EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP): The Fellowship in Organismal Resilience (FOR) Program

The National Science Foundation (NSF), NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellowship Program (EGFP) supports EGFP designated institutions/programs in EPSCoR jurisdictions by providing funding for graduate fellowships for eligible applicants. Institutions receive a total of three years of stipend and associated cost-of-education (COE) allowance for each NSF EPSCoR Graduate Fellow. This award at North Dakota State University seeks to enhance research competitiveness and capacity through an investment in talent development. Fellow research topics will align with goals and programs supported by the NSF Directorate for Biological Sciences (BIO), and the Directorate for STEM Education (EDU). Research topics and activities will focus on further the understanding of how organisms respond—physiologically, behaviorally, and evolutionarily—to changing environmental conditions. This improved understanding of organismal resilience will allow for better prediction of the biological capacity to respond to environmental challenges. In addition to research in biological science, FOR Fellows will be provided with training in a wide range of topics necessary for STEM professional development. These research and professional development activities will allow FOR Fellows to graduate as leading subject matter experts with broad skillsets and the ability to advance the field. The research and training students will participate in is aligned with the NSF priorities in Biotechnology, and AI. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.