Academic Appointment Differences

	Research Associate (SD-205)	Fellow (SD-701)	Intern (SD-709)
Purpose	Formal scholarly affiliation with the Smithsonian	Independent study or research with a Smithsonian advisor	Learning experience guided by a Smithsonian mentor
Term of Appointment	3 years; but can be renewed	Short term to 3 years; but can be extended to 5 years	Single appointments up to 6 months; reappointment possible with documentation of learning and mentorship
Eligible for Stipend?	No	Research Fellows Yes, Visiting Professional and Mobile Fellows No	In Residence Interns Yes, Virtual Interns No
Stipend Cap	n/a	Graduate/pre-docs: $30K/year Post-docs: $45K/year*	Full-time: $600/week
Allowance Eligibility	n/a	Health, Travel, Research	Travel
Appointment Paperwork	Research Associate Appointment Form, Staff Nomination Memo, Unit Director Appointment Letter, CV	Academic Appointment Form (w/CV, Research Proposal, Photo Release, and EEO Policy Acknowledgement) or SOLAA	Academic Appointment Form (w/Mentorship Objectives, Learning Objectives, Copyright Release, Photo Release, and EEO Policy Acknowledgement) or SOLAA

Minimum age for all appointment types is 14 (appointees under age 18 must provide parental consent form)

All appointments may be made competitively or non-competitively

Appointees may be of any nationality

Stipends are not awarded for salary or compensation, but are meant to defray living costs in support of learning, study, and research during the tenure of appointment

* Fellows performing study/research in art/object conservation, mineral sciences, or earth studies are eligible for +$5K over the cap

(Rev. 2/20/2013)