Guidelines for senior research fellow applications

The Arthur W. Page Center in Penn State's Bellisario College of Communications appoints senior research fellow who are full-time tenure line faculty members at other colleges and universities to work with the Center on prominent research projects.

Senior research fellows play important roles for the Page Center during their four-year term. In addition to managing a call for research proposals, they conduct scholarly work for the Page Center, sit on its research advisory committee, represent the Center at conferences and meetings, and regularly contribute blogs to the Center's website on timely and relevant topics facing the field.

Responsibilities

Managing the call for proposals

► Proposing a topic and writing the call for grant proposals.

► Managing the call timeline and recruiting reviewers. The senior research fellow is responsible for having all viable proposals reviewed and decisions made within agreed timeline.

► Selecting the most promising projects to support the vision of the fellow and the Center. Fellows will work with the Center director to make the final decision about funded projects and communicate decisions to scholars.

► Working with scholars to produce high-level research for the Center. The senior research fellow will work with funded scholars to develop their research projects and allocate funds ranging between $1,000 and $10,000 of scholarly support. External proposals will be submitted through an online portal managed by the Page Center. The Center will also oversee the financial management of all grant funding. 

Conducting research for the Page Center

► The senior research fellow will propose and conduct a research project during his/her time as a fellow.

► Funding will include one-time research funding of $10,000 to be used during the four-year appointment, plus an annual summer supplement of $2,000.

► Results of the fellow's research project should be shared in a white paper, published in peer review journals, and shared with professionals through workshops, webinars, panels and through other means.

Other responsibilities

► Sitting on the Center’s research advisory committee.

► Representing the Center at conferences and meetings.

► Regularly blogging about issues relevant to the fellow’s research.

Application

Scholars who are interested in applying for the senior research fellow appointment must submit a proposal to the Center before the announced deadline. Please include the following elements in your proposal:

Coversheet (1 page)

► Title of the proposed call for grant proposals.

► Name of applicant.

► Job title, position or affiliation, name of institution organization.

► Email address and phone number.

► Contact information for the Office of Sponsored Research at your institution, including the name and email address of a point of contact.

► Subject area that best describes the focus of the proposal.

Call for grant proposals

► Include a full call for grant proposals that you would institute if you were to be selected as a senior research fellow. See prior Page Center calls for grant proposals here (2018, 2017, 2016). 

► Submit a one- to two-page description summarizing the importance of the issue and how the grant call will address it, as well as the value it will add to the profession and academia.

Description of fellow's research project

Abstract (1 page)

A one page abstract or summary of the research project that you would personally conduct during your four years as a senior research fellow.

Narrative (up to 5 pages)

A description, not more than five pages, typed and double-spaced, of the proposed fellow's research (up to $10,000), how it furthers the mission of the Page Center to foster ethics and responsibility in public communication, and how the applicants intend to share the results of the project.

Appropriate appendices that support the proposed project may be included and should be no more than 10 pages long. Applicants may wish to attach an optional selected bibliography, up to two pages, of scholarly or other works, other than the applicant’s own, that place the project in its intellectual framework. Appendices and bibliographies should be included following the project narrative.

Budget

The Center does not allow the following costs

► Overheard/indirect/F&A costs

► Release time or course buy-out

► Any expenses to attend conferences

► Publication costs

Proposals should be processed through the Office of Sponsored Research of the applicant’s institution to avoid lengthy delays in awarding funds.

Budget notes (1 page)

Include a separate document that lists the budget by line item, followed by a description of each line item explaining how the funding will be spent.

Curriculum vitae or professional resume

Attach curriculum vitae or resume that describes scholarly work related to the proposed project and publication/presentation history of the applicant. This document will inform the review committee of the scholar or professional applicant’s potential for dissemination of findings.

Deadline & notification

► Application materials must be submitted to jmac@psu.edu on or before December 31, 2018.

► Applicants will be notified of the selection committee's decisions on March 1, 2019.

► Contracts for senior research fellow should be finalized by June 1, 2019. Contract with be for four years.

The senior research fellow appointment is a limited appointment with the Arthur W. Page Center. It does include employment with the Bellisario College or the Pennsylvania State University.