Grants-in-Aid of Research awards are made by the Phycological Society of America in support of graduate and postdoctoral research in any area of phycology. Grants are intended to enable the awardee to accomplish work not otherwise possible.
In 1987, the Phycological Society of America (PSA) established the Grants-in-Aid of Research Program (GIAR). This program is designed to aid graduate students conducting research in phycology by making grants to defray research expenses. In 2016, support for postdoctoral researchers was added to the GIAR program. Funds to support these grants come from interest generated by the Education Fund of the PSA Endowment.
Eligibility: Applicants must be graduate students or postdoctoral researchers with active research programs in any area of phycology. The applicant must be a member of PSA. The application deadline is November 1, 11:59 PM PST annually. Recommendation forms are due one week later on November, 8, 11:59 PM PST annually.
Awards: A total of $17,500 is available each year for supporting graduate student and postdoctoral research. The average award for 2023 was approximately $1,700, with a success rate of approximately 25% for graduate student applicants and 33% for postdoctoral applicants. A maximum of three postdoctoral awards will be given each year with only one award exceeding $2,500; the maximum award for a postdoctoral researcher is $5,000. There is no limit on the number of graduate students receiving awards, but the maximum award is $2,000. Awards are generally made directly to the selected applicants or to a fund-dispersing unit at the awardee's institution.
Evaluation and Selection: The selection of recipients will be based primarily on the applicant's research proposal and two supporting recommendation forms from mentors. All applicants must use the fillable application form below. Additional criteria will include evidence of past research achievements and the perceived future of the applicant as a researcher. In the course of a student's graduate education or post-doctoral positions, no more than two grants in aid of research will be awarded. Stipends are not funded. Travel to the PSA annual meetings should be requested from the Hoshaw Travel Award; Although not encouraged, application for funds to other phycological meetings will be considered. Tuition and expenses for taking critical techniques courses not available at the home institution are eligible for funding. However, applicants interested in securing expenses for courses based at field research stations should instead apply to the Croasdale Fellowship.
Application Procedure: To be eligible for consideration, submit one (1) application via this portal, which must be received on or before November 1st. PDF or paper applications will no longer be accepted. The curriculum vitae must a maximum of two (2) pages and include papers presented at meetings, publications, and grants and fellowships received. In addition, the applicant must request two recommendation forms from mentors, submitted separately: one should be submitted by their major advisor/research mentor and the other should be from someone who can comment on the applicant’s research and experience (for example, another member of the thesis committee). This portal will send a request for the recommendation form with the confidential link to your recommenders on your behalf upon final submission of your application but you must confirm their agreement to submit such a form before submitting your application to ensure the forms are received by the deadline. Confirmation your application is complete with two recommendation forms will be provided to you via email from the Grants Committee chair.
This portal has a save function, allowing you to make edits over time without officially submitting the final version. Please only submit your application once, as multiple submissions will trigger multiple requests from your recommenders on your behalf.
Successfully Funded Students and Postdoctoral Researchers: Awardees will be required to complete the PSA Awardee Report within one year of the award announcement.
Applications and questions should be directed to the current Committee Chair, Rachael Wade, rmw104@humboldt.edu.