IonE hosts Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowships (IDF) for graduate students whose dissertation work spans disciplinary boundaries. These fellowships are sponsored by the University of Minnesota Graduate School.

IonE supports our IDFs with:

• $2,000 in research funding support
• Access to IonE programs & personnel
• Work space in our facility on the St. Paul campus

If you are a graduate student interested in applying through IonE for an IDF for the next Academic Year, your application materials should be sent to April Snyder no later than 12 pm on 10/20/2023. This will allow us adequate time to review your draft package in time for the Graduate School deadline of 5pm, Friday, November 10, 2023. Late submissions and incomplete application packages will not be considered as this is a highly competitive process.

Application materials must include:

• Nominee’s application
• Nominee’s research proposal (draft okay!) – 100 word abstract and 2 pg proposal
• Letter of Support (LOS) from faculty mentor in IonE
  • Must be an IonE Affiliate Faculty and the faculty member must either be a current Fellow or Associate
  • LOS can be sent directly from the faculty member to April Snyder (deink001@umn.edu) — same deadline of 10/20/23 12pm 
• LOS from advisor/co-advisor
  • NOTE: It is highly recommended, so that your package is more competitive, that you have identified one faculty mentor (affiliated with IonE) and one advisor/co-advisor. Meaning that your mentor and advisor would not be the same person – unless you have also identified a second advisor — same deadline of 10/20/23 12pm
• Proof of IRB/IACUC approval, if applicable
• Please see the Graduate School’s instructions for these materials and link to the application form

Your email should:

• Have the subject “IDF Application: YourLastName, YourMajor”
• Include a brief explanation of why you chose IonE as your host center
• The deadline in which your graduate program requires your application materials
• The name and email of the point of contact, typically your DGS, that should receive IonE’s endorsement letter

If you are selected, we will return our endorsement letter to your DGS prior to your graduate program’s deadline. You will be responsible for submitting the completed package to your graduate program for final submission. 

Wondering how to be more competitive? Check out the Graduate’s Schools evaluation rubric

See the FAQs for further guidance (scroll to the bottom of the page), if you have questions about the IDF application process please contact gsfellow@umn.edu, or you may contact April Snyder with IonE specific questions.