A new postdoctoral fellowship program at Cornell will support collaborative research by recent Ph.D. graduates as well as efforts to enhance diversity in the recipients’ fields of study. The Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation is now accepting applications for Cornell University Research Excellence Scholars (CURES) postdoctoral research positions.

CURES positions provide independence and resources to pursue advanced research with the support of Research Division–affiliated centers on Cornell’s Ithaca campus. Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis and will be reviewed after the first of each month until all positions are filled.

During the program’s pilot year, CURES fellowships will be awarded to successful candidates in the field of materials science who are sponsored by faculty associated with the Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR). With the conclusion of the pilot year, the Research Division intends to expand CURES to encompass research in fields supported by other Research Division–affiliated centers.

CURES fellows will be granted a two-year appointment. The initial round of fellows will begin in late fall 2023. Researchers are permitted to spend up to 20% of their time on efforts related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA), teaching, or outreach.

“We envision a rich experience for CURES fellows,” said Emmanuel Giannelis, Cornell’s vice president for research and innovation. “Successful candidates will devote their time to advancing scientific discovery while supporting greater diversity in research.”

The fellowship offers generous salaries and benefits in addition to opportunities for professional development and enrichment.

Each recipient will be sponsored by two faculty members in one of the participating research centers for the duration of the fellowship period.

CURES fellows will pursue a research agenda aligned with the sponsoring center and their own career goals. They will have access to the full range of available expertise and resources, and they will be encouraged to interact broadly with the campus intellectual community in their postdoctoral research and in their efforts to advance DEIA.

Christine Holmes, director of postdoctoral studies in the Cornell Graduate School, sees a unique opportunity for recipients. “Fellows will participate in impactful research with the option to spend some of their time on projects to expand diversity, equity, inclusion and access in their field, a combination that will make them very strong contenders for faculty positions.”

As the initial research center partner for the program, CCMR is looking forward to welcoming applicants to participate in the center’s cutting-edge research while contributing to ongoing efforts to increase diversity in the field of materials science. CCMR currently supports three Interdisciplinary Research Groups (IRGs), a Partnership for Research and Education in Materials (PREM) seed, and a number of additional seed research groups through an NSF Materials Research Science and Engineering Centers (MRSEC) grant and Cornell University support. Each group brings together researchers from various departments to work on an outstanding challenge in materials research and development. CURES applicants can propose projects in any of CCMR’s research programs.

“CCMR supports a big, interdisciplinary research program, which offers a great environment for postdoctoral fellows to identify and tackle a critical scientific problem that also has potential societal impact,” said CCMR director Frank Wise, M.S. ’86, Ph.D. ’88, the Samuel B. Eckert Professor in the College of Engineering. “I look forward to seeing the successful candidates contribute not only to our scientific work but to CCMR’s commitment to Cornell’s culture of inclusivity.”

More information about the application requirements is available on the Cornell Research Services website.

This opportunity is made possible by funding from the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation and by matching funds from participating research centers.

Ellen Hartman is director of communications for the Office of the Vice President for Research and Innovation.