The SRNL PhD Fellows Program supports eligible incoming doctoral students conducting STEM research aligned with the priorities of Savannah River National Laboratory, the State of South Carolina and the national laboratory system. Selected Fellows receive a $10,000 annual stipend enhancement during each of their first two years of graduate study while working with faculty mentors in the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing or the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences.

In addition to financial support, Fellows participate in professional-development opportunities and engage with national laboratory leaders, staff and researchers to strengthen their awareness of research and career pathways within SRNL and the broader national laboratory system.

Qualifications

To be eligible for the SRNL PhD Fellows Program, students must:

• Be a domestic student.
• Be entering a PhD program at USC Columbia in the summer or fall semester.
• Be enrolled in the Molinaroli College of Engineering and Computing or the McCausland College of Arts and Sciences, specifically in Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Biochemistry, Physics, Mathematics or Statistics.
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2.

Students may be recruited from other universities but must enroll in an eligible PhD program at USC Columbia by the summer or fall semester to receive fellowship support.

Support is intended for students who will be doing research and acquiring skills of general interest to the Savannah River National Laboratory

 

Fellowship Possibilities

Our strategy is that these stipend enhancements, when added to a department’s normal PhD stipend, make the total compensation nationally competitive, and approaching the scale of a national fellowship from NSF, DOE, or DoD. After two years, stipends become the responsibility of the department. These students should also apply for lucrative national fellowships, with the support of the USC National Fellowships Office.

Recommendation and Selection Process

Students do not apply directly to the SRNL PhD Fellows Program. Eligible students must be recommended by a faculty member and/or graduate advisor. Faculty recommendations open during the spring semester, and faculty members within MCEC and MCAS will receive application instructions at that time.

NLO staff will review all nominations and select Fellows based on program qualifications and available funding.