Announcing the AOS Kessel Research Fellowship Program

The American Ornithological Society is honored to announce that we are accepting applications for the new Kessel Research Fellowship Program. Dr. Brina Kessel, an eminent ornithologist, pioneering woman in science, and the 45^th president of the Society (1992–1994), created an unparalleled legacy to sustain the future of ornithology through her generous bequest to AOS.  

In recognition of her legacy, the society established the Kessel Research Fellowship Program, a small grants program designed to build capacity for the next generation of ornithologists by supporting individual research projects that represent the full range of ornithological research: avian biology, ecology, behavior, conservation, genetics, interdisciplinary, etc. Collectively, the professionals receiving Kessel research grants will become valued ambassadors for ornithology, representing the broad scientific fields of the discipline and geographic areas across the globe. 

In its inaugural year, the Kessel Research Fellowship Program will offer up to three $15,000 awards.

Eligibility:

• Applicants must be a current member of AOS if a resident or current postdoc in the U.S. or Canada, or a current member of another regional ornithological society if a resident outside the U.S. or Canada.
• Applicants must have received a doctorate degree within ten years of the grant submission date. (An extra year of eligibility may be granted for parental leave.)
• Applicants must be applying as a single PI (although scientific collaborators can be named in the grant application). The AOS will only award grant money to a single person, not multiple PIs listed on the same grant.
• Applicants may not have received a Kessel Fellowship award previously and may only hold one AOS research award (including Student & Postdoc Research Awards) at a time.
• Applicants may not hold or have held U.S., Canadian, or other federal grant support or university start-up funds intended for research at the time of the submission date.

For complete details, including full eligibility requirements and application instructions, visit the award page on the AOS website. Applications are due 15 January 2020. We look forward to reviewing the submitted proposals and to continuing the legacy of Dr. Brina Kessel through this exciting new program.