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The Innovation in Buildings (IBUILD) Graduate Research Fellowship, managed by Oak Ridge National Laboratory, will strengthen the pool of well-trained, diverse MS and PhD scholars who are equipped for research-intensive building technologies careers across all sectors. IBUILD Fellows will receive research and educational support to conduct innovative research at their home institution in an area with demonstrated relevance to building energy efficiency.  In addition to funding high quality research, the fellowship will provide professional development, mentoring, networking, and internship opportunities.

US Department of Energy Building Technologies Office (BTO) provides resources and strategies to significantly reduce building energy use and intensity. BTO’s funded research has contributed to significant improvement in building energy efficiency including new technologies in solid-state lighting, energy-saving windows, heat pump water heaters, and high-efficiency furnaces and air conditioners.

What will I be doing? You will get to advance your Graduate Research by receiving research and educational support to conduct innovative research at your home institution in an area with demonstrated relevance to building energy efficiency. To ensure an impactful fellowship, you will also gain professional development, mentoring, networking, and internship opportunities.

Why should I apply? In addition to advancing your graduate research, you will 1) enhance your education and training in building technologies fields; 2) increase your marketability in these disciplines; 3) gain access to top scientists in the building energy efficiency field; 4) gain insight into research and career opportunities through your research experiences.

Where will I be located? The IBUILD Fellowship is designed to support research at your home college or university. IBUILD Fellows may have occasional trips to the BTO office or appropriate lab, when applicable. 

The details:

You will receive a competitive stipend of $35,000, an allowance to offset the costs of health insurance up to $16,000, research travel and materials up to $12,000, and limited tuition allowance up to $25,000.

Fellowship will be awarded in 12 months increments based on an annual review of research progress and sustained alignment with designated BTO research areas.

Participation Eligibility:

You must meet the following criteria to participate in the program:

• Be a  U.S. Citizen or Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR).
• Be enrolled or intend to enroll as a full-time doctoral or master's graduate student by September 1, 2021 at a qualified program requiring a research thesis/dissertation at an accredited U.S. college or university.  Proof of enrollment will be required before a Fellowship can start.
• Have a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.00 or higher on a 4.00 scale.

Program Website: https://ibuildfellowship.org/

Students may apply for and are eligible to participate in the program at multiple times during their graduate studies. 

A complete application consists of:

• Zintellect Profile
• Unofficial transcripts or copies of the student academic records provided by the applicant or by academic advisors from internal institutional systems. Document must include the name of the academic institution, name of the student, courses completed and/or in progress, grades and degree earned/expected. Selected students must provide proof of enrollment in a MS or PhD program requiring a thesis before the start of the fellowship.
• Research Plan (3 page maximum)
• A current resume/CV (2 page limit)
• Two relevant letters of recommendations. These letters should address the applicant’s academic record and potential for success in an appointment, as indicated by demonstrated intellectual merit, communication, and teamwork skills. Applicants must provide one letter from a faculty/research advisor and the other from a person of their choice.
• Letter of Endorsement (optional). This letter of support should be from an industry or national laboratory representative. This option is for students who may have existing or prospective research collaborations with national laboratories or industry. This letter should highlight support of a research internship and briefly describe how the internship will support the applicant’s graduate research plan.

For detailed information regarding Application Components, including requirements for the Proposed Research Plan, visit https://ibuildfellowship.org/

All documents must be in English or include an official English translation. Documents sent by email, postal mail, or fax will not be considered. All supporting materials must be uploaded as PDF files so the document can be searched by Zintellect's search engine. Scanned items are not optimal for search engines. PDF must not require special certificates or passwords to open. Max file size is 10MB. 

If you have questions, please send an email to IBUILD@orise.orau.gov. Please list the reference code for this opportunity in the subject line of your email.

• Citizenship: LPR or U.S. Citizen
• Degree: Bachelor's Degree, Master's Degree, or Doctoral Degree.
• Overall GPA: 3.00
• Discipline(s):
  • Chemistry and Materials Sciences (12 )
  • Communications and Graphics Design (2 )
  • Computer, Information, and Data Sciences (16 )
  • Earth and Geosciences (21 )
  • Engineering (27 )
  • Environmental and Marine Sciences (14 )
  • Life Health and Medical Sciences (45 )
  • Mathematics and Statistics (10 )
  • Other Non-Science & Engineering (2 )
  • Physics (16 )
  • Science & Engineering-related (1 )
  • Social and Behavioral Sciences (27 )
• Age: Must be 18 years of age