Securing Fully Funded NASA Postdoctoral Research Fellowship

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration invites eligible applicants to apply for its NASA Postdoctoral Research Fellowships programme. This fellowship at NASA isn’t just about the grant; it’s a call to join a national mission because few opportunities exist that offer such career-defining potential of the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP).

The NPP is specifically designed to bring highly talented early-career and senior scientists into the fold. It allows them to engage in critical research that directly advances NASA’s goals in everything from space systems engineering to planetary exploration.

About NASA Postdoctoral Research Program (NPP)

The NASA Postdoctoral Program offers unique research opportunities to highly talented scientists, allowing them to participate in ongoing NASA research projects at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or a NASA-affiliated research institute.

The program is administered for NASA by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU) which manages specialised scientific and technical solutions and works with a consortium of more than 100 major PhD-granting institutions. 

Two Important Tracks 

1. NASA Postdoctoral Research Fellows: These Fellows work closely with NASA scientists on their own proposed research programmes.
2. NASA Postdoctoral Management Program (NPMP): This track is designed to provide valuable experience in programme management, typically at NASA Headquarters.

The key requirement here is that the track is only open to applicants who have already completed at least one year of a research fellowship. It’s a path for those who want to pivot from bench science toward big-picture policy, like Rachel Harris, who leveraged her geosciences expertise to shape NASA’s missions through science management.

Focus Areas

NPP fellowships are designed to advance NASA’s critical missions across diverse domains. While specific openings constantly change, general fields include:

• Space science.
• Earth science.
• Aeronautics and Engineering.
• Exploration systems.
• Astrobiology.
• Planetary Science.
• Technology Development.

For instance, a current engineering opportunity at JPL is focused on unifying uncertainty quantification and system verification. This research aims at building robust, probabilistic methods for ensuring performance relative to science goals in critical flight projects.

Funding/Benefits

The NPP offers a robust financial and professional package designed to support world-class research.

Stipend

A postdoctoral fellow (less than five years out from their doctorate) starts at $70,000 per year. Supplements may be provided if your appointment requires certain academic specialities or is in a high cost of living area. Senior Fellows (five or more years out) receive stipends based on location, experience, and career achievement.

Professional Travel Allowance

That generous stipend comes with professional support, too. Fellows receive $10,000 per appointment year to cover travel to conferences, meetings, field sites, and observatories to collect data or required training. The funds that are not used during a 12-month period will carry over to the following appointment period.

Health Insurance

Health insurance is required for all NPP Fellows. If you purchase a policy through ORAU, NASA will pay approximately 85% of the premium for individual or family coverage. 

Relocation

If you are relocating, associated expenses (transportation, temporary lodging, shipment of household goods within the U.S., or unaccompanied baggage from a foreign country) may be reimbursed. However, relocation expense reimbursements have been treated as taxable income by the IRS since 2018.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the NPP, you must meet strict academic criteria and, often, specific citizenship requirements.

Doctoral Degree

You may apply for an award before you officially complete your Ph.D. That’s a huge relief for those wrapping up their dissertations! Still, you must complete all requirements for a Ph.D. or an equivalent doctorate degree and provide proof of that qualification before beginning the fellowship.

Fellow Categories

Your designation as a postdoctoral or senior fellow is determined strictly by how long you have held your doctoral degree. A postdoctoral fellow has held the doctoral degree for less than five years. A Senior Fellow has held the doctoral degree for five or more years.

Citizenship Requirements

You must meet the general NPP citizenship requirements and the specific citizenship requirements listed in the opportunity description. Non-U.S. citizens must review the specific visa requirements necessary to participate in an NPP Fellowship.

Host Institutions

NPP Fellows are appointed to engage in research at a NASA Center, NASA Headquarters, or a NASA-affiliated research institute. You can search for opportunities by NASA Center in Zintellect. You may also target centres like the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).

Duration

The initial NPP fellowship term of appointment is 24 months.

This appointment is reviewed annually to ensure continued relevance of the research to NASA’s goals and missions, and continuation depends on mutual interest and available funding. NPP appointments are strictly limited to three years. The third year must be funded by the advisor and approved by the Center.

Application

The application process is structured and managed through the electronic Zintellect portal.

1. Opportunity Selection: You must search and select a research opportunity. Remember, you may submit only one application for one research opportunity per application cycle.
2. Critical First Step: we recommended that you contact the NASA advisor associated with that research opportunity by phone or email. The advisor can provide you with more specific information on current research, facilities, and—most importantly—offer scientific advice to help you develop your proposal.
3. Submission: You must register on Zintellect. You may return and edit the application up until the current deadline.

If you’re managing your application on the move, the ORAU Pathfinder mobile app allows you to search for fellowships, manage applications, and accept offers in Zintellect.

Evaluation

NPP Fellowships are awarded competitively.

• Review Process: Each application is reviewed by NASA and by at least three external experts.
• Assessment: The NASA Center assesses the proposal’s suitability for the research opportunity. It may then be reviewed by an external peer review committee.
• Final Decision: High-ranking applications may be recommended for awards by NASA, but each NASA Center makes the final award selections based on NASA’s priorities and funding.

Notifications are typically made two to three months after an application deadline. If your application isn’t immediately successful, applications placed in pending status remain eligible for an NPP award for one year from the application deadline.

Deadline

The NPP has three annual application cycle deadlines:

1. March 1
2. July 1
3. November 1

Be aware of specific programme alerts. For instance, the Astrobiology Program will not be accepting applicants during the cycle that closes on November 1, 2025.

A critical budgetary alert

 If there is a lapse in federal funding, which happened on October 2, 2025, the application due date will be extended by approximately as many business days as NASA was partially shut down. During a shutdown, most individuals with `nasa.gov`email addresses are not permitted to work or respond to emails.

Required Docs

A complete application requires the research proposal, three letters of recommendation, and, for postdoctoral fellows, official doctoral transcripts.

Research Proposal

Your proposal is the foundation of your application.

• Formatting is Mandatory: The maximum length is 15 pages, including figures and citations; double-spaced; 12-point font; and one-inch margins. 
• Important: Your proposal may be returned without review if it does not conform to these instructions.
• Content (Research Fellow): The proposal must begin with a brief abstract and consist of six required sections, including a statement of the problem, general methodology, and expected results/significance.

Letters of Recommendation

You must arrange for three letters of recommendation that must be received by the cycle deadline. Letters are requested electronically through the NPP Portal.

• Crucial Rule: The NASA advisor for your research opportunity shall not submit a letter of recommendation for the applicant. This applies even if they were your thesis advisor.
• Postdoctoral Fellow Rule: If you are applying as a Postdoctoral Fellow, one reference must be from your thesis advisor.

Official Doctoral Transcript Documents

Official doctoral degree transcripts are required for postdoctoral fellow applicants. Senior Fellow applicants are not required to provide transcripts.

Acceptable Transcripts

Records of coursework are fundamental for reviewers to evaluate an applicant’s academic preparation. An acceptable transcript must be official, issued by the Registrar’s Office, and include all four elements: official university markings, institution name, student name, and the graduation date/degree awarded. Student academic records downloaded by the applicant from internal systems will not be accepted.

International Transcripts

If your transcripts aren’t in English, you must submit both the foreign language document and an official English translation signed by a professional translator or issued by the university. If your international doctoral programme didn’t include coursework or the transcripts lack required elements, you must instead submit a signed statement or certificate from a university official confirming your enrolment or completion.

PII Redaction

You are responsible for redacting any Personally Identifiable Information (PII)—including your Social Security number, date of birth, and student identification numbers—from all pages of all documents. You can manually black out the text and rescan or use redaction software. Don’t let an accidental oversight disqualify a perfect proposal!

Tips – Compliance is absolutely crucial.

1. Contact the advisor FIRST. This connection provides scientific advice that will improve your proposal.
2. Check Citizenship: Ensure you meet both the general NPP requirements and the specific requirements listed for your chosen opportunity.
3. Abide by Formatting: The 15-page limit, double-spacing, and 12-point font are absolute rules.
4. Manage References: Confirm three letters are submitted by the deadline, and remind your NPP advisor that they are prohibited from serving as a reference.
5. Be Realistic: Competition, especially at high-profile centres, is intense. If you go for JPL, you might be facing a 10% acceptance rate.

Success Stories

The NPP is preparing future leaders for NASA and the academic community.

Policy and Management: Rachel Harris, an NPMP fellow, leveraged her geosciences expertise to shape NASA’s missions through policy and science management.

Space Agriculture: Luke Fountain is advancing space agriculture by researching how to grow sustainable, nutritious crops in high carbon dioxide environments. His work on nitrogen uptake aims to optimise plant growth for missions to the Moon and Mars. Honestly, researching how to grow food among the stars—that reflects true perseverance!

Official Link

Check out closing date of USDA federal grant.

The official portal for submission and application management is Zintellect.

The ORAU Pathfinder mobile app is also available to help you manage applications and receive important programme notifications.

Contact

Do you have specific questions about the NASA Postdoctoral Program? You can email the programme administrator, ORAU, directly: npp@orau.org.

References

• Applicant FAQs | NASA Postdoctoral Program. (n.d.). NASA Postdoctoral Program. Retrieved from https://npp.orau.org/applicants/faq.html
• Application Tips | NASA Postdoctoral Program. (n.d.). NASA Postdoctoral Program. Retrieved from https://npp.orau.org/applicants/application-tips.html
• Benefits – NASA Postdoctoral Program. (n.d.). NASA Postdoctoral Program. Retrieved from https://npp.orau.org/applicants/benefits.html
• Current Fellowship Opportunities | NASA Postdoctoral Program. (n.d.). NASA Postdoctoral Program. Retrieved from https://npp.orau.org/opportunities/
• How to Apply – NASA Postdoctoral Program. (n.d.). NASA Postdoctoral Program. Retrieved from https://npp.orau.org/applicants/how-to-apply.html
• NASA Postdoctoral Program: NASA Postdoctoral Fellowships. (n.d.). NASA. Retrieved from https://nasa.gov/npp
• NPP Fellowship Decision: Is JPL the Right Choice? (2024, May 22). Reddit. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/NASA/comments/…
• ORAU Pathfinder – Zintellect. (n.d.). Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). Retrieved from https://www.zintellect.com