Ralph Cicerone Fellowship

ACOM Ralph Cicerone Fellowship in Earth System Science
2025 Application Deadline – January 31, 2025

Apply Now

The Ralph Cicerone Fellowship in Earth System Science is intended for graduate students with experience in, or working with, underrepresented communities. One fellowship is awarded each year for a two-year period. Successful candidates receive financial support for four months, divided over two years, and benefit from the training and guidance of ACOM scientists on tools and techniques that enhance and support their graduate research. Generally, the Fellowship recipient will visit NSF NCAR for three consecutive months in the summer of the first year to focus on a self-defined research project in the field of atmospheric chemistry and one month in the following year to complete the project. Financial support will cover two trips to NSF NCAR in Boulder, Colorado, and provide a stipend for lodging and living expenses. For the first year, please plan on starting in mid-May and staying through early August in order to take advantage of the many internship workshops and activities available at NCAR.

Qualifications:

Qualified graduate students will meet the following requirements:

• attending a North American university
• living in the U.S. with appropriate work authorization
• experience as a member of or working with members of an underrepresented population (see below)
• holding an undergraduate degree in atmospheric science or a related Earth system science, such as one of the other geosciences (chemistry, engineering, environmental science, mathematics, meteorology, or physics) and currently actively pursuing a graduate degree in atmospheric or related Earth system science.

UCAR strongly believes that increasing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the sciences is critical for maintaining a strong and vibrant workforce and doing our best science.

We encourage students from the following groups historically underrepresented in the sciences to apply:

Racial/ethnic groups: African American, Black, Chicano/Latinx, Native American, Filipino, Pacific Islander, Southeast Asian (i.e. Cambodian, Hmong, Laotian, Vietnamese) or mixed race/multiracial groups with at least one parent from the above ethnicities.

First-generation college students: no parent(s) received a bachelor’s or four-year degree from an accredited college or university.

From a low-income family: Qualified for a free or reduced lunch program while in high school.

Sexual/gender minorities: Lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, asexual, demisexual, or some other sexual minority, transgender, non-binary, genderfluid, genderqueer, or some gender other than “male” or “female."

Students with disabilities: Disability means a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.

Veterans: Served in the active military, naval, or air service, and were discharged or released under conditions other than dishonorable.

Background:

The Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory (ACOM) at NSF NCAR is pleased to announce the second annual Ralph Cicerone Fellowship in Earth System Science. Dr. Cicerone was highly respected for both his research on atmospheric chemistry and for his influential leadership on related policy issues. He made important contributions to our understanding of the sources of greenhouse gases — particularly methane and nitrous oxide — and of the ozone layer and how human activities affect it. ACOM’s mission is to advance understanding and predictive capability of atmospheric composition and related processes, and to provide intellectual leadership and facility support to the wider community. This fellowship, in honor of Dr. Cicerone, provides an excellent opportunity to spend time working on a thesis, or final-project equivalent, with guidance from NSF NCAR scientists and engineers.

Dr. Cicerone received his bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and his master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Illinois in electrical engineering, with a minor in physics. He held a variety of academic and research positions over the years, beginning with the University of Michigan before becoming a Research Chemist at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego. In 1980 he was a Senior Scientist and served as the director of the Atmospheric Chemistry Division (now the Atmospheric Chemistry Observations & Modeling Laboratory [ACOM]) at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado until 1989. In 1989 he accepted an offer to build an interdisciplinary department of geosciences at the University of California, Irvine and was appointed the Daniel G. Aldrich Professor of Earth System Science at the University of California, Irvine. Dr. Cicerone served and chaired the Department of Earth System Science into the early 1990s before being appointed as dean of physical sciences for the next four years, and then Chancellor at the University of California, Irvine until becoming the President of the National Academy of Sciences in 2005. He retired in 2016 after serving the Academy for 11 years as its president.

In 2001, Dr. Cicerone led a US National Academy of Sciences study on the current state of climate change and its impact on the environment and human health, as requested by President George W. Bush. Four years later, Ralph became the President of the National Academy of Sciences. As President of the Academy, he was asked to give testimony to both the US Senate and House of Representatives and also fostered strong links with the Royal Society.

Dr. Cicerone’s research and policy contributions have been recognized with major awards. These include the Franklin Institute’s Bower Award for Achievement in Science in 1999, the 2002 American Geophysical Union Roger Revelle Medal, and the World Cultural Council’s Albert Einstein World Award of Science in 2004. Dr. Cicerone passed away in 2016.

How to Apply:

Applications for the 2025 Cicerone Program are now being accepted. Please use the "Apply Now" link at the top of this page. For consideration, applications should be received by January 31, 2025.

For more information, please contact Dr. Rebecca Hornbrook at rsh@ucar.edu.