NASA Postdoctoral Program 2026: $70,000+ Stipend, Eligibility & November Deadline

NASA Postdoctoral Program 2026 at a Glance

The NASA Postdoctoral Program is administered for NASA by Oak Ridge Associated Universities (ORAU). It provides resident research fellowships connected to specific NASA research opportunities at NASA Centers, Headquarters and approved affiliated institutes.

Current opportunities span fields including Earth science, planetary science, heliophysics, astrophysics, biological and physical sciences, aeronautics, engineering, space technology, exploration systems and astrobiology.

NPP Fellowship Types

Postdoctoral Fellow

Applicants who have held their doctoral degree for less than five years at the time of application are classified as Postdoctoral Fellows.

Senior Fellow

Researchers who have held the doctorate for five years or more apply as Senior Fellows. Senior Fellow stipends are determined according to appointment location, experience and professional achievement.

NASA Postdoctoral Management Program

The NASA Postdoctoral Management Program is designed for scientists seeking experience in scientific-program management rather than a conventional research fellowship.

Current NPP guidance states that Management Program applicants must have completed at least one year of a research fellowship.

NASA Postdoctoral Program Eligibility

Doctoral degree

Applicants may apply before completing the PhD or equivalent doctorate, but all degree requirements must be completed and proof supplied before beginning the fellowship.

Citizenship and immigration status

Current NPP eligibility includes:

• U.S. citizens;
• U.S. lawful permanent residents;
• foreign nationals eligible for J-1 Exchange Visitor status; and
• certain applicants for permanent residence, asylees or refugees who satisfy the published EAD and pending-case requirements.

Foreign nationals do not need to possess a J-1 visa when applying, but selected fellows must obtain the required status before starting the appointment.

Resident appointment

NPP is a resident fellowship. Successful applicants must relocate to and maintain residence at the NASA Center, Headquarters office or programme institute associated with their selected research opportunity.

Previous NPP Fellows

Applicants must not have held an NPP appointment during the five years immediately preceding a new application.

Stipend, Health Insurance, Travel and Relocation

Postdoctoral stipend

Current Postdoctoral Fellow stipends start at $70,000 per year. Supplements may be provided for high-cost-of-living locations and certain academic specialties.

Senior Fellow stipend levels depend on the appointment location, years beyond the doctorate and career achievement.

Health insurance

Fellows must maintain health insurance. Where a fellow purchases coverage through ORAU’s programme, NASA currently contributes approximately 85% of the premium, with the fellow paying the balance.

Professional travel

Fellows receive $10,000 per appointment year for approved professional travel, including conferences, meetings, field work, observatory visits and required research training.

Relocation

Eligible relocation expenses may be reimbursed under federal travel regulations and ORAU policy. The amount depends on factors including the fellow’s existing residence, destination and family circumstances.

Choosing a NASA Research Opportunity and Advisor

Applicants do not submit a generic NASA fellowship proposal. Each application must be connected to one specific research opportunity listed in the NPP catalogue.

You may submit only one application for one research opportunity in each application cycle.

Contact the advisor before finalising the proposal

NPP strongly recommends contacting the NASA advisor associated with the opportunity before submission.

The advisor can explain current research priorities, available facilities and technical constraints and can provide scientific guidance while the applicant develops the research proposal.

Application Documents and Proposal Requirements

Applicant information

The Zintellect application collects information on citizenship, employment, education, publications and research experience.

Three recommendation letters

Applicants must arrange for exactly three recommendation letters to be received electronically by the application deadline.

For Postdoctoral Fellow applicants, one reference is normally required from the thesis advisor. The prospective NPP research-opportunity advisor cannot serve as a referee.

Official doctoral transcript

Postdoctoral Fellow applicants must submit an official doctoral-degree transcript. A Master’s transcript is optional.

Senior Fellowship applicants are not required to provide transcripts.

International applicants whose doctoral programme does not issue a qualifying transcript may use the alternative official university certification described in the NPP instructions.

Research proposal

The current NPP research proposal must begin with an abstract and address:

• the research problem;
• scientific background and relationship to previous work;
• general methodology and project timeline;
• new or unusual techniques;
• expected results and their significance or application; and
• appropriate literature citations.

Generative-AI disclosure

NPP does not prohibit generative-AI tools or professional writing assistance. However, material that is not the applicant’s own creative product must be acknowledged according to the current NPP instructions.

For AI-assisted material, the current guidance asks applicants to identify the AI programme, version, date and time and explain how it was used.

How NASA Reviews NPP Applications

NASA Center review

The NASA advisor first assesses whether the proposal is technically feasible, innovative, relevant to NASA’s mission and appropriate for the selected opportunity.

External peer review

Suitable applications are then independently evaluated by at least three external subject-matter reviewers.

NASA states that applicants typically need an overall score around 75 out of 100 or higher to be eligible for selection, although the final selection decision remains with the relevant NASA organization and depends on programme needs and available funding.

Applicants are generally notified approximately two to three months after the deadline.

How to Apply for the November 2026 NPP Cycle

1. Confirm that you satisfy the overall NPP citizenship or immigration requirements.
2. Search the current NPP research-opportunity catalogue.
3. Check the citizenship requirement for the specific opportunity.
4. Select only one opportunity for the November 2026 cycle.
5. Contact the listed NASA advisor to discuss scientific fit and facilities.
6. Create or update your Zintellect applicant profile.
7. Enter the required education, employment, publication and research information.
8. Prepare the maximum 15-page research proposal using the required format.
9. Upload the required doctoral transcript if applying as a Postdoctoral Fellow.
10. Arrange three recommendation letters and ensure all three are received by the deadline.
11. Review any opportunity-specific citizenship, security or technical requirements.
12. Submit and certify the application before 1 November 2026 at 6:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time.

Appointment Duration and Renewal

NPP appointments are initially made for 24 months and are reviewed annually.

Continued support depends on the relevance of the research to NASA’s mission, mutual interest and available funding.

Appointments are limited to a maximum of three years. A third year requires funding from the NASA advisor and approval from the relevant Center.

NPP at JPL vs the JPL Postdoctoral Program

Some NASA Postdoctoral Program opportunities can be hosted at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, but NPP should not be confused with JPL’s separate Postdoctoral Program.

NPP fellowships are competitive ORAU-administered appointments using the March, July and November cycle structure. The separate JPL Postdoctoral Program is a JPL employment programme with its own vacancy and application process.

CareerAidHub Applicant Guidance

Choose the research opportunity before writing the proposal

NPP is opportunity-specific. A strong generic NASA proposal is not enough; the project must respond directly to the goals and technical environment of the selected research opportunity.

Use advisor communication to test feasibility

Discuss data access, instrumentation, computing needs, laboratory capacity and project scope before finalising the proposal. This reduces the risk of proposing work that cannot realistically be completed at the host Center.

Treat the references as part of the scientific review

References account for 20% of the external evaluation. Select referees who can assess your research independence, technical ability and potential rather than relying only on seniority or reputation.

International applicants should verify visa eligibility early

The general programme can accept eligible foreign nationals through J-1 Exchange Visitor status, but individual opportunities may impose additional citizenship restrictions. Check both layers before investing substantial effort in the proposal.

Researchers comparing additional opportunities can browse CareerAidHub’s current postdoctoral fellowships, research jobs, and scientist opportunities.