*** We are welcoming Visiting Scholars back to campus ***
The NSF-Simons Center for Quantitative Biology at Northwestern University (CQuB) is a place where mathematical scientists and developmental biologists intensely work together on a broad range of questions arising from investigations into the biology of animal development. This activity is further enabled by the hosting of extended visits by investigators from the U.S. and around the world. The Visiting Scholars Program, which attracts select participants from institutions worldwide, is designed to enhance interaction and collaboration among participants in order to stimulate creative thinking and interdisciplinary science. The Center has capacity for up to six visitors at a time.
Description of Appointment
Participants are appointed for extended periods of time (from two weeks to six months) to visit and work at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. Visiting scholars occupy a shared office embedded near our Center’s laboratories and groups, and they typically share the office with a participant from a complementary discipline – e.g. a mathematician and biologist might share an office. In addition, participants can work within the Center’s experimental labs, either developing and learning new methods or conducting research.
Visiting scholars participate in the vibrant intellectual life of the Center, including seminars, workshops, research meetings, and journal clubs. Participants are encouraged to communicate their expertise and knowledge with Center members in these forums.
Participants can use their time for a variety of purposes: 1) initiation and growth of cross-disciplinary collaborations, 2) problem-solving particular issues central to their research, 3) immersion in fields that are unfamiliar but of interest, 4) other professional development activities.
Participants receive a university identification and email account, access to library facilities, including online journals, and elective health insurance coverage. Mail, copying, and scanning facilities are located nearby.
Financial support for housing is provided on an as-need basis.
Eligibility
Faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and PhD students from educational institutions in the U.S and other countries are eligible to participate. Ongoing research activity in either developmental biology or applied mathematics/physics is a criterion. Although all such academic researchers are eligible, priority is given to applicants who are from teaching-intensive colleges, minority-serving institutions, and non-PhD granting institutions.
Application
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis.
To submit your application, send it as an email attachment to NSF-Simons-QBio@northwestern.edu . Please write in the Subject line: Visiting Scholar Application
Materials required for submission:
- Curriculum Vitae (5-page limit)
- Letter of Intent (instructions below)
- Letter of Institutional Support from your department chair or principal investigator
All materials must be submitted as one file in PDF format with your last_first name as the filename. Formatting of all documents should be in 11-point font, single-spaced, with 0.5-inch margins.
Please note, that once accepted, the preparation time for processing may take up to six months for international visitors and up to two months for domestic visitors. Consider this timing when submitting your application.
Letter of Intent
Provide a justification for a visiting scholar appointment by answering the following questions. Limit of 2 pages. Embedded figures are acceptable.
- What are your research interests at the interface of mathematics and developmental biology?
- What length(s) of time would you like to stay?
- What is it you would like to achieve while at the Center?
- What expertise and knowledge do you provide to enrich the Center?
- Do you request financial assistance for housing, and if so, why?
COVID-19 Safety Protocols and General Guidance
We highly recommend that Visiting Scholars are vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine before arrival to campus.
All visitors to Northwestern’s campus must adhere to the University’s safety protocols and follow general guidance that aligns with the nature of their reason for visiting campus as outlined below. A visitor is any individual who is not a currently enrolled student in good standing, a registered participant in Northwestern programming for pre-collegiate students or active employee for the University.
To comply the University’s public health efforts, all visitors must follow established safety protocols, including:
- Masking in campus public and shared environments, including outdoor spaces and instructional spaces
- Maintaining social distance
- Adhering to maximum capacity limits
- Handwashing
- Monitoring symptoms and avoiding campus if you are experiencing COVID-19-related symptoms
Full guidance is available here: https://www.northwestern.edu/coronavirus-covid-19-updates/university-status/expectations/visitors/index.html
For further questions about the Visiting Scholars Program, please contact Tiffany Leighton Ozmina at tiffany.ozmina@northwestern.edu .
