Graduate Visitor Program

NSF NCAR's Advanced Study Program's Graduate Student (GVP) Fellowship is an excellent way to spend time at NSF NCAR and work on parts of your thesis, or final project equivalent, with guidance from NCAR scientists and engineers. The GVP also is an opportunity to develop research collaborations at NSF NCAR and to participate in professional development workshops and seminars.

Applications for 2024 are closed. Applications will reopen in September of 2024 for the 2025 program. 

Requirements

1. Before submitting an application, the student must identify a NSF NCAR scientist or engineer who will serve as a host. The student will need to contact the scientist or engineer to confirm they are available to mentor the student on tasks related to the student’s thesis or final project. If you need assistance with identifying a host, please contact Jerry Cyccone (cyccone at ucar dot edu) and/or Scott Landolt (landolt at ucar dot edu) via email. 
2. The GVP requires a student application (the student must complete this application) Deadline for student application is October 31, 2023.
3. A nomination from the NCAR host (the host completes this form and sends it to the GVP office directly). Deadline for host nomination is November 5, 2023. 
   
   ASP Graduate Student Visitor Nomination 2023.docx

Selection Criteria and Eligibility

This opportunity is for advanced Masters and Ph.D. students in good standing at their home institution with focuses on atmospheric and related Earth and geospace sciences, space weather, engineering, social sciences, and scientific computing.

Students enrolled in degree-granting institutions in the U.S. (including U.S. Territories) are eligible to apply, as well as students with U.S. citizenship or permanent resident status enrolled at universities outside the United States. 

Students enrolled at universities outside the U.S.:

Applications from universities outside the U.S. are only considered if the applicant is a U.S. citizen or permanent resident (Green Card holder). 

The student will receive the same Living Allowance as domestic students. 

The NCAR host laboratory or the student’s home institution are asked to provide co-sponsorship to help offset additional international travel expenses. 

All students from international universities are required to have health insurance for their stay in the U.S.

Note: Due to visa wait times and increased cost, non-U.S. Citizens or non Green Card holders at universities outside the U.S. are no longer eligible to apply for the GVP. A full list of student opportunities can be found here, https://edec.ucar.edu/students

The student’s work must be a programmatic fit to NCAR. The visit must be part of the student’s thesis or final project work. 



The GVP strives to have diverse representation of universities and student backgrounds in the graduate student cohort each year and encourages applications from individuals who are members of a group that is historically underrepresented in the atmospheric and related sciences, including students who are Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino, female, first generation college students, students with disabilities, students who identify as LGBTQ+, and Veterans. Alumni of NCAR/UCAR undergraduate internships and the GVP Bridge are encouraged to apply. 

Nominations are limited to one student per NSF NCAR staff member per year.

Applicants in the early stages of their thesis or dissertation development will be considered for the Bridge to GVP Program. Click this web page for details.

Length of the Award

Visits can be between two and six months. Extensions beyond six months can be granted if you have additional funding from your home institution or the host lab. The length of the visit needs to be justified in the student’s application and must be appropriate for the proposed project. Most awards are three to six months. Personal circumstances that require a stay less than two months should be discussed with GVP before submitting an application.

Visits for this round of applications can’t start earlier than March 2024 and MUST BEGIN before January 2025.

Financial Support

The award includes:

1. One trip to/from Boulder and a Living Allowance of $2500/month to cover duplicate housing expenses. Students living within a 50-mile radius of Boulder are not eligible for travel support or per diem. Please note that the living allowance may be taxable.
2. Travel expenses for the student's advisor for a one-week visit (typically Monday - Friday) during the time the student is at NCAR. A visit by an advisor is not required. The GVP cannot pay for the travel of federal employees.

Not included are:

1. Support for the student's salary or benefits.  GVP requires that the student visitor is adequately supported through a salary from their home institution
2. Health insurance: While not required for U.S. students, we recommend it.
3. Trips back home during the student’s stay at NSF NCAR [except for emergency situations].
4. Personal circumstances that require additional travel support should be discussed up front with the GVP to see if an exception can be made.
5. Workshops and conferences. While students are welcome to apply to and participate in workshops while at NCAR, the GVP will not cover the workshop costs.
6. Support for computing, engineering laboratories and calibration facilities. The GVP does not manage any facilities, nor does it have sufficient supercomputing allocations. Support for the student’s project, such as laboratory facilities, computers and supercomputing allocations, should be arranged in advance of the visit with the NCAR Host and their laboratory.

Support for computing, engineering laboratories and calibration facilities

ASP does not manage any facilities, nor does it have sufficient supercomputing allocations. Support for the student’s project, such as laboratory facilities, computers and supercomputing allocations, should be arranged in advance of the visit with the hosting NSF NCAR laboratory.