NSF Eliminates Geoscience Postdocs – Image for illustrative purposes only (Image credits: Unsplash)
The National Science Foundation has archived its Earth Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowships, removing a dedicated funding stream that once supported eight to ten early-career researchers each year. The listing now appears under an “archived” status on the agency website, a development first highlighted publicly this week even though some researchers noted the change as early as March. The decision arrives against the backdrop of an agencywide reorganization that has altered leadership and priorities within the Directorate for Geosciences.
Discovery of the Archived Listing
Community members began circulating the news after checking the NSF site for the annual solicitation. A post on the social platform Bluesky captured the immediate reaction from one Earth scientist who asked what happens when senior officials decide a field should no longer receive targeted support. Another researcher wondered aloud how the community would proceed without new grants in the geosciences directorate. These comments reflect the uncertainty now facing postdoctoral candidates who had planned to apply this fall.
Scope of the Former Program
The last active solicitation, issued in October 2024, described a modest but steady investment of roughly $2.78 million annually. Proposals could address any discipline housed in the Division of Earth Sciences, ranging from geology and geophysics to paleontology and hydrology. Recipients typically used the awards to establish independent research programs before moving into faculty or research scientist positions. The program had operated for years as one of the few NSF fellowships aimed specifically at geoscientists.
Reorganization and New Leadership
In December 2025 the foundation announced an organizational realignment that affected multiple directorates. The Geosciences Directorate received new leadership in February 2026 when Joydip Kundu was named its head. Kundu had joined the directorate the previous July after serving as deputy assistant director and earlier working at the White House Office of Management and Budget and the University of Maryland. Similar internal appointments filled the deputy roles, signaling a shift in how the agency evaluates its portfolio of opportunities.
Current Fellowship Options
NSF continues to support postdoctoral researchers in several other fields. Opportunities remain open in engineering, entrepreneurial research, mathematics, and the physical sciences. Fellowships in biology are available only when the proposed work incorporates artificial intelligence. An agency spokesperson stated that the Earth Sciences solicitation has been archived and will not run this fall, adding that the foundation regularly reviews its funding mechanisms and will continue exploring ways to assist early-career geoscientists.
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.
Researchers are now assessing how the loss of this specific award will affect hiring pipelines and research continuity in the geosciences. The agency’s broader commitment to early-career support remains, yet the targeted mechanism for Earth sciences has ended for the foreseeable future.