Beyond the Fellowship

Turner Postdoctoral Faculty Traineeship Program
Two graduates of Stony Brook’s doctoral programs are awarded Turner Postdoctoral Faculty Traineeships each year. The postdoctoral program provides recent underrepresented Ph.D. recipients with teaching and research experience. Turner Postdoctoral Faculty Trainees have the unique opportunity to collaborate with leading scholars in their field of specialization and gain experience as teachers in their academic departments. 

Click here to download information about the program.

The Turner Postdoctoral Faculty Traineeship Award carries the following benefits:

• $35,000 minimum annual salary
• Full faculty benefits
• Two-year appointment
• Teaching experience
• Research experience
• Opportunity to expand professional growth

W. Burghardt Turner Dissertation Fellowship
Mission: To provide support and encourage highly qualified under­represented students in the preparation of their dissertation. Turner Dissertation Award Fellows represent the Fellowship Program in various academic disciplines and specializations.

Click here to download information about the program.

Awards

• A maximum of two awards per year will be given.
• Each award consists of a $10,000 stipend paid in two installments in the fall and the spring semesters.
• Recipients must be registered for full-time study by day 15 of each semester to maintain eligibility.

Nomination Eligibility

• United States citizen or permanent resident
• Doctoral student at Stony Brook
• Advancement to candidacy prior to January 23 for the year they wish to be considered
• Has not previously received any W. Burghardt Turner Fellowship funding

Nomination Material

• Completed nomination form
• Supporting statement from Graduate Program Director
• Graduate-level transcripts

Turner Postdoctoral Graduates
Recent graduates of the Traineeship Program share their Turner experiences:

Josie Brown-Rose, Ph.D. 2002
Assistant Professor of English and the Director of the Minor in African-American Studies, Western New England College, Springfield, Massachusetts
As a tenure-track professor at Western New England College, I have come to value the experience I had as a Turner Postdoctoral Faculty Trainee at Stony Brook University. Being a postdoctoral trainee afforded me the opportunity to interact with faculty and administration, while developing my teaching skills and pursuing academic scholarship outside of the classroom. Having learned about the processes that allow a university or college to function has enabled me to be an active and conscious member of the college community here at Western New England College. As Director of the Minor in African American Studies, I am often called to make challenging decisions. I am able to make informed choices in part due to the experiences I gained from interacting with faculty, staff, and administration while I was a postdoctoral fellow. The Fellowship excels not only because of the academic foundation it provides students, but also because of the commitment to excellence that it instills in fellows. I have brought that commitment with me to Western New England and hope to instill in my students the value of education and community that was the foundation of my academic experience at Stony Brook University.

Michelle Nearon, Ph.D. 2000
Assistant Professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Stony Brook University
After eight years in industry, it was with enthusiasm and a little apprehension that I re-entered the world of academia. I had the good fortune and privilege of being a recipient of the Turner Fellowship. During my five years as a student, I was delighted to see that the actual implementation of the Turner Fellowship Program at Stony Brook University proved to be more than just a means to bypass financial obstacles. Thanks to a very knowledgeable, devoted, and responsive staff, my experience allowed me to grow both academically and socially. It was through this dream facilitator that I was able to accomplish my goal of obtaining a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering.

As we live in an ever-increasing, technologically based society, the demand for experienced engineers and scientists will undoubtedly continue to grow. As an educator, I hope to encourage students, particularly minority students, to pursue advanced studies, particularly opportunities in math, engineering, and science-related disciplines. The availability of assistance like the Turner Fellowship Program will help the students in this endeavor.

My dreams and aspirations would have been considerably more difficult to achieve had it not been for the Turner Fellowship Program. The level of support from the program administrators engendered a genuine sense of an extended “university family.” In addition to providing me with the financial means to complete my doctorate, the fellowship also paved the way for invaluable research and teaching experiences.

David Patten, Ph.D. 2001
United States Army Intelligence
Being awarded a Turner Postdoctoral Fellowship was a great benefit to my professional development. Even though I did not choose to remain in academia, the research, writing, and presentation skills I cultivated will certainly make me a better intelligence analyst for the United States Army. While I was a fellow I was afforded the opportunity to delve more deeply into the topic of my dissertation: the nature and causes of self-deception. In the year I spent as a postdoc, I was able to write three papers on that subject. I also had the opportunity to explore other academic interests: specifically, the nature of consciousness and global security. I am grateful to have received this rare opportunity to pursue a variety of intellectual interests in considerable depth. I know that had I pursued an academic position after my time as a fellow, I would have enjoyed a considerable advantage over other newly minted Ph.D.s simply by virtue of the additional professional development the program provided. Finally, I think it is important to add that I benefited from more than just the money the program provided. The Turner community at Stony Brook University has offered me support and encouragement at a personal level since my arrival in 1995. It is for that reason that I will not soon forget them.

Henry J. White, Ph.D. 1999
Assistant Professor, Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Stony Brook University
If it weren’t for the W. Burghardt Turner Postdoctoral Faculty Traineeship, my first year as an Assistant Professor would have been full of frustration. The opportunity I had to interact with administrators, faculty, staff, and funding organizations aided in providing a smooth transition. At this level, the rules are pretty straightforward: write proposals, attend conferences, publish papers, serve on committees, and educate. The requirement for success is balance. Balance comes with effort and many years of experience.

Professor White has recently been honored with the National Science Foundation Career award. The award of $400,000 over a five-year period recognizes and supports the early career-development activities of those teacher-scholars who are most likely to become academic leaders of the 21st century.