The National Science Foundation (NSF) has eliminated its postdoctoral fellowship funding for Earth scientists, marking a significant shift in support for early-career geoscientists. The opportunity, previously listed as the Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowships, is now archived on the NSF website.
This change was first reported by Eos this week, though a Redditor had noted the archived status as early as March. The program, which typically awarded about $2.78 million annually, funded between 8 and 10 postdoctoral fellowships each year. Proposals were eligible across all disciplines under NSF’s Division of Earth Sciences (EAR), part of the NSF Directorate for Geosciences (NSF GEO).
NSF’s Organizational Realignment and Leadership Changes
In December 2025, the NSF announced an agencywide reorganization, which included the addition of new leadership to GEO in February 2026. Joydip Kundu, the new NSF GEO Directorate Head, joined NSF GEO in July 2025 as the agency’s Deputy Assistant Director. Prior to this role, Kundu worked at the White House Office of Management and Budget during the Obama administration and at the University of Maryland. The new deputy directorate heads were also promoted from within the agency.
NSF’s Response to the Elimination of the Program
When contacted by Eos, an NSF spokesperson confirmed the archiving of the EAR postdoc fellowship solicitation, stating:
"The EAR postdoc fellowship solicitation has been archived and will not have a competition this fall. NSF regularly evaluates its portfolio of funding opportunities and will continue to explore funding opportunities for early career geoscientists."
Despite this elimination, the NSF continues to offer postdoctoral fellowships in other fields, including engineering, entrepreneurial research, mathematics, and physical sciences. Fellowships in biology are available only if they involve artificial intelligence.
Reactions from the Scientific Community
Earth scientists have expressed concern over the decision. One researcher on Bluesky questioned, "What do you do when the most powerful people in the country just decide that your field shouldn’t exist anymore?" Another added, "So, what are we doing now that we’re just not going to have new grants in GEO?"
Additional Resources
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