Fellowship in Plant Conservation Biology

[Danielle Eady]

About
In 2022 the Oak Spring Garden Foundation will award their annual Fellowship in Plant Conservation Biology to one outstanding, early-career practitioner, scholar or scientist working on issues related to plant and landscape conservation in the broad sense. This is OSGF’s most prestigious award for practicing plant conservation biologists. The award includes a $10,000 individual grant and requires a two-to-eight-week stay at Oak Spring. This fellowship will be granted to an exceptional individual who is engaged nationally or internationally in research or conservation action to help conserve plants, and the landscapes and ecological systems of which they are part.

The individual selected for this award will spend 2 – 8 weeks at Oak Spring where they will be able to meet with staff, explore our 700-acre landscape and our efforts in sustainable land management, and visit OSGF’s rare book library that holds over 19,000 objects, including many examples of botanical art. The Fellow will have ample time and space to work independently on their own projects during their stay. The only requirement during their time at Oak Spring will be to give one 45-minute presentation with time for questions, to Oak Spring staff and any other fellows or residents who might be on site.

Application Process
To begin your application, click the button below and locate the ‘2022 Residency and Fellowship Programs’ application. Please note that there is one application for all of OSGF’s 2022 residency and fellowship programs, and you will be prompted to select which programs you would like to be considered for. You will be asked to submit:

a resume/curriculum vitae (not to exceed two pages),

a 200 – 300-word statement on your current work in plant conservation,

a 200 – 300-word statement how your work relates to Oak Spring Garden Foundation’s mission to “perpetuate and share the gifts of Rachel (“Bunny”) Lambert Mellon, including her residence, garden, estate and the Oak Spring Garden Library, to serve the public interest. OSGF is dedicated to inspiring and facilitating scholarship and public dialogue on the history and future of plants, including the culture of gardens and landscapes and the importance of plants for human well-being,”

a 200 – 300 word description of how you anticipate using your time during a 2 to 8 week residency at OSGF. OSGF does not currently have a laboratory, or laboratory/science equipment. However, our landscape offers an abundance of plant and animal life, and we are especially keen to support practitioners working with the conservation or management of species native to our local area. Successful applicants will also be able to indicate a clear and timely need for the fellowship. Please keep in mind that the OSGF estate is set in a rural and tranquil setting, and we also welcome applicants who would use the residency as an opportunity to observe and write, free from other distractions.

any and all relevant links/up to 10 pages of writing that demonstrates your work and current interests in plant conservation biology.

NOTE: When applying to this fellowship, you will be asked if you are interested in being considered for one of OSGF’s other residencies, if you are not selected for the fellowship. To learn more about OSGF’s residencies, visit http://www.osgf.org/residencies.

Applications are due by Thursday, July 15, 2021 at 11:59 PM EST.

Eligibility
Eligible applicants must be early-career practitioners, scholars or scientists, not enrolled in an undergraduate degree program in 2022. The successful Fellow must be self-directed and able to work independently while on site. Applicants are expected to show dedication in their work in plant conservation in the broad sense, exceptional promise, good communication skills and excellence in what they have accomplished or plan to accomplish.

Dates
The dates of the Fellow’s residency will be scheduled in consultation with OSGF staff and should fall between Sunday, May 15, 2022 – Saturday, September 24, 2022.

Other information
The selected Fellow should make travel arrangements to Dulles International Airport, where Oak Spring will arrange transportation for them to our estate in Upperville, VA. The Fellow will resident in a nicely appointed, self-catering accommodation during their time at Oak Spring. The fellow will have a private bedroom and bathroom, and share a living room and kitchen.

Selection
A jury of established conservation biologists will review the applicants and select the 2022 Oak Spring Garden Foundation Fellow in Plant Conservation Biology.

About OSGF
The Oak Spring Garden Foundation (OSGF) is a philanthropic foundation based at the former primary estate of the late Paul and Rachel Mellon, who were major philanthropists in the U.S. of the arts, humanities, and sciences in the second half of the twentieth century. OSGF is located in the northern Virginia Piedmont and Blue Ridge Mountains region (ca. one-hour drive from Washington, D.C.). Led by Sir Peter Crane, the Foundation’s inaugural President, OSGF provides short courses and supports residencies for artists and scholars. Its celebrated Library comprises rare books, manuscripts and works of art relating to horticulture, landscape design, botany and natural history. It is becoming a new center of stimulation of all things botanical, from fundamental research in plant evolution and conservation, to horticultural and plant conservation practice, to the history and art of plants, gardens and landscapes.

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