Consortium Opportunities

The Taylor Geospatial Institute strives to lead the nation in geospatial science and accelerate St. Louis’ development as the global center of excellence in geospatial science by creating a world-class interdisciplinary collaborative, fostering talent, and promoting economic development. To do this, the TGI will stimulate collaborative research, create robust and attractive postdoctoral scholars and visiting scientist programs, and provide a cutting-edge geospatial computing infrastructure to catalyze partnership.

Seed Grants

The Taylor Geospatial Institute regularly announces rounds of competitive seed grants for researchers at TGI member institutions. The goal of GISCoR (Geospatial Institute Seed Grant Program to stimulate Collaborative Research) is to encourage collaborative research projects in core geospatial science and applied domains and to help researchers develop exploratory ideas that will lead to large collaborative research grants from external funding agencies. Successful proposals will involve collaboration between two or more TGI institutions and can also involve collaboration between TGI institutions and external partners. Information on the next round funding will be released in fall 2023. 

Postdoctoral Program

With nationally competitive salaries, research funding, and other benefits, the TGI aims to attract up to a dozen postdoc fellows per year to St. Louis region. We will provide abundant career pathways to these postdoc fellows that allow them to be employed by universities or industry in the St. Louis region upon completion of their postdoc residence. The postdoc scholars will have the opportunity to switch their campuses for residence among the partner institutions and interact with the large network of TGI scientists. 

TGI Fellows Program

We’re dedicated to recruiting and retaining high caliber researchers to be the cornerstone of each partner institution’s geospatial research portfolio. To reach this goal, we established the Taylor Geospatial Institute Fellows Program – a major commitment to advancing cutting-edge research, innovation, and collaboration.

TGI Fellows are appointed through a formal nomination and recruitment process. They take the lead in advancing the strategic research goals of the Taylor Geospatial Institute. The title is the highest honor bestowed by the Institute. 

Taylor Diversity Fellowship

The Taylor Diversity Fellowship program is an initiative to support students from underrepresented groups in the geospatial sciences and to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the geospatial field. Each year, the fellowship will support undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a degree in geospatial sciences or closely related fields at any of the eight TGI partner institutions.

Applications are currently closed and fellowship awardees will be announced soon. 

Planet Fellowship

The Planet Fellowship is made possible through a collaboration between Planet Labs and the Taylor Geospatial Institute. The fellowship supports PhD students at TGI partner institutions who focus on core geospatial science and its applied domains and whose dissertation research utilizes Planet datasets. The goal of this fellowship program is to support the research of PhD students at TGI partner institutions and to promote the use of Planet datasets to address societal challenges and develop the next generation of scientific leaders.

Applications are currently closed and fellowship awardees have been announced. TGI expects to reopen this funding opportunity to new applicants in fall 2023. Students from underrepresented groups and women in geospatial sciences are encouraged to apply for this fellowship. 

TGI Horizons Program for Geospatial Student Groups

Through the TGI Horizons program, geospatial student groups at TGI partner institutions can apply for funding of up to $5,000 to support group activities for a one-year period. The goal of the program is to help develop the next generation of scientific leaders in geospatial science across the consortium. Student groups focused on geospatial science can play an important role in helping students to advance their academic and professional goals, while also spreading awareness and interest in geospatial science among the TGI partner institutions.

Research Scientist Program

The Taylor Geospatial Institute will hire up to ten Research Scientists annually. Research Scientists will support local faculty in their research projects in core geospatial science and applied domains. They will also develop externally funded research proposals in collaboration with TGI faculty and will promote geospatial research collaborations in the St. Louis region. Ideal candidates will have a Ph.D. in geospatial science or a related field relevant to one of our areas of research impact, including food systems, geospatial health, and national security.

The application process is currently open. Applicants should submit their application through Careers at Saint Louis University. 

Visiting Scholar Program

The Visiting Scholar Program helps ensure that the Taylor Geospatial Institute is the nation’s leading destination for geospatial research. We will regularly host geospatial researchers from academia, industry, and government for visits of a few days to several months. Visiting Scholars will collaborate with faculty, postdocs, and graduate students, expanding opportunities for research and making St. Louis an essential destination for geospatial researchers.

TGI Working Groups

The Taylor Geospatial Institute is establishing a formal framework for faculty and researchers at partner institutions to establish “TGI Working Groups.” A TGI Working Group should consist of a group of researchers from two or more TGI partner institutions, who meet on a regular basis to pursue common goals related to TGI’s mission of advancing collaborative geospatial research. These working groups are a grass roots tool to engage a wider group of faculty around a focused interest area. The TGI can provide some resources to establish and sustain the working groups.