Position Description

Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health
K. Lisa Yang Wildlife Health Fellows Program
2025-26 Request for Proposals
Cornell University
Ithaca, New York, U.S.A.

ABOUT THE CORNELL K. LISA YANG CENTER FOR WILDLIFE HEALTH: 

The Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health (CYCWH) strives to sustain a healthier world by developing and implementing proactive, science-based solutions to challenges at the interface of wildlife health, domestic animal health, human health and livelihoods, and the environment that supports us all. With an emphasis on the types of interdisciplinary collaboration often required to foster real progress along the science to policy and action continuum, we work with a diverse range of stakeholders including governments, local communities, nongovernmental organizations, and students in the U.S. and around the world to promote environmental stewardship, build capacity for sustainable change through training and education, and undertake collaborative research and discovery that leads to real-world conservation and related health outcomes. Humanity has brought changes to Earth’s natural systems at a pace and scale that are difficult to overstate – our domination of land and sea has no precedent. If we are to successfully address the challenges of conserving wildlife on an increasingly human dominated planet, with species extinctions now one thousand times faster than before our rise, we must recognize that our own health, and that of the global economy, are inextricably linked to our stewardship of the natural world.

FELLOWSHIP DESCRIPTION: 

We are committed to training the next generation of wildlife conservation and One Health leaders with an emphasis on applying sound science to influence real world policy and practice, from local to global, through the support of postdoctoral fellowships focused on wildlife health and related One Health challenges over the next decade (for DVMs or equivalents, PhDs and/or DVM/PhDs). Each fellowship is for a three-year term. Fellows will be part of a vibrant, collaborative, multidisciplinary, and inclusive community of faculty, staff, and students working towards improving the health and well-being of animals, people, and the environment that supports us all.

Fellows will be selected for their commitment to generating solid science and ‘decision maker-friendly’ policy guidance to catalyze sustainable conservation impact through a health lens, with an emphasis on progress through partnerships. We value diverse approaches to addressing integrated human, animal, and environmental health challenges. Potential topics are not predefined. Example themes could include impacts on wildlife health at a range of scales due to: degradation or loss of terrestrial or marine habitats; degradation or depletion of freshwater resources; pollution; climate or other biophysical change; infectious disease; current food systems and/or other issues at the wildlife/domestic animal interface. Fellows may come from a diversity of disciplinary backgrounds, including but not limited to veterinary medicine, epidemiology, ecology, biology, computer/data science, economics and other social/behavioral sciences, nutritional sciences, etc.

During their fellowship, Fellows will gain experience in generating science-based, action-oriented results to solve real-world problems, as well as in grant-writing, and will be well-prepared for wildlife conservation, One Health, and Planetary Health leadership roles. Fellows will also help us expand our impact in different geographic regions and programmatic areas.

We seek applicants interested in engaging at the nexus of rigorous applied research and real impact in the realms of wildlife health and related One Health endeavors. Fellowship applicants need to propose to work with both:

1) a primary faculty mentor from any unit of Cornell University

and

2) a secondary mentor from any unit of Cornell University, or from an external partner organization (preferably a governmental, non-governmental, or private sector entity). The external organization may be another university or higher education entity if the proponent provides a strong justification for such an arrangement.

Applicants can only submit one proposal for any given funding cycle.

Only full-time faculty are eligible to serve as primary or secondary mentors, and faculty with adjunct, courtesy or visiting appointments are not eligible to serve as mentors. Note that Cornell faculty can only serve as a primary mentor on one proposal, but any eligible faculty member can serve as a secondary mentor on one or more proposals.

A faculty member cannot serve as a proposed primary mentor this cycle if they are serving as a primary mentor for a recipient of a CYCWH postdoctoral fellowship awarded during the past two years (i.e., there can be no overlap of CYCWH fellows for any given primary mentor).

We anticipate awarding 3 to 5 Fellowships from this call.

POSITION DETAILS:

The fellowship is designed as a full-time position based in Ithaca, New York, with fieldwork in most cases, although it may be possible for a fellow to be based elsewhere, depending upon exceptional individual circumstances. The second and third years of the fellowship are contingent upon satisfactory performance each prior year. Salary will be commensurate with experience, within a range established for the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Wildlife Health Fellows Program (starting at $65,000-$85,000). The Fellow will propose a program of work in collaboration with at least two mentors at any given time, as described above. The Director of the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health will provide oversight of the fellowship program.

• $30,000 is provided for research- and travel-related expenses over the course of the position, with the opportunity to apply for additional support via our Catalyzing Conservation Fund internal grants program, other Cornell internal grants programs, or extramural sources. Allowable research expenses are governed by Cornell University policies applicable to all academic staff.
• Successful applicants will be asked to start no later than September 30, 2026.
• Fieldwork/site visits are likely for most postdoctoral fellows.
• Successful applicants requiring visa sponsorship will be provided with guidance on obtaining the appropriate visa to enter and be employed in the United States.

ELIGIBILITY GUIDELINES:

• Applicants must have received their DVM (or equivalent) and/or a PhD in a field relevant to the proposed program of work by the start of the fellowship.
• This is not a sabbatical program for colleagues with existing faculty appointments; those with such appointments are not eligible.
• An applicant can only submit one proposal for this call for proposals. Unsuccessful applicants can apply again for future calls.
• Postdoctoral fellows currently at Cornell are eligible to apply, as long as they have never previously received a CYCWH Postdoctoral Fellowship.
• Postdoctoral fellows based in Ithaca are full-time, non-faculty, benefits-eligible academic staff at Cornell. Policies that govern employment at Cornell University apply. Accordingly, while field research, including non-U.S. field research, is a typical part of most fellows’ research plans, the fellowship is US-based for employment purposes. As noted above, exceptional individual circumstances may allow for consideration of a different arrangement.
• A commitment to environmental conservation and a passion for protecting biodiversity are essential.

APPLICATION DEADLINE:

October 6, 2025, 11:59PM EDT

TARGET START DATE:

As noted, successful applicants will be asked to start no later than September 30, 2026.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: All components of the application must be submitted through Academic Jobs Online https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/30072. Prescribed word counts will be strictly adhered to; exceeding them will lead to a proposal being disqualified.

The following must be uploaded into the application portal as a single pdf file (YourLastName_YangFellowApp.pdf). Use single space, 12-point font, 1” margins. Guidance on the proposal structure and maximum length of each section is offered below.

1. Project Title and Abstract (maximum 350 words) Summarize your proposed project, methods, and anticipated impact clearly and concisely. The title does not count towards the word count; do not list references in the abstract.
2. Introduction (maximum 350 words) Provide a concise summary of your professional background, doctoral research as applicable, relevant field experience, and future career goals, explaining how being a K. Lisa Yang Wildlife Health Fellow will enhance your envisioned wildlife health/One Health career.
3. Description of Proposed Project (maximum 1500 words; references may be additional)
   The proposal must offer a concise statement of objectives, methods, and significance of the proposed work. The core objectives of the proposal should not depend upon securing any additional resources to complete the program of work successfully within the timeframe of the fellowship, although additional grant writing to expand upon core objectives is welcome, including via internal opportunities at Cornell. The proposal should clearly describe the role of both mentors and their home organizations.
4. Impact Statement (maximum 400 words; 2 pages of figures may be added, which could include a Gantt chart) A summary of the potential conservation/environmental impact that explains how the proposed project will change or influence behavior, practice, procedures, or policy at the relevant scale. Note that how well the pathway to impact is described is given significant weighting during the proposal review process.  We recognize that the ultimate conservation impact of a fellowship project may be envisioned beyond the fellowship’s three-year time frame. For work envisioned as progressing critical steps along a pathway to longer-term impact, please simply describe your theory of change (i.e., where your proposed work logically fits into a realistic chain of events you believe will ultimately lead to impact at a given time in the future).
5. Applicant’s Curriculum Vitae (length as appropriate) All accepted and published publications must be included (with DOIs, if applicable). Publications submitted, in review, or in revision may be included but must be noted as such; list peer-reviewed publications separately from non-peer-reviewed publications and conference proceedings.

Letters of Support (three letters submitted online separately by the recommenders, and contact details provided by the applicant for two additional professional references)

As part of your application, you will be asked to provide the name, affiliation, and contact information for each of five references. You will need to identify three who will provide letters of recommendation that are to be uploaded separately by the authors.

Only professional references will be accepted; please do not submit letters from family members of any kind. Because letters of recommendation are due on the same day as the application deadline, we strongly encourage applicants to communicate early with their references. It is the responsibility of the applicant to ensure that all letters of recommendation are submitted by the deadline.

1. Cornell University primary faculty mentor: (2-page limit) This letter should speak to the existing or prospective professional relationship between the faculty mentor and the applicant, the quality and potential impact of the project as proposed, and the ability of the applicant to conduct and complete the proposed project within the time frame of the fellowship.
2. Secondary mentor (Cornell faculty member or employee of the external organization): (2-page limit) The secondary mentor is a collaborating partner from any unit at Cornell or associated with an external organization (a governmental, non-governmental, private sector, or academic entity). The external organization may be another university or higher education entity if the proponent provides a strong justification for such an arrangement. (Note that we strongly recommend that the applicant and prospective primary mentor discuss potential external partners and the parameters of the partnership.) This second letter of recommendation should speak to the existing or prospective collaborative relationship between the Cornell faculty member or external partner and the applicant (and, as applicable, the primary Cornell faculty mentor), as well as to the value and feasibility of the collaboration as described in the project proposal.
3. A third letter of reference (3-page limit), which should – except under exceptional circumstances – be the applicant’s doctoral advisor, postdoctoral advisor, or, for DVM applicants, any significant professional mentor. This reference may hold an academic or non-academic position but must be able to speak with some depth about their working relationship with the applicant and the applicant’s work ethic, interest in applied wildlife health and One Health, and ability to work collaboratively.
4. The name, affiliation, and contact information (email/phone number/address) for two additional professional references whom we may contact.

PROPOSAL EVALUATION:

To determine which applicants will be invited to interview, proposals will be evaluated based on:

1. the applicant's scholarly accomplishments and promise;
2. the project's originality;
3. the project's intellectual merit;
4. the project’s potential conservation/environmental impact (this score will be given additional weighting);
5. whether the project is deemed methodologically sound, rigorous, and feasible given the resources described as available;
6. the alignment of shared applied research interests between the applicant and the two mentors towards the potential for productive collaboration and meaningful mentoring; and

7. the alignment between the applied research interests of the applicant and the capacity of the mentors to support "real-world" progress along the science to policy and action continuum.          

Questions can be directed to Dr. Steve Osofsky (s.osofsky@cornell.edu). Applications must be received by October 6^th, 2025, 11:59PM EDT. Applications will be reviewed by faculty serving on the Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health Program Committee; any Program Committee member listed as a mentor on a proposal will not review that proposal.

Our goal is to make fellowship offers in February 2026.

Applicants are also encouraged to explore Cornell’s Office of Postdoctoral Studies for a range of resources.