Deep Time Peter Buck Postdoctoral Fellowship Program

Please note that the Deep Time Peter Buck Fellowship Program is separate from the Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program and will be accepting applications in early 2026. 

Applications are invited for a two-year Research Fellowship (postdoctoral) in Paleobiology relating to the goals of the Deep Time Initiative at the National Museum of Natural History.  This fellowship involves a commitment to original research and to pursuing opportunities for science communication via public education and outreach. The appointment provides stipend ($62,000/yr), research/travel allowance ($5K/yr), health insurance ($5K/yr), and one-time relocation allowance (up to $1K). 

The Deep Time (DT) initiative is focused on understanding connections across 4.6 billion years of environmental change, the diversity of life, and the future of our species on Earth. The four focal themes are: 1) evolution of organisms, 2) evolution of ecosystems, 3) earth processes, 4) connections among these and our human past, present and future.  The Deep Time Initiative seeks to inform and inspire the global community about the importance of fossils and the history of life, and to help educate citizens for a changing planet.  The Deep Time Peter Buck Fellow will join a diverse intellectual community at NMNH that includes two other Deep Time Peter Buck Fellows and a large group of pre- and postdoctoral fellows supported by the centralized Smithsonian Fellowship Program (SIFP).  Many of these fellows voluntarily contribute their expertise to enhance visitor experiences in the NMNH exhibitions in addition to doing original scientific research.