Is a person who has been out of the science and engineering workforce to attend to a seriously ill family member eligible to apply?
A. Yes, persons who have taken 2 to 8 years off to attend to family responsibilities such as child rearing or elder care, or to care for a spouse or an immediate family member with an incapacitating illness or injury, are eligible to apply. Q. The ADVANCE guidelines list some possible career advancement limitations (child-rearing, elder care, and spouse relocation). Does an applicant have to demonstrate such a limitation to be eligible to apply? A. The ADVANCE guidelines list three categories of eligibility (http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2002/nsf02121/nsf02121.htm#ELIG) for the Fellows Awards in addition to the requirements that all applicants have to hold a Ph.D. in a field of science or engineering supported by NSF, be a U.S. citizen, U.S. national or permanent resident of the United States, and be establishing a full-time independent academic research and education career at an institution of higher learning in the U.S., its territories or possessions, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
