Distinguished Staff Fellowship Program

Overview:    

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is the world’s premier research institution, empowering leaders and teams to pursue breakthroughs in an environment marked by operational excellence and engagement with the communities where we live and work. ORNL invites you to apply to its Distinguished Staff Fellowship (DSF) Program. The fellowships are awarded to outstanding early-career scientists and engineers with demonstrated success within their academic, professional, and technical areas, who have high potential to be future science leaders. These highly competitive fellowships are available across a variety of research disciplines, including biology and the environment, clean energy, fusion and fission, isotope science, materials science, national security, neutron science, and supercomputing. 

As a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science national laboratory, ORNL has an extraordinary 80-year history of solving the nation’s biggest problems. We deliver scientific discoveries and technical breakthroughs needed to realize solutions in energy and national security and provide economic benefit to the nation. We have a dedicated and creative staff of over 6,000 people. Our vision for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) is to cultivate an environment and practices that foster diversity in ideas and in the people across the organization, as well as to ensure ORNL is recognized as a workplace of choice. 

Applicants selected to become DSFs will be named to one of three fellowships based on their scientific background. The fellowships honor three prominent scientists who made a Big Science impact at ORNL. 

• Dr. Liane B. Russell was a groundbreaking geneticist at ORNL (1947–2002), and in 1973 she was the first woman to receive the internationally awarded Roentgen Medal. She achieved international recognition for her contributions to our understanding of basic mammalian genetics. Russell Fellows are typically in the biological sciences, biomolecular chemistry, computational biology, and environmental and ecosystem sciences. 

• Dr. Alvin M. Weinberg was a passionate advocate for nuclear energy with a strong interest in science policy and ORNL’s longest serving director (1955–1973). Weinberg Fellows generally align with the applied, experimental, and computational sciences and demonstrate competency in chemistry and chemical engineering, radiochemistry, materials science and engineering, nuclear science and engineering, and manufacturing science and engineering. 

• Dr. Eugene P. Wigner was a 1963 Nobel Laureate in physics and ORNL’s first director of research and development (1946–1947). Wigner Fellows are typically in the fundamental sciences and demonstrate competency in advanced materials, chemistry, computational science, neutron scattering, nuclear physics, and plasma and fusion energy sciences. 

Targeted Research Directions 

Candidates should demonstrate their ability to contribute to one (or more) of the following cross-disciplinary research initiatives:  

Major Duties/Responsibilities:   

DSFs are expected to conduct scientific research of the highest quality and impact during their 3-year tenure appointment, become leaders in their fields, and be effective representatives of the Laboratory in their interactions with colleagues and with the DOE and other sponsors of R&D at ORNL. To ensure DSFs receive mentoring, a key aspect of this fellowship program is a mentorship plan that is also designed to facilitate the successful integration of each DSF into ORNL’s scientific community and the alignment of each fellow’s research activities with DOE missions. DSFs are expected to establish the foundation for a long-term career at ORNL. 

Basic Qualifications: 

• Applicants must have either received their PhD no more than 5 years before the application date or expect to be awarded their PhD no later than 6 months after the application date. 

• Current or recent ORNL postdoctoral researchers and ORNL staff members are not eligible to apply. 

• Successful applicants must deliver ORNL’s mission by aligning behaviors, priorities, and interactions with our core values of Impact, Integrity, Teamwork, Safety, and Service. Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility by fostering a respectful workplace in how we treat one another, work together, and measure success. 

Preferred Qualifications: 

• Excellent written and oral communication skills  

• Ability to work independently and to participate creatively in collaborative teams across the Laboratory   

• Ability to function well in a fast-paced research environment, set priorities to accomplish multiple tasks within deadlines, and adapt to changing research priorities  

Applicants cannot have received their PhD more than 5 years prior or must anticipate conferring their PhD no more than 6 months after the date of application. All degree requirements must be completed before starting their appointment.   

Distinguished Staff Fellows join ORNL as independent, early-career research staff. Fellowship funds span the first 3 years of their ORNL employment to establish the foundation for a long-term career at ORNL. 

Application Process 

Applications will be accepted from January 2, 2024, through January 31, 2024. Select “Apply Now” via our Careers website at jobs.ornl.gov .  

Please attach the following documents with your application submission:  

• A concise but thorough research statement (up to 1,500 words, not including illustrations or references) that describes a vision for tackling a grand research challenge, its significance and relationship to ORNL research programs, and its alignment to one (or more) of ORNL’s targeted research directions. 

Research statement guidelines:   

• A one-paragraph abstract of the research statement explaining, in general terms, what information will be discussed in your research statement. This should be in a standalone cover page.  

• Research statement up to 1,500 words, not including illustrations or references 

• Background and significance 

• Describe the problem to be solved, the need to be addressed, or the gap in knowledge to be filled. 

• Describe the current state of the field (including citations to relevant literature). 

• Research plan and approach  

• State your specific aims and describe specific questions to be addressed or steps that will be taken to reach the overarching goal of your proposal. 

• For each specific aim, describe the approach that will be taken to address that aim, providing enough detail to allow reviewers representing a broad range of research areas to assess the appropriateness and novelty of your approach. 

• Unofficial Ph.D. transcript 

• CV/resume including a list of scholarly outputs (e.g., scientific publications in journals, conferences, reports, patents, etc., which distinguishes refereed from non-refereed items, and other notable scientifically related achievements, such as technical achievements, spin-offs, startup companies, etc.)  

• Cover letter addressed to the Distinguished Staff Fellowship Selection Committee 

• Three letters of recommendation: You are responsible for requesting the recommendation letters from your references, and all references should submit their letters directly to [email protected] . Please have your references address their letters to the “Distinguished Staff Fellowship Selection Committee”. To ensure proper receipt, please ask your references to use a subject line with your name included. 

Your application and all required documents, including your three reference letters, must be received by January 31, 2024.   

Selection Process:  

The Distinguished Staff Fellowship Committee is a body of esteemed scientists representing diverse subject matters across the Lab. The Distinguished Staff Fellowship Committee will evaluate applicants based on candidate excellence and relevance of the proposed research topic once the application period has closed.  

Several steps in the application review process take place after the application window closing date. It may take several weeks for candidates to be notified of their application status. 

Additional information regarding ORNL’s DSF Program may be found by visiting the following link: https://www.ornl.gov/careers/distinguished-fellowships . 

Benefits at ORNL:  

ORNL offers competitive pay and benefits programs to attract and retain talented people. The Laboratory offers many employee benefits, including medical and retirement plans and flexible work hours, to help you and your family live a happy and healthy life. Employee amenities such as on-site fitness, banking, and cafeteria facilities are also provided for convenience. 

Other benefits include the following: prescription drug plan, dental plan, vision plan, 401(k) retirement plan, contributory pension plan, life insurance, disability benefits, generous vacation and holidays, parental leave, legal insurance with identity theft protection, employee assistance plan, childcare flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, wellness programs, educational assistance, relocation assistance, and employee discounts. 

If you have difficulty using the online application system or need an accommodation to apply due to a disability, please email [email protected] .  

This position will remain open for a minimum of 5 days after which it will close when a qualified candidate is identified and/or hired.

We accept Word (.doc, .docx), Adobe (unsecured .pdf), Rich Text Format (.rtf), and HTML (.htm, .html) up to 5MB in size. Resumes from third party vendors will not be accepted; these resumes will be deleted and the candidates submitted will not be considered for employment.

If you have trouble applying for a position, please email [email protected].

ORNL is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants, including individuals with disabilities and protected veterans, are encouraged to apply.  UT-Battelle is an E-Verify employer.