ACS Organic Division, Fellowships

Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Program

Starting in 2009, the Division of Organic Chemistry (DOC) of the American Chemical Society (ACS) will be sponsoring a summer undergraduate research fellowship (SURF) program. The fellowships will be awarded to talented undergraduates throughout the United States who have been nominated by their departments and selected by an evaluation committee. These fellowships will provide support for undergraduates to carry out research at their respective colleges/universities in the summer between their junior and senior year. In addition, the fellowships will allow awardees to visit an industrial research center in the fall for formal reception of their award and to report on their summer research. Information on the program and application forms are available on the DOC SURF Webpage.

Graduate Fellowship Program

The Division of Organic Chemistry plans to award 2008-2009 academic year fellowships for Ph.D. students to be held during their third or fourth year of study. Sponsors of the fellowships awarded for the current academic year are: Boehringer Ingelheim, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, the Genentech Foundation, GlaxoSmithKline, the Nelson J. Leonard Fellowship (Sponsored by Organic Syntheses, Inc.), Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Organic Reactions, Inc., Organic Syntheses, Inc., Pfizer, Roche, Sanofi-Aventis, Schering-Plough Research Institute, the Emmanuil Troyansky Fellowship, and Wyeth Research.

Submittal process: Nominations should be submitted in triplicate by the candidate's Ph.D. thesis advisor and consist of:

1. A completed application form (PDF) (DOC) with details about the applicant's background and training.
2. Three letters of recommendation (the adviser's and two others). Letters of reference should comment on the academic record, productivity, and career potential of the applicant.
3. A short essay on a research area of the candidate's choice and prepared by the candidate. Directions for preparing the essays can be found here.

Evidence of research accomplishment will be an important factor in the selection of the fellowship holders. Applicants should be U.S. citizens or permanent resident visa holders at the time of application. Applications from women and minorities are especially encouraged. The Organic Division will post the fellows' essays here.

Applications are usually due in early June and Award Announcements are made in August. Watch this page for the actual due dates for the 2009-10 Award applications.

For questions, contact Professor Brian Stoltz (stoltz@caltech.edu; Tel: 626-395-6064).

The Division of Organic Chemistry congratulates the 2008-9 award winners, gratefully acknowledges the sponsors, and thanks Organic Letters for the opportunity to publish their biographical sketches.

The Division of Organic Chemistry annually awards fellowships to outstanding third and fourth year graduate students in organic chemistry. The program has awarded over 349 fellowships since 1981 (See the comprehensive list of the award winners).

The fellowship stipend for 2008 is $26,000, and the Fellows will travel to the 2009 National Organic Symposium to present a poster on their work. Each of the fellowships is sponsored by a prominent company, organization or individual endowment. Awardees are selected by an independent committee, and evidence of research accomplishments is an important factor in the selection process. The applicants for the fellowship submit a short original essay as part of the competition, and the essays of the recent award winners are available on this web site.

We welcome contacts from companies, individuals and organizations interested in sponsoring annual fellowships or wishing to endow a fellowship. There are always many more deserving applicants than there are fellowships! Please contact Professor Brian Stoltz (stoltz@caltech.edu; Tel: 626-395-6064) if you would like to sponsor a fellowship.

Emmanuil Troyansky Fellowship

In 2003, the ACS Division of Organic Chemistry established an endowed fellowship this year in the name of Emmanuil Troyansky. The Troyansky Fellowship is identical to all of the other fellowships in terms of salary and other features. The only difference is that the funds come from an endowment made by the family rather than from an annual donation of a company.