Program Overview:

We are looking to hire 10 postbaccalaureate mentees for the third and final cohort of our NSF Research and Mentoring of Postbaccalaureates (RaMP) program, Training the next generation of interdisciplinary scientists to collaboratively address species responses to climate change with SPARCnet. The Salamander Population and Adaptation Research Collaboration Network (SPARCnet) RaMP program is recruiting a cohort of recent college graduates for a paid, year-long research and professional development mentorship program. Mentees will work in a mentor-mentee team to carry out individual and collaborative research projects investigating patterns and predicting responses of amphibians to global change. Teams will be based at locations across the eastern and midwestern states, within the range of the focal salamander species, the eastern red-backed salamander. The SPARCnet RaMP program will provide professional development and career exploration for mentees to gain placement in career or graduate school opportunities, with the goal of expanding participation in the scientific workforce.

Eligibility Information:

• Mentee participants must be U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, or permanent residents of the United States
• Mentee participants must have received their undergraduate degree by the program's start date of July 1st, 2026.
• Mentee participants must not be currently enrolled or accepted into a graduate program
• We are targeting mentee participants who are:
• Interested in research but may not have had strong research experiences as an undergraduate
• Interested in continuing a career in STEM

Program Benefits:

• Paid one-year, full-time fellowship (minimum salary of $32,500 + benefits)
• A $5,000 budget to complete an individual research project
• A $5,000 budget to travel to workshops, professional development, regional conferences, and national conferences
• Gain experience in field data collection, statistical coding, scientific communication and collaboration, professional development, and more