Conference: 24th Annual Symposium of the NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellows

This award will provide support for the attendees and invited speakers for the twenty fourth Annual Symposium of the NSF Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellows, to be held in conjunction with the winter meeting of the American Astronomical Society in January 2026, in Phoenix, AZ. The purpose of the Astronomy and Astrophysics Postdoctoral Fellowships (AAPF) Program is to support integrated research and education activities at the postdoctoral level to better prepare its fellows for positions of distinction and leadership in the scientific community. The Annual Symposium provides a forum for the Fellows to discuss their research and education projects while increasing their visibility within the astronomy and astrophysics community. The Symposium represents a key component of the AAPF Program and is a very effective mechanism to facilitate the transfer of knowledge and experience that the Fellows have acquired through their postdoctoral training. As with previous symposia in this series, the 2026 AAPF Symposium will promote interactions among astronomers with diverse research interests and backgrounds. By creating a forum in which discussions can occur across traditional research boundaries, the Symposium will provide Fellows the opportunity to gain new insights and pursue interdisciplinary collaborations. The Symposium will also provide a venue for discussing major issues that are important to early-career astronomers. In addition, the Symposium will (1) provide a forum to discuss integrated research and education activities, (2) facilitate collaborations between Fellows on both research and education, and (3) provide greater exposure for the Fellows and the AAPF Program within the astronomical community. 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.