Funding 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 Institute will provide seed funding to stimulate collaborative research, create robust and attractive postdoctoral scholars and visiting scientist programs, as well as provide a cutting-edge geospatial computing infrastructure to catalyze partnership.

Seed Grants

The Taylor Geospatial Institute is excited to announce the next round 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. Proposals will ideally involve collaboration between two or more TGI institutions and can also involve collaboration between TGI institutions and external partners. For more information please see the GISCoR Notice of Opportunity. The deadline for submitting a Letter of Intent has been extended to October 9, 2022.

This new round of seed grant funding builds on the foundation established in April 2022, when the TGI provided $1.5M in seed grants to the eight partner institutions of the consortium. The recipients of the seed grants gained access to state-of-the-art data collection and analytics resources in addition to research funding. The Institute will continue to award competitive seed grants to partner institutions on an annual basis.

Postdoctoral Program

With nationally competitive salary, research funding, and other benefits, the Institute 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 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 Institute scientists.

Please read this Postdoc Program Notice of Opportunity to learn more about the postdoctoral program and learn how to apply.

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 institutions. In addition to an annual stipend and healthcare, recipients of the fellowship will receive a full tuition scholarship provided by their respective institutions.

Please read the Taylor Diversity Fellowship Notice of Opportunity to learn more about the program and the application process.

Planet Fellowship

The Taylor Geospatial Institute is pleased to announce the Planet Fellowship in collaboration with Planet Labs. The Planet Fellowship is designed to support graduate students in core geospatial science and applied domains whose dissertation research projects utilize Planet datasets. The purpose of the Planet Fellowship program is to help improve the dissertation research work of graduate students at TGI institutions and to promote the use of Planet datasets to address grand societal challenges and develop the next generation of scientific leaders.

Please read the Planet Fellowship Notice of Opportunity to learn more about the program and the application process. Applications can be submitted via the Openwater portal and are accepted until October 1, 2022. Underrepresented groups and women in geospatial sciences are encouraged to apply for this fellowship.

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 Scientist Program

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

Opportunities to apply for the visiting scientist program will be made available in the future. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter to find out when.