Frequently Asked Questions: NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) Fellows

The renewal process must be initiated by the Fellow and the Advisor at least two months prior to the Fellow's appointment termination date. The Fellow completes the on-line Application for Renewal form through their Fellow Portal web account.  Once this form is submitted, the Advisor is notified of the pending renewal, reviews the Fellow’s renewal form and enters their evaluation in their on-line Advisor Portal account.  After their evaluation is submitted, the NPP Center Representative is notified of the pending renewal, and accesses both the Fellow’s renewal form as well as the advisor’s evaluation form through their Center Representative portal account.  The Center Representative is responsible for approving the renewal request. USRA will be notified automatically of the renewal decision, and the Fellow will be notified of the decision by e-mail. The first and second years of the appointment are most commonly supported by NPP program funds. Support for a third year, however, must be provided by the NPP Advisor’s project funds or by funding provided by the Center.

NPP Fellows may not be selected for two consecutive awards at either one Center or two different Centers, but they are eligible for another award five years after the end of a previous appointment.

U.S. citizens, Lawful Permanent Residents, and foreign nationals eligible for J-1 Research Scholar status may apply for an NPP Fellowship. Citizenship requirements are provided with each NPP research opportunity. Even those opportunities that are open to most foreign nationals may not be available to all foreign nationals, (for example persons who are citizens of designated countries may be excluded). Researchers who are affiliated with an institution in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) or who intend to collaborate with researchers in the PRC are not eligible for an NPP award. Applicants who think they will fall into one of these categories should contact USRA.

Non-U.S. citizens with J-1 visa status as a Research Scholar, Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR) status, or an Employment Authorization Document (EAD) with pending LPR status are eligible to receive an NPP Fellowship. Non-U.S. citizens selected for an appointment must contact USRA concerning their visa status and provide evidence that they have the required visa status before they can begin an NPP appointment. An H-1 B status is not acceptable because the NPP is not an employment program. Non-U.S. citizens selected for an appointment must contact USRA concerning their immigration status and provide evidence that they have the required status that will allow them to participate for at least two years.

NASA Centers require a background investigation before you start your appointment. You will be notified in advance by the Center regarding background investigation requirements and need for security clearances.

Your appointment start date (the first day you report to the appointment facility to officially begin the appointment) should normally be no later than six months from the date of the USRA Offer Letter. The Offer Letter will include the approximate start date for the appointment. If there are special circumstances, such as visa requirements, that require you to change the start date or delay the start date beyond six months, you must notify the NPP Advisor, the NPP Center Representative, and USRA to confirm whether the start date can be amended.  The Center may rescind the offer of appointment if you and your advisor cannot agree on a start date. The termination or end date is the last day you will be at your appointment facility. It may be amended for a variety of reasons, including early departure, appointment renewals, etc.

If the Fellow resides more than 50 miles from the assigned NASA facility, relocation assistance may be provided by USRA. Before you make any arrangements to relocate, you should contact USRA NPP staff. Relocation travel arrangements must be approved by USRA and must adhere to Federal Travel Regulations and USRA Travel Guidelines. USRA staff can provide information, assistance, and approvals for your relocation travel arrangements.

Coordinate your arrival with your Center Representative. Normally you will report to your Advisor and your Center Representative.

The NPP Advisor serves as a mentor and professional colleague but does not act as a supervisor. The Advisor guides the Postdoctoral Fellow in all aspects of the research or management activity and provides office space, equipment, office supplies, publication costs, and expendables required to accomplish the proposed research; information on security and safety; expected attendance schedules; and other requirements relevant to the location of your appointment.

NPP Fellows are not allowed to supplement their stipends through simultaneous employment, grants, or other sources of income that compete with the Fellowship activities. Fellows are expected to work full time on their NPP research and should not have time during their appointment to conduct another research project.

To be successful, Fellows must conduct research and publish the results in peer-reviewed journals. NASA dissuades first-year NPP Fellows from spending time on proposals lest it distract from these important goals. Fellows should not need to raise funds to conduct their NPP research since Advisors and host organizations provide the required office, laboratory space, instruments, computers, access, data, supplies, books, publication charges, poster printing, etc.

NASA understands that proposal writing is part of a science career, and therefore, encourages Fellows to write and submit proposals during the second year of the NPP appointment.  General guidelines regarding proposals can be found in the Policies and Procedures Handbook, "Proposals". For additional details or questions, please contact your Center Representative or Dr. Max Bernstein at NASA HQ.

Yes, Fellows may affiliate with another organization to propose for post-NPP funding. The budget for support after the end of the Fellowship should be provided by that organization and included with the proposal submission.

NASA has invited NPP Fellows to volunteer to serve as peer reviewers through the NSPIRES process. When registering on NSPIRES, the Fellows should “affiliate” themselves with the NASA Center at which they reside, not with USRA. Also, the Fellows should identify themselves in NSPIRES as peer reviewers, rather than principal investigators.

A supplemental activity is allowed if the following criteria are met:

• Fellow is able to remain fully involved in the research and educational opportunities available in the NPP appointment while engaging in the supplemental activity.
• Any associated payment for the supplemental activity does not represent dual payment for the same activity.
• Fellows do not utilize any of the NASA resources available as part of their appointment while engaging in the supplemental activity.

For more information see “Duplicate Receipt of Benefits Prohibited” section of the NPP Policies and Procedures. Questions regarding the allowability of specific activities should be directed to npphelp@usra.edu.

NPP Fellows can receive a plaque or certificate of appreciation or recognition, but are not allowed to receive monetary awards in any form for research being supported by the NPP Fellowship. NPP Fellows are not allowed to supplement their stipends through simultaneous employment, grants, or other sources of income that compete with the Fellowship activities. NASA requires that the Fellow be fully involved in the research and educational opportunities available in the NPP appointment. During the appointment, the Fellow may not provide services for compensation to a third party. But awards, prizes, review panel honoraria, scholarships, Veterans Administration benefits, sabbatical compensation, and similar payments may be accepted by an NPP Fellow, provided these payments do not represent dual payment for the research being supported by the NPP Fellowship. Monetary awards given by the Center for ‘research activities’ may not be accepted.

Fellows are encouraged to publish their research findings in the peer-reviewed open literature. They are required to adhere to the host facility’s requirements for prior review and approval of all material, whether written or prepared for oral presentation. All publications should include appropriate acknowledgment of the NASA Postdoctoral Program appointment, the host facility, and USRA. See Section 14, Reports and Publications Acknowledgement, in the NPP Policies and Procedures for more information

Guidelines and procedures for publications, copyrights, and patents should be discussed with the NASA Advisor and NPP Center Representative at the start of the appointment. See Section 2, Publications, Copyrights, Patents, in the NPP Policies and Procedures for more information.

Publication charges are not a part of the NPP award budget. Such costs should be provided by the NPP Advisor’s project funds or by the host facility. Fellows should discuss their host facility’s publication policy with their NASA Advisor and their NPP Center Representative.

Yes. Each NPP Fellow must submit a Final Report immediately prior to the end of the appointment. The Final Report should summarize the research accomplishments during the Fellowship appointment. The Final Report is submitted by completing a brief web-based form that includes sections for listing all publications, papers presented, conference participation, and other aspects of the appointment. The release of the final stipend payment is contingent upon receipt of the Final Report by USRA. In addition, each Center may also have annual and end-of-appointment reporting requirements. Ask your Center Representative for details.

Because the NASA style guide prohibits the use of any logo other than the NASA logo for branding purposes, the round NPP logo cannot be used alone at the top of a poster. The “stacked” NPP logo can be used as a graphic element in the heading of the body of the poster. The NPP Poster Style Guide demonstrates the correct placement of logos. The NASA identification--combination of the spelled out agency name on the left and the NASA logo (meatball) on the right--must always have more prominence than the NPP "graphic header." It must also always have the same spacing between it and the NPP graphic header.

Fellows must immediately inform their Advisor, the NPP Center Representative, and USRA. This written notification should be submitted at least 30 days before the early termination date. If fellows terminate their initial appointment with fewer than twelve months of participation, the fellow must repay in full any reimbursed relocation expenses and/or stipend advance they may have received. The fellow must also submit a Final Report and settle any outstanding travel expense statements.

Anticipated research needs and special requirements necessary to conduct the proposed research should be identified in the NPP application (see the Research Proposal section of the application). The NPP Advisor or NASA Center must provide all hardware, software, books, publication charges, printing/laminating of posters and/or handouts for presentations at conferences or meetings and other equipment needed for the proposed research. Programmatic funds (e.g., travel budget) cannot be used to pay for these and other items needed for the proposed research.

No, the appointment must be continuous; a break between appointment years is not allowed.

Potential applicants should send questions to the NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) helpdesk: npphelp@usra.edu. A full list of USRA contacts is at https:npp.usra.edu/about/contacts/.