The Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Fund Terms

A. Application Materials

Electronically submit personal information, cover letter, and contact information for your three referees via the web form. The second page of the web form will also ask you to upload a SINGLE .'pdf' or '.doc' file containing the following items:

1. Abstract.  Please include a research proposal abstract that is no longer than 500 words. 
2. Research proposal. The proposal addresses what you hope to accomplish during the fellowship period. The text of the proposal must not exceed 3000 words.  The word limit does not include figures, tables, or bibliography; please use 2.5 cm margins, Times New Roman 11 point font, and 1.5 line spacing. The research proposal should consist of: 1) an introduction and background section; 2) a statement of research objectives, methods, significance and expected results; 4) an explanation of how the fellowship activities will contribute to the stated research question in general and WWF's mission and programs in particular; 5) the research schedule; and 6) a justification of your choice of university / institute for doctoral study.
3. Curriculum Vitae. The CV should be no longer than 5 pages, and include a) address, telephone number(s), fax number, and e-mail address; b) education and academic degrees with dates conferred, awards, and honors; d) present and past employment; e) publications, presentations, and field research; and f) a list of pending commitments for the fellowship period, including other fellowship and grant applications you have submitted, other pending employment, and any other professional activities that may require a significant time commitment during the fellowship period.
4. Estimated budget of expenses. The estimated budget of expenses is an itemized list of expenses that, if approved, you intend to pay with Fuller funding. You must submit this list in either a '.doc' or '.xls' file. You must list these anticipated expenses in US dollars, and you must include the exchange rate used to calculate the conversion if you anticipate spending Fuller funding in any currency other than US dollars. Please make certain your costs are realistic. Grossly overestimated or underestimated costs may disqualify you from receiving a Fuller Fellowship. For more information on eligible and ineligible expenses, see F. Stipend and Allowances.

All applications must be in English. Once your application is submitted it cannot be modified.

B. Letters of Reference

Each applicant must submit three letters of reference. Before you submit your online application, please notify your referees that they will receive an email from fuller.fellowship@wwfus.org requesting a letter of reference. Based on the email addresses provided by the applicant in the online application form, each of the three referees will receive an email message asking him/her to upload a letter of reference to a password- protected website. Please enter only one email address per referee in the form.  If one of your referees does not receive an email, please check the email address that you entered, resend the request online, and check to make sure that the email is not being filtered by his/her ‘spam protection’. 

Letters of reference must be in '.pdf' or '.doc' format, should be no longer than two pages, and cannot be written by family members. You must submit letters of reference from the following individuals:

1. One of your current or past professors
2. Your dissertation advisor (or other academic individual, if your dissertation advisor has not yet been assigned or cannot be contacted)
3. A person in your field who is familiar with your career goals and achievements

Applicants will receive an email notification when each letter of reference is received, and should use those emails to track which letters have been received.  All letters must be received by 5 pm Eastern Standard Time (Washington, DC) on January 30, 2009. 

Please note that it is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all letters of reference are submitted before the deadline, and that referees have sufficient time to submit letters. 

Review Process: Evaluation and Selection of Fellows

Fellowships will be awarded in a merit-based competition looking at each applicant’s 1) demonstrated ability, accomplishments, and potential to become a leader in his/her field, 2) scientific merit, feasibility, and significance of the research proposal, and 3) relevance of the research to WWF’s mission in general and to tiger conservation in particular.

Applications will be initially reviewed by external (non-WWF staff) and internal reviewers to ensure eligibility and relevance to WWF's mission and its tiger conservation goals and objectives. A committee of WWF staff will interview each finalist. This committee will make a final selection based on the potential of the applicant's work to inform tiger conservation practice and WWF programs and the applicant's performance in the interview. WWF will help match finalists with their WWF mentor at this stage in the review process. Please note that the interview will be conducted in English.

If you wish to be considered for a Fuller Fellowship, please read the fellowship terms, review the application process, and apply online.

The Kathryn Fuller Science for Nature Fund