Applications Open: June 8th, 2026
Application Deadline: July 10, 2026 at 11:59 Eastern Daylight Time (USA)
Named after the Sahyadri mountain range of South India—part of the Western Ghats and one of the world’s recognized biodiversity hotspots—the award symbolizes resilience, growth, and scientific discovery.
Sahyadri Award for Outstanding Plant Postdoctoral Researcher(s)
The Sahyadri Award recognizes exceptional postdoctoral researchers in plant science–related fields who are currently on the U.S. academic job market. Awardees will receive an honorarium, present at the Sahyadri Symposium, and be paired with a faculty mentor who will provide guidance and support throughout the academic job search process.
Sahyadri Future Faculty Academy for Aspiring Academics
The Sahyadri Future Faculty Academy provides opportunities for six to eight postdoctoral researchers who are determined to shape the future of academia. Through structured workshop sessions and tailored support, participants will gain the skills and insights needed to effectively navigate their job searches and advance their careers.
Application Information
Please note that the Sahyadri Award and the Sahyadri Future Faculty Program use the same application. During the application submission process, you will be asked to indicate whether you are applying to one program or both.
Eligibility:
- Be a current postdoctoral scientist in a plant-related field.
- Have a recent scholarly publication (or pre-print) from your postdoctoral work.
- Have applied to, or are preparing to apply to, academic jobs in the USA this year.
- Commitment to mentoring meetings and timely feedback.
Application Components:
- List of (up to) 5 relevant publications.
- Short Answer (<250 words): Briefly describe your intellectual contribution to the latest paper from your postdoc (must be published in 2025 or 2026). How does this set you up for your independent research program?
- Short Answer (<250 words): Describe your accomplishments as a postdoc. Include any awards, grants, mentoring experiences that sets you apart in preparation for a faculty position.
- Short Answer (<100 words): Briefly describe how this award will benefit you and how you plan to pay-it-forward to future plant postdocs.
- If applying for the Sahyadri Future Faculty Academy (<250 words): Please indicate how your job search will benefit from the mentoring sessions/resources through Plant Postdocs. Ex: Lack of resources, lack of access to new PI network, working in small universities with fewer postdocs etc.
- Curriculum Vitae (6 pages maximum)
Selection Criteria:
- Contributions to scientific advances as a postdoc.
- Potential to lead an independent research group.
- Mentoring of young scientists during postdoc.
- Applicant’s commitment to outreach and DEI initiatives.
- A clear need for mentoring support (for Faculty Academy).
Application Deadline: July 10, 2026 at 11:59 Eastern Daylight Time (USA)
Example of Past Advertisements for the Sahyadri Initiatives (2023):
