Astronomical Instrumentation (Astronova) Fellowship 
Host Institution Application

Eligibility (1 of 3) Astronomical Instrumentation with Astronova

Astronomical instrumentation can be broadly defined. For the purposes of the Astronova Fellowship and this host institution application, when we refer to "astronomical instrumentation" in this application, this is what we mean:

  • The scientific questions to be answered by data from the instrument, once completed (and, if relevant, installed with the other parts in the system), must be related to astronomy/astrophysics, cosmology, or planetary science.
  • Instruments must be focused on directing/collecting, detecting, or characterizing photons from astrophysical sources, i.e., electromagnetic radiation from radio waves to gamma rays. Examples of such instruments may include optics, detectors, imagers, spectrometers/spectrographs, astrophotonics, etc. Instruments can be ground-based, airborne, or space-based, including suborbital missions.
  • Projects can be at any stage except fully complete and operational by external users. This includes stages such as design, development, fabrication, calibration, testing, and commissioning.
  • Instrument-related projects that can potentially be seen as adjacent such as readout software or data pipeline development are allowed, as long as there is a clear link to a specific astronomical instrument.
Projects with the following characteristics are out of scope:
  • Instruments most relevant to heliophysics;
  • Multimessenger instrument projects such as those focused on gravitational waves, neutrinos, or cosmic rays;
  • Laboratory searches for dark matter candidate particles;
  • Projects focused on performing observations with an instrument that is already fully operational by external users;
  • Elements focused on the optimal functioning of the overall system and more related to engineering (e.g., starshades, navigation control, etc.)


Eligibility (2 of 3): Institution Status
We seek applications from a wide range of institutions that can provide sufficient resources (both material and non) to potential fellows. To be eligible to apply, an organization must meet all of the following criteria (here, what is considered "astronomical instrumentation" must follow the eligibility criteria described in the previous section):

  1. Have at least three separate astronomical instrumentation projects being actively developed primarily in-house. For our purposes, "primarily in-house" means that the instrument principal investigator or co-principal investigator is at this institution, and/or the instrument itself is at this institution. The projects must be related to research-grade instruments installed for use by professional astronomers.

  2. Have at least three faculty members or research scientists that actively perform astronomical instrumentation.

  3. Be able to provide dedicated laboratory space to a future fellow.

  4. Be able to provide a future fellow with opportunities to teach and/or mentor students, as well as be mentored. If no teaching takes places at the applicant host institution, teaching opportunities may take place at a geographically proximate institution with established ties to the applicant host institution.

  5. Be a U.S.-based college, university, observatory, or research institution.

  6. Eligible applicants must be one of the following:
    • An organization described in Internal Revenue Code ("IRC") Section 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2), which includes:
      • an organization with an un-revoked determination letter from the IRS that the organization is exempt from income tax under IRC Section 501(c)(3) and is not a private foundation under IRC Section 170(b)(1)(A) or 509(a)(2)
      • a U.S. or state government, government possession, or political subdivision of a government, under IRC Section 170(c)(1)
      • an instrumentality of an IRC Section 170(c)(1) governmental unit (regardless of whether such instrumentality's income is tax-exempt under IRC Section 115.)
    • An organization with an un-revoked determination letter from the IRS that the organization is exempt from income tax under IRC Section 501(c)(3) and is an exempt operating foundation under IRC Section 4940(d)(2).
  7. Cannot be a NASA center or a government laboratory. Partnerships with such organizations are allowed as long as the main host institution meets all criteria.

  8. Agree to no more than 15% indirect costs and no more than 35% fringe rate.

Eligibility (3 of 3): Institution Representative
Each participating host institution will designate a primary contact to serve as the liaison between the fellowship program and the host institution. This individual will support any Astronova fellow's engagement with the host institution by facilitating connections with relevant faculty, departments, and campus resources; helping coordinate any on-campus activities related to the fellowship; and serving as a point of contact for logistical or administrative matters that may arise during the fellowship period. The role is intended to ensure the fellow is well integrated into the host institution's community and that the fellowship activities are aligned with the host institution's environment and opportunities.

If circumstances arise in which the designated contact is unable to fulfill this role effectively or engages in conduct inconsistent with the goals or standards of the fellowship, the Foundation reserves the right to request that the host institution designate an alternate representative.

Organization Information


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Faculty Contact





1. Faculty and Research Landscape

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List the names of the faculty directly involved in astronomical instrumentation (within the eligibility parameters above) who would be willing to be Astronova Fellow mentors and briefly describe their research areas and active projects.
350 word limit
Describe where astronomical instrumentation development is conducted across the institution (i.e., in which departments/divisons/etc.)
150 word limit
2. Resources
Describe the institution's instrumentation facilities available to Astronova fellows (e.g., available laboratory space, instrument design/fabrication or development facilities, 3D printing, machine shops, electronics shops, engineering software, GPU/CPU clusters, etc.), as well as the procedure for an Astronova fellow to access those facilities.
200 word limit
Give an overview of the technical and engineering staff at the institution that would be available to collaborate with an Astronova fellow, as well as the procedure for an Astronova fellow to work with such colleagues.
200 word limit
Describe the available pathways for a hypothetical Astronova Fellowship project to get on-sky or perform rapid prototyping, e.g., guaranteed time on or partnerships with large observatories, access to smaller telescopes, partnerships with laboratory facilities, etc. What is the track record of postdocs at the institution taking advantage of these resources?
200 word limit
List, describe, or link to instrumentation-related professional development opportunities available to Astronova fellows at the institution.
200 word limit
3. Mentorship, Teaching, and Inclusivity
Describe opportunities for postdocs to contribute meaningfully to mentorship and teaching. If no teaching takes place at the applicant host institution, teaching opportunities may take place at a geographically proximate institution with established ties to the applicant host institution.
200 word limit
Describe structures or programs in place for postdocs to receive mentorship themselves.
200 word limit
Discuss opportunities for postdocs to contribute meaningfully to initiatives that support and promote inclusivity of historically underrepresented groups in the field of astronomy/astrophysics. Note that this is different from outreach opportunities for the general public; not all members of the general public are historically underrepresented in the field.
200 word limit
Where have the last several instrumentation graduate students and postdocs gone after they left the institution?
100 word limit
What types of technical work are counted/recognized in a faculty tenure package at this institution (e.g., peer-reviewed papers, software packages, conference proceedings, etc.)?
100 word limit
4. Postdoc Community and Resources

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If you answered yes to the previous question, what types of services, resources, or support are offered?
If you answered no to the previous question, please describe how postdoctoral career development is supported at your institution.
150 word limit



Please describe postdoc resources at the institution and/or provide clarification for any of the answers above.
200 word limit
Application Contact