering, or the chemistry of materials. The underlying proposed research and innovation must be chemistry-focused, although the project can have applications in other fields such as biology or physics.   
•  Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chemical Instrumentation will allow researchers in chemistry to conceptualize, develop, and build instrumentation suitable to advanced research in chemistry, chemical physics, chemical engineering, and the chemistry of materials science. Instrumentation projects must be suitable to the two-year fellowship timeframe, be driven by a need in the listed chemical sciences, be innovative in method, speed or process, or represent a wholly new instrument for technological advancement in chemistry. Future potential use to the broader scientific community is a benefit.  

Guidelines:

Fellows will be appointed for two years, with possibility for third year by renewal.

• Fellowships will begin July 1 of program year. 
• The Fellowship award provides $224,000 over 2 years for salary, fringe benefits, and research expenditures; instrumentation fellowships receive an additional one-time payment of up to $200,000 for material/development costs. The Fellowship may be extended for an optional third year, with $118,000 in funding for salary, fringe and research expenditures, dependent upon review of research progress and a renewal application, which is submitted during the second year of the Fellowship.
• This program is an Open Call; institutions are not limited to the number of candidates which may apply.

Eligibility:

Criteria for Applicants at time of Letter of Intent submittal  due date/deadline:

• U.S. Citizen or permanent resident of the United States or its possessions, or hold Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient status; and 
•  Current graduate student anticipated to complete a PhD in the chemical sciences by May 1, 2026, or current postdoctoral researcher with a granted/conferred PhD in the chemical sciences with no more than 18 months of cumulative postdoctoral research experience; and
• Must pursue postdoctoral training within the core areas of fundamental chemistry, such as: chemical physics, chemical engineering, or the chemistry of materials. All applications should propose research and innovations that are chemistry-focused, although the project can have applications in other fields such as biology or physics; and 
• Must have identified a mentor in the chemical sciences at a qualifying US nonprofit institution with appropriate laboratory facilities to support their postdoctoral research proposal; and 
• Applicant must confirm with Sponsoring Mentor that they have committed to sponsoring only said applicant in this program cycle.

**If you have exceeded the 18-month eligibility window but you experienced extended restricted access during COVID, please email aobpostdoc@beckman-foundation.org to discuss your eligibility status**

Criteria for Sponsoring Mentor at time of Letter of Intent submittal due date/deadline:

• PhD or MD/PhD; and 
• Full-time tenured or tenure track faculty with at least a 25% appointment in a department affiliated with chemistry, chemical physics, chemical engineering, or the chemistry of materials science at their institution; and  
• If mentor does not possess a 25% appointment, as noted above, this eligibility requirement may be met by a co-mentor that carries a minimum 25% appt in chemistry. 
  • If the co-mentor is at the same institution as the sponsoring mentor, then the Institutional Letter must specifically note that the mentor does not meet the appointment criteria, but the co-mentor does. 
  • If the co-mentor is at a different institution, then the applicant needs an additional Institutional Letter (instructions on pg. 11-12) addressing that they meet point 3 of the appointment criteria from the Institutional Letter requirements. 
• Active investigator in the applicant’s area of research; and 
• Mentors must confirm sponsorship of only one applicant per program year for consideration. 

Any of the following conditions will render an applicant's submittal ineligible:

• At the LOI due date, applicants with more than 18 months of cumulative postdoctoral experience in a research lab or who are more than 3 years from their PhD, are not eligible to apply.
  • Applicants who are more than 3 years from their PhD but have a documented Leave of Absence/Stop the Clock disruption from their academic careers due to military service, child-rearing, or other institutionally recognized leave of absence will be considered eligible. Applicants may not submit applications to both the “Chemical Sciences” and the “Chemical Instrumentation” fellowships in a single program year.
•  Applicants may not submit applications to both the “Chemical Sciences” and the “Chemical Instrumentation” fellowships in a single program year. 
•  Visa holders are not eligible to apply. 
• Applicants may not have full-time faculty appointments. 
• Sponsoring mentors may not support more than one applicant for program year 2026.
• If, by May 1, 2026, a potential awardee has not successfully completed his/her PhD, the award will be rescinded by the Foundation. The Foundation will accept unofficial transcripts or an official letter from the granting institution that the applicant has successfully defended and completed their PhD requirements by this deadline.  

Program Overview & Instructions: Letter of Intent Instructions Document

Additional Guidance document: Letter of Intent Additional Guidance Document