The Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (DoD NDSEG) is a prestigious fellowship awarded annually to U.S. citizens pursuing doctoral degrees in science and engineering disciplines. The highly competitive fellowship is sponsored by the U.S. Navy, U.S. Space Force, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Army.[1] These agencies make the final selection of the fellows.[2] National Defense Fellows must be enrolled in research-based doctoral degrees aligned with the goals of the U.S. Department of Defense as outlined in a specific solicitation for research proposals, known as a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). Qualifying doctoral programs must be based in the United States. The NDSEG Fellowship lasts for three years, paying for full tuition and all mandatory fees in that period. The fellowship also awards the recipient a monthly stipend, totaling $40,800 annually, a $5,000 travel budget for the 3-year tenure, and a $1,400 annual health insurance budget.[3] National Defense Fellows have no military service obligation upon completion of the program. In the 2020-2021 award cycle, 159 fellows were chosen from a pool of over 7,942 applicants, for a selection rate of roughly 2%.[4][5]
Type | Fellowship |
---|---|
Awarded By | U.S. Department of Defense |
Sponsors | Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)
Office of Naval Research (ONR) Army Research Office (ARO) |
Country | United States |
First Awarded | 1989; 33 years ago |
Award Amount | 3 years $43,200 (USD) annual stipend, 3 years tuition for PhD programs in science and engineering |
Frequency of Selection | Annual |
Number of Recipients | About 150 |
Website | ndseg |
Award history and details
editAn act of Congress established the NDSEG Fellowship in 1989, requiring that fellows be selected "solely on the basis of academic ability."[6] Over 4,000 fellowships have been granted since 1989 and over 60,000 applications have been received, for an acceptance rate below 7%.[7]
Each Fellow's grant is supported by a specific agency of the Department of Defense. The Office of Naval Research (ONR) is responsible for the science and technology programs of the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps;[8] awarding typically between 30 and 60 fellowships each year.[9] The Vice Chief of Naval Research also serves as the Commanding General of the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory (MCWL).[10] The Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR) manages the Air Force program.[11] Applicants selecting the U.S. Army as their preferred agency may choose from BAAs for the Army Research Office (ARO), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), or United States Army Medical Research and Development Command (USAMRDC).
The $40,800 annual stipend is paid directly to National Defense Fellows on a monthly basis. There are no earmarks or usage requirements for this stipend. Fellows are required to participate in the NDSEG Fellows Conference in their 2nd year of tenure as a fellow. Travel for conferences or professional development may be charged to the $5,000 travel budget, for which the mandatory Fellows Conference qualifies. Tuition payments and fees are paid directly to universities by the NDSEG program office. The NDSEG Fellowship allows awardees to transfer the fellowship title and funding to different universities, allowing them to choose whichever institution they wish to attend.[12]
Eligibility and application requirements
editApplicants must be Citizens of the United States (including dual citizens) or U.S. Nationals who have completed a qualifying undergraduate degree prior to the start of the fellowship. In order to receive the fellowship, students must be accepted to or enrolled in a qualifying doctoral program. It is possible to apply for the DoD NDSEG Fellowship while applying to graduate programs, but receipt of the grant and fellowship is contingent on acceptance and enrollment into the graduate program.
U.S. citizens enrolled in dual MD-PhD programs qualify to apply for the NDSEG Fellowship; but pure Doctor of Medicine programs do not qualify. Unlike the NSF-GRFP, It is possible to apply for the NDSEG Fellowship after completing a Master's degree. Students enrolled in PhD programs which award a master's degree en route qualify to apply.
The application for the DoD NDSEG Fellowship requires students to apply to a specific Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) within the Department of Defense. BAAs outline research and scientific goals identified by a given branch of the U.S. Military, and solicit research proposals or grants. Applicants must identify a BAA that funds the aims of their own research. BAAs may be specific to a particular branch of the U.S. Military or apply to multiple branches. Applicants are required to submit a 4-page single-spaced research proposal, with a maximum of one page for cited work. Applicants must submit 3 professional/academic references and academic records.
As of 2021, qualifying research program areas include:[13]
- Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering
- Biomedical Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Chemistry
- Civil Engineering
- Cognitive, Neural, and Behavioral Sciences
- Computer and Computational Sciences
- Electrical Engineering
- Geosciences (Includes Terrain, Water, and Air)
- Materials Science and Engineering
- Mathematics
- Mechanical Engineering
- Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering (Includes Undersea Systems)
- Oceanography (Includes Ocean Acoustics, Remote Sensing, and Marine Meteorology)
- Physics (Includes Optics)
- Space Physics
Additional information
editThe DoD NDSEG Fellowship is often compared to the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF-GRFP).[14] The NDSEG Fellowship is unlike the GRFP in that it cannot be deferred,[15] and that NDSEG Fellows are paid through a contracting agency of the DoD rather than through the university in which the fellow is enrolled. The NDSEG Fellowship is managed by Innovative Technology Solutions of Dayton, Ohio. The fellowship has previously been managed by the American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE),[9][16] STI-TEC,[17] and Systems Plus.[18]
Notable recipients
edit- Reid Barton, four-time International Mathematical Olympiad gold medalist and four-time Putnam Fellow[19]
- Emily Fairfax, Assistant Professor of Geography at the University of Minnesota and Saint Anthony Falls Laboratory[20]
- Michael J. Freedman, Robert E. Kahn Professor of Computer Science at Princeton University[21]
- Neil Garg, Kenneth N. Trueblood Endowed Chair in Chemistry & Biochemistry at UCLA[22]
- Forrest Iandola, co-inventor of SqueezeNet neural network and co-founder of DeepScale[23]
- Steven G. Johnson, Professor of Applied Mathematics and Physics at MIT[24]
- Jonathan Katz, Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland[25]
- Daniel M. Kane, two-time International Mathematical Olympiad gold medalist and Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science and Engineering at UC San Diego[26]
- Kiran Kedlaya, Stefan E. Warschawski Chair in Mathematics at UC San Diego[27]
- Mark J. Lewis, aerospace engineer and 31st Chief Scientist of the United States Air Force[28]
- Erez Lieberman-Aiden, Associate Professor of Molecular and Human Genetics at the Baylor College of Medicine[29]
- Hideo Mabuchi, 2000 MacArthur Fellow and Professor of Applied Physics at Stanford University[30]
- Charles Musgrave, Robert H. Davis Professor of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Colorado Boulder[31]
- Lenhard Ng, two-time International Mathematical Olympiad gold medalist and Professor of Mathematics at Duke University[32]
- SonBinh Nguyen, Professor of Chemistry at Northwestern University[33]
- Emma Pierson, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Cornell University[34]
- Alia Sabur, world's youngest professor[35][28]
- Amit Sahai, Symantec Chair Professor of Computer Science at UCLA[36]
- Ivan Selesnick, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Chair at New York University[37]
- Kevin Skadron, Harry Douglas Forsyth Professor of Computer Science at the University of Virginia[38]
- Salil Vadhan, Vicky Joseph Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics at Harvard University[39]
- Joshua Weitz, Professor of Biology and Clark Leadership Chair in Data Analytics at the University of Maryland[40]
- Lauren K. Williams, Dwight Parker Robinson Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University[41]
- Daniela Witten, COPSS Awardee and Dorothy Gilford Endowed Chair of Mathematical Statistics at the University of Washington[42]
- Melanie Wood, Professor of Mathematics at Harvard University[43]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "NDSEG". NDSEG Website. Archived from the original on 2021-09-03.
- ^ "NDSEG - National Defense Science & Engineering Graduate Fellowship". The Lorraine W. Frank Office of National Scholarships Advisement. Arizona State University. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "Fellowship Perks". NDSEG Website. Archived from the original on 2021-12-16. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "2021 Awardees". NDSEG Website. Archived from the original on 2021-05-21. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "NDSEG 2020 2021". TheGradCafe. 16 October 2020. Archived from the original on 2021-12-16. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ Public Law 101-189, 101st Congress (PDF). Washington, D.C.: United States Congress. 1989. pp. 1516–1519.
- ^ "National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship Program". Naval Research Lab NDSEG Page. Archived from the original on 2016-10-21. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "ONR Leadership - Vice Chief of Naval Research". Office of Naval Research. Archived from the original on 2017-04-26. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Jarosz, Jeffery. "ONR-NDSEG Fellowship Program Third Management and Demographic Report" (PDF). American Society for Engineering Education. Office of Naval Research. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 17, 2022.
- ^ "Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory Futures Directorate". Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory. Archived from the original on 2021-01-15. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "AFOSR Funding Opportunities". Air Force Office of Scientific Research. Archived from the original on 2021-01-20. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "NDSEG Fellowship". Army Educational Outreach. 10 August 2017. Archived from the original on 2019-01-03. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship". Missouri State Fellowship Office. Archived from the original on 2021-05-04.
- ^ Belanich, James; DeMaio, William; Fisher, Katherine; Cummings, Melissa (2019). "Review of National Defense Science andEngineering Graduate Fellowship" (PDF). Institute for Defense Analyses – via DOD STEM Assets.
- ^ "Program FAQs". NDSEG Program Website. Archived from the original on 2019-09-12. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ "ASEE Graduate Fellowships". ASEE NDSEG Website. Archived from the original on 2010-09-05.
- ^ "National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship". STI-TEC NDSEG Website. Archived from the original on 2017-09-13.
- ^ "National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship". SysPlus NDSEG Website. Archived from the original on 2019-09-09.
- ^ "2005-2006 NDSEG Fellowship Winners". NDSEG. Archived from the original on 11 February 2006.
- ^ "Emily Fairfax Faculty Profile". College of Liberal Arts Faculty Profiles. Retrieved Nov 20, 2023.
- ^ "CV". Michael J. Freedman's webpage. Archived from the original on 2008-07-06.
- ^ "Neil K. Garg". John Guggenheim Foundation. Archived from the original on 2016-04-12.
- ^ "National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship". Nuclear, Plasma & Radiological Engineering. Retrieved 8 November 2023.
- ^ "The Fastest Fourier Transform in the West" (PDF). Steven G. Johnson's webpage. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2008-02-21.
- ^ "CV" (PDF). Jonathan Katz's webpage. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2006-04-22.
- ^ "CV" (PDF). Daniel M. Kane's webpage. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2014-11-14.
- ^ "Curriculum Vitae: Kiran Sridhara Kedlaya". Kiran S. Kedlaya's webpage. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ a b Lachance, Molly (13 February 2008). "AFOSR Continues History of Success with NDSEG Fellowship Program". Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
- ^ Lieberman, Erez (2010). "Evolution and the emergence of structure". ProQuest. ProQuest 612707418. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
- ^ Turchette, Q. A.; Hood, C. J.; Lange, W.; Mabuchi, H.; Kimble, H. J. (1995). "Measurement of Conditional Phase Shifts for Quantum Logic". Physical Review Letters. 75 (25): 4710–4713. arXiv:quant-ph/9511008. Bibcode:1995PhRvL..75.4710T. doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.75.4710. PMID 10059978. S2CID 118938114.
- ^ Musgrave, Charles B; Perry, Jason K; Merkle, Ralph C; Goddard III, William A (1991). "Theoretical studies of a hydrogen abstraction tool for nanotechnology" (PDF). Nanotechnology. 2 (4): 187–195. Bibcode:1991Nanot...2..187M. doi:10.1088/0957-4484/2/4/004. S2CID 250921797.
- ^ "Curriculum vitae" (PDF). Lenhard Ng's webpage. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-05-11.
- ^ Nguyen, Sonbinh T.; Johnson, Lynda K.; Grubbs, Robert H.; Ziller, Joseph W. (6 May 1992). "Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of norbornene by a Group VIII carbene complex in protic media". Journal of the American Chemical Society. 114 (10): 3974–3975. doi:10.1021/ja00036a053. Archived from the original on 2020-09-19.
- ^ "Emma Pierson" (PDF). Cornell University. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ Magdalena, Merry (2013). 15 Anak Super Penguasa Angka. Gramedia Widiasarana Indonesia. pp. 35–36.
- ^ "On the (Im)possibility of Obfuscating Programs" (PDF). Boaz Barak's webpage. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-19.
- ^ "Ivan Selesnick". Ivan Selesnick's webpage. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Design Issues and Tradeoffs for Write Buffers" (PDF). Kevin Skadron's webpage. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-12-16.
- ^ "On the (Im)possibility of Obfuscating Programs" (PDF). Boaz Barak's webpage. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2015-10-19.
- ^ Weitz, Joshua S. (April 2021). "Joshua S. Weitz, Ph.D." (PDF). Retrieved 12 September 2023.
- ^ "Lauren Williams Curriculum Vitae" (PDF). Harvard University. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Daniela Witten's biography". Daniela Witten's webpage. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
- ^ "Melanie Matchett Wood" (PDF). Harvard University. Retrieved 25 April 2022.