SEC Emerging Scholars Fellowship
Fellowship program description
The SEC Provosts established the SEC Emerging Scholars Program to aid in preparing future faculty members. The program is designed to provide professional development and networking opportunities for current doctoral students and postdoctoral researchers who are considering careers in higher education.
Call for applications
View the call for applications and learn more about becoming an SEC Emerging Scholar.
Deadline: May 3, 2024
Eligibility:
This program call is only for postdoctoral trainees that aspire and have the potential to pursue a career in academia. All active Texas A&M postdoctoral scholars (U.S. citizens, permanent residents and international postdocs) seeking an academic faculty position are eligible to apply. Postdocs must remain as a Texas A&M postdoc through the academic year (until August 2025) to receive full benefit and compensation for the program. The funding is subject to proration if the program is not completed.
Primary intents of the program are for the scholar to participate in professional development events and prepare application materials for next-stage academic positions. This fellowship is NOT intended to finance data collection or the completion of on-going research work.
Required Application Materials:
Postdoctoral scholars apply directly in InfoReady. Each applicant is responsible for writing or acquiring the materials and submitting them according to the guidelines below. Please assemble the materials as a single PDF containing the five required documents listed below.
Personal Statement (half-page max, 1-inch margins, 11-point Arial) must address the following points:
a) describe why you want to pursue a career in academia, your academic career goals and commitment to professional advancement in higher education, and
b) state how your experiences and viewpoints are unique and will contribute to the academic missions of teaching, research and service.
Research Statement (2-page max, 1-inch margins, 11-point Arial). Minimal statement content should include:
1) research program overview and contextual importance,
2) past and ongoing research projects, 3) research accomplishments and list of papers/products,
4) short- (2-5 years) and long-term (career) research goals and
5) impact of past research and potential impact of future research within your discipline and/or beyond.
C.V. (3-page max)
Faculty Advisor – signed support letter (1-page max on letterhead): Faculty advisors are required to provide the postdoc applicant with a signed letterhead that includes a clear assessment of the postdoc’s potential for an academic career and potential to contribute to the research advancement and teaching mission in their field. The letter should also include the acknowledgement statement below:
“I verify that Dr. {applicant name} is a postdoctoral researcher in my group and is planned to continue in this position until August 2025. I acknowledge the 5 requirements of the SEC Emerging Scholars program (as outlined in the Call for Applications) and thus, fully support Dr. {applicant name}’s participation in the SEC Emerging Scholars Program.”
Faculty Statement Reviewer – signed support letter (on letterhead): Recruit a faculty member with expertise in your discipline to serve as a SEC Emerging Scholar Reviewer. This faculty will serve as a reviewer of yours and one other Scholar’s research and teaching statements and attend the LOCAL Preparation Workshop to provide constructive feedback on the statements. Expectations for content in research and teaching statements can vary among disciplines. Thus, it is important to have field-specific feedback. We recommend trying to find a newly hired (within the last five years) faculty member to have a fresh perspective of the academic job market. Provide on signed letterhead from the faculty who agreed to serve as your Statement Reviewer, the following statement:
“If Dr. {applicant name}is selected as an SEC Emerging Scholar, I agree to review Dr. {applicant name}’s and one other Scholar’s teaching and research statements and provide constructive feedback on these statements during the LOCAL Preparation Workshop.”
Note: Due to the timing of the SEC Emerging Scholar Conference in September, the Preparation Workshop will likely be scheduled late August 2024 (TBD).
Applications that fail to adhere to all components of the application procedure (e.g., page limits, incomplete application documents, missing letters) will not be considered.
Research Statement Guidance
View the Research Statement Guidance and learn more about the Research Statement Guidance.
Frequently asked questions
Visit the SEC Emerging Scholars FAQs page for additional information: