Frequently asked questions about the
KSTF Young Scholars Research Fellowship

Am I eligible if I am not a U.S. citizen, or if my doctoral degree is not from a college or university in the United States?
Individuals who are not citizens or who hold degrees from outside the United States are still eligible for the fellowship. However, they must be conducting research that bears on the recruitment, preparation, induction, mentoring and/or retention of secondary science and mathematics teachers in the United States.

Am I eligible if my research is focused on beginning teachers of mathematics and science at the elementary or middle school level?
The mission of the Knowles Science Teaching Foundation is to increase the quantity of high quality mathematics and science teachers in U.S. high schools (grades 9-12), and the Young Scholars Fellowship is intended to support early career scholars whose research is consistent with the mission of KSTF. Scholars whose work focuses solely on elementary teachers are not eligible for the award. Scholars who work with middle school teachers may be eligible if their work includes 9th grade teachers.

Am I eligible if my research focuses generally on high school mathematics and science teachers rather than specifically on beginning teachers?
It depends. The Young Scholars Fellowship is intended to support research aimed at explicating, understanding or enhancing the recruitment, preparation, induction, mentoring and/or retention of high school science and mathematics teachers in United States schools. Research that does not have a specific focus on one of these aspects is unlikely to be funded.

Am I eligible for a full-time award if I will be required to teach classes during the fellowship tenure?
Yes. Fellowships are awarded for projects that are equivalent to what a researcher could accomplish working independently and full-time for two years. However, the researcher may accomplish this same work, for example, by hiring graduate students or other assistants while continuing to teach a reduced load.

Am I eligible if I earned my doctorate more than 6 years ago but am still pre-tenure at an academic institution?
Yes. The fellowship is intended for early career scholars. Pre-tenure is typically 6 years from the date a doctorate was earned, but in some cases (e.g., for an individual who held more than one post-doctoral position), the applicant may be more than 6 years from the conferral of his or her degree. Such cases will be handled individually, so if you have questions about your eligibility, please contact us at scholars@kstf.org.

Am I eligible if I am working at an institution or in a position that does not award tenure?           Yes, The fellowship is intended for early career scholars. KSTF has defined early career as the equivalent of typical pre-tenure, which is six years from the date a doctoral degree was earned.  If you have questions about your eligiblity, please contact us at scholars@kstf.org.                                     

Will I receive feedback on my pre-proposal and my full proposal from KSTF or be able to view reviewers' comments?
Yes, you will be able to log on to the website application and read reviewers' comments on your pre-proposal.  Feedback will be provided on all full proposals once all funding decisions have been made and approved by the KSTF Board of Trustees. 

What if I miss the deadline for the pre-proposals?  May I still submit a full proposal?                     

No, KSTF will not accept proposals from any applicant who has not submitted a pre-proposal first.

May I submit a full proposal regardless of the reviews of my pre-proposal?                                     

Any applicant that submits a pre-proposal may submit a full proposal, regardless of reviewer feedback.  The pre-proposal reviews are designed to help you write a better full proposal.

How may the fellowship funds be used?
The award is intended primarily for salary replacement. However, funds may also be used to purchase research equipment, provide stipends to research participants, travel to conferences to present the research proposed, hire research assistants, work with consultants or to pay for services such as transcription.

How specific does the proposed budget need to be for the application?
We do not require a detailed budget for the application, but rather a general sense of how you foresee using the funds. For example, you might request a full-time award to be used to buy out one class per semester, hire a graduate student and pay summer salary.

Can I include tables and figures in my proposal?
You may upload a maximum of one page of tables/figures along with your project description. Please note that you will not be able to use tables or graphs for the project timeline, budget or existing obligations.

What should I consider when selecting an example of my past research to upload with my application?
Your example of past research will be reviewed in order to assess your capacity for successfully completing the research project proposed for the fellowship. It would be to your benefit to include an example of past research that is closely aligned with your proposed project in terms of research methods, scope and focus.

What are review procedures for the Young Scholars Fellowship?
Each pre-proposal will be reviewed by KSTF staff to ensure it meets the technical criteria for eligibility and is aligned with KSTF's mission. Those pre-proposals and proposals that meet the technical criteria will be reviewed by panels of scholars with expertise in some aspect of teacher education or science and mathematics education and experience working with early career scholars. This means that the reviewers may not be expert on your specific topic.

How are the award funds distributed?
Typically the award funds are paid to the fellow's institution on a quarterly basis. At the completion of the first year of the fellowship, the fellow is required to submit an interim progress report before the second-year funds are distributed.

What other obligations does the fellowship entail?
Recipients of the Young Scholars Fellowship are expected to attend the KSTF Conferences in mathematics or science or both, and annual meetings of the KSTF Teaching Fellows. KSTF provides additional funding beyond the fellowship award for fellows to attend these meetings. Additionally, KSTF will pay for fellows to meet with other Young Scholars up to two times per year.