Career as Postgraduate Fellowship at The University of South Florida

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This Postgraduate Fellowship is announced in honor of President A.P.J. Kalam. President Kalam was a strong advocate for young people and a passionate supporter of clean energy and energy independence. He visited the University of South Florida (USF) in 2012 and is remembered affectionately by USF and the vibrant Indian heritage community in Tampa Bay, Florida.

Eligibility
1. Candidates must have submitted an application for the PhD program in any of the subjects listed below to USF and secured a USF ID.
2. Candidates must meet all eligibility requirements for the program of their choice.
3. Candidates must have graduated from or are about to graduate from an Indian University.

Eligible Stem Programs / Fields of Study
• Applied Anthropology
• Applied Physics
• Business Ph.D. programs
• Cell Biology, Microbiology & Molecular Biology
• Chemistry
• Computer Science & Engineering
• Engineering
• Criminology
• Integrative Biology
• Marine Science
• Psychology

Selection of Awardees
USF World, which is solely responsible for allocating the award, will set up a review committee to select the winning PhD proposal from among those candidates who have been accepted by their department. The committee will be looking for a student with exceptional academic credentials and experience in the chosen discipline and a well-crafted research proposal. USF World is authorized to make a final decision of the Kalam Fellow from recommendations made by the review committee.

Funding
The University of South Florida will :
• Waive all tuition for a total of up to four years.
• Contribute a stipend of $22,000 that is payable in three installments of $8000 each in the fall and spring semesters and $6000 in the summer semester. In addition to waiving tuition fees, this award covers health insurance and other fees.
• The stipends will be payable by USF once the winner of the President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Postgraduate Fellowship at the University of South Florida is enrolled at the university for his/her first term.
All other costs (e.g., airfare, housing at USF, etc.) will be met by the awardee.

TO APPLY
All candidates must have submitted a USF graduate application and established a university ID number at the USF graduate admissions portal prior to submitting the Kalam Fellowship form. Once admitted to USF, the awardee will comply with all USF regulations, processes and procedures and all applicable law. To submit the A.P.J. Kalam application, candidates must scan the following materials and email them to KalamFellowship@usf.edu in one composite PDF (please do not send .jpeg files):

• Postgraduate Fellowship Form
• A brief letter outlining your interest in the Fellowship and your proposed area of study.
• Curriculum Vitae including your current occupation, your academic and professional experience/achievement and evidence of scholarly activity
• Statement on intended research for your Ph.D. degree under the Kalam Fellowship
• Two Letters of Recommendation on academic and/or professional letterhead
• Some programs may require a GRE score; please check with individual departments' requirements

Candidates are strongly encouraged to apply to their academic program as early as possible. Admissions dates vary depending on program; be sure to check online for your prospective program.

Timeline
October 15 - Announcement of Fellowship opportunity sent to the Indian community December 1 - February 3 - (Please check individual graduate programs for due date of application) Applicant must first apply for a graduate program through the USF Graduate Admissions Office, receive a university ID, and then apply for the Kalam no later than February 3rd
February 3 - Kalam Applications due to USF
May 1 - Public announcement of winner and timeline for next year

Successful Applications include:
• Only applications for a Ph.D. This award is NOT a combination of Master's degree/Ph.D. You must have already completed your Master's degree prior to applying for the Kalam Award.
• Selection of the USF department and program should match your research, education, and background – along with your letters of recommendation.
• No plagiarism or copied information unless cited – including your own research. The committee will search for information that has been copied or plagiarized.
• Letter of Intent needs to directly correlate and be in relation to the application for the Kalam award – Be very specific in your introductory letter, statement of intent, basic research, and program focus.
• Please include as much information in your letter as possible to build your case as to why you should be selected for the Kalam Award and how your research would parallel the vision of President A.PJ. Abdul Kalam.

The deadline to apply for the A.P.J. Kalam Fellowship is February 3, 2020.