ACS-Moore Postdoctoral Bridge Award in Quantum Materials 2026–2027: Up to $100,000 for U.S.-Based Postdocs, Nomination Deadline 14 August 2026

Captured cycle: This page is retained for historical guidance. Confirm whether the program has reopened before planning an application.

ACS-Moore Postdoctoral Bridge Award in Quantum Materials 2026–2027: Up to $100,000 for U.S.-Based Postdocs, Nomination Deadline 14 August 2026

The ACS-Moore Postdoctoral Bridge Award in Quantum Materials is designed for an unusually specific career problem: a strong postdoctoral researcher has valuable quantum-materials work in progress, but a funding loss, appointment disruption, or gap between positions threatens the continuity of that work. The award provides a one-year financial bridge while also giving recipients structured professional development and access to a cohort of researchers working across physics, chemistry, and materials science.

The program is a partnership between the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation through the Moore Foundation’s Emergent Phenomena in Quantum Systems (EPiQS) Initiative. The official ACS page says approximately 30 postdoctoral researchers will be selected. Each award is worth up to $100,000, divided into a $95,000 stipend and $5,000 for travel and research-related expenses, with the funds expected to be used over 12 months.

This is not an open individual application. The inaugural cycle is invitation-based at the institutional level. ACS directly contacted selected institutions with an active quantum-materials research presence and requires a senior institutional official, such as a provost or vice president for research, to submit the nomination package. A postdoctoral researcher cannot send a self-nomination. If you may fit, the immediate task is to contact your research advisor, department chair, and research-office leadership before the 14 August 2026 institutional deadline and determine whether your university received an invitation.

The ACS page uses both 2026 and 2027 labels in its cycle information: it describes approximately 30 researchers being funded in 2026, while its deadlines section calls the nomination window the inaugural 2027 cycle. Applicants should follow the live institutional invitation and ACS instructions for the cohort label. The deadline and award terms below are the currently published details.

Key details

The amount is substantial, but it should not be interpreted as an unrestricted personal prize. The official terms describe a $95,000 stipend and $5,000 for travel and research-related costs such as conferences, materials, and computers or software. The funds are expected to be expended within a 12-month period, although ACS says extensions of the award term will be considered.

What the award supports

The central benefit is continuity. A postdoc who loses support because a principal investigator’s grant ends, an appointment is unexpectedly disrupted, or a bridge to the next career step is missing can use the award to preserve research momentum. That makes the program different from a conventional early-career fellowship that primarily rewards a future project. The candidate still needs excellent science and a persuasive path toward independence, but the application also has to make the current financial or career vulnerability understandable.

The award is intended to help researchers move toward academic leadership. ACS describes the program as support for outstanding postdocs who face challenges in their current appointment or in securing their next opportunity. The strongest case will therefore connect three facts: what the researcher has already accomplished, what work would be lost or delayed without bridge funding, and how the additional year changes the trajectory toward an independent research role.

Awardees also receive non-cash support. ACS plans career-planning, grant-writing, and faculty-appointment preparation workshops; quarterly virtual research symposia with lightning talks; and in-person networking events for the quantum postdoctoral cohort. Recipients receive an ACS Premium Membership package with digital access to Chemical & Engineering News, personal career consulting, and ACS webinars. Participation and career progress will be tracked during the program, so a nominee should be comfortable treating professional development as part of the award rather than as an optional extra.

Who can be nominated

The award is open to postdoctoral researchers of any citizenship or national origin, but the place-based requirement is important. The nominee must be based at a U.S. institution of higher education and residing in the United States during the nomination and award period. This is not a route for a researcher who is abroad and plans to relocate to the United States only if selected.

The researcher must be facing a financial challenge connected to the current postdoctoral appointment or the next career opportunity. ACS gives examples including the loss or termination of a fellowship or appointment, loss of an advisor’s funding that affects postdoctoral support, and a lack of bridge funding between appointments or career transitions. The problem should be real and specific. A general desire for more research money is not the same as an appointment or transition gap.

The science must fall within the quantum-materials systems of interest to EPiQS. The listed areas include strongly correlated systems such as unconventional superconductors, Mott insulators, multiferroics, and correlated oxide heterostructures; frustrated magnets and other solids with unusual magnetic properties; topological materials; two-dimensional crystals and layered systems such as graphene and transition-metal dichalcogenides; other low-dimensional systems including quantum wells and wires; hybrid quantum materials; and organic-based materials with emergent electronic properties. The work may involve synthesis, experimental characterization, theory, or computation.

Cold-atom assemblies and photonic systems that emulate real-material properties are outside the scope of this call. A project can be interdisciplinary, but it still needs a genuine quantum-materials center of gravity. If the science is mostly quantum information, photonics, or device engineering without an EPiQS-relevant material system, ask ACS or the institutional research office about fit before investing in the nomination.

How the nomination process works

The institution controls the submission. ACS says invitations and nomination guidelines were sent to senior institutional officials, including provosts and vice presidents for research. All nominees from one institution must be submitted together in one complete, ranked package. The official who submits the package must also describe the institution’s internal process for identifying nominees, including how candidates were solicited, what selection criteria were used, how ranking was decided, and how conflicts of interest were managed.

That means a postdoc’s first conversation should be internal, not an attempt to find a public individual application form. Contact the research advisor and department chair, then ask the sponsored-research or research-development office whether the institution was invited and what its internal cutoff is. Universities may need time to rank multiple candidates, obtain letters, and route the final package through the authorized official even though ACS’s external deadline is 14 August.

The institution’s role also affects how to frame the opportunity. A nominee is not only asking for personal support; the university is certifying that it ran a fair process and is endorsing the person’s potential. A clear internal case should explain why the nominee is excellent, why the bridge is timely, and why the institution’s research environment can help the work continue.

Required nomination materials

ACS lists five core components for each nominee. Prepare them as a coordinated package rather than as unrelated documents:

• A current curriculum vitae.
• A research statement describing key findings and future research directions.
• A letter from the research advisor.
• A letter from the department chair, close collaborator, or Ph.D. advisor.
• An institutional endorsement letter from the provost, vice president for research, or equivalent senior leader.

The research statement is limited to three pages, using 11-point Arial or Calibri, single spacing, and one-inch margins. Figures and schemes are allowed and do not count toward the page limit; references may run on additional pages. The statement should not be treated as a compressed dissertation chapter. It needs to let a review panel spanning physics, chemistry, and materials science understand the result, the next scientific question, and the nominee’s path toward independent leadership.

The two researcher-support letters should do different work. The advisor can explain the nominee’s contributions, the technical depth of the research, and the funding or appointment disruption. The chair, collaborator, or doctoral advisor can provide a broader view of scientific judgment, collaboration, mentoring, service, and future independence. Ask letter writers to use concrete examples rather than repeating adjectives from the CV.

The institutional letter must endorse the nominee and explain the internal process. It should address how broadly the opportunity was shared, how many candidates were reviewed, what criteria were applied, how nominees were ranked, and how conflicts were handled. An institution should not leave this letter until the final day because it is an assurance about process as well as a recommendation.

Building a strong research statement

Begin with the scientific problem and the result already achieved. A panel needs to see why the work matters before it can evaluate the next stage. State the material system, the key finding, and the unresolved question in plain language. Then explain what the bridge year makes possible: a decisive experiment, a synthesis campaign, a theoretical interpretation, a dataset, or a transition to a new independent direction.

Make the connection between past work and future leadership explicit. The award is not simply for keeping a postdoc busy while a grant is repaired. Show how the nominee is developing an identifiable research program that can support a faculty search, a new appointment, or another form of scientific independence. A credible future direction can build from the current system while introducing a distinct question, method, or collaboration.

Write for an interdisciplinary panel. Define specialized acronyms, explain why the result changes understanding, and describe what evidence will distinguish a successful next step from a merely interesting possibility. Technical sophistication is valuable, but unexplained specialist language can hide the importance of the work from reviewers outside the immediate subfield.

Treat the financial challenge with dignity and precision. Name the relevant disruption, its timing, and the consequence for the research appointment or transition. Avoid unsupported claims of imminent catastrophe, but do not bury the reason the bridge is needed in a final sentence. The ideal statement shows that the award addresses a defined gap and that the nominee has a plan for using the year productively.

Timeline and deadline

The ACS page says the nomination deadline for the inaugural cycle is Friday, 14 August 2026. It lists expert review in August and September and funding decisions in October 2026. Because the program is institution-led, an internal university deadline may be earlier. The institution must also assemble a single ranked package if it is nominating more than one postdoc.

On the official page, the program description says approximately 30 postdocs will be funded in 2026, while the deadlines section refers to an inaugural 2027 cycle and the FAQ later calls it an inaugural 2026 cycle. This is a published labeling inconsistency, not a reason to ignore the opportunity. Use the August 14 deadline, award amount, eligibility rules, and live nomination instructions as the operational facts, and ask ACS or the nominating institution which cohort year will appear in the final award documentation.

Common mistakes to avoid

The most serious mistake is trying to apply directly. There is no self-nomination route. A postdoc who uploads materials without an institutional senior official’s package will not satisfy the program’s process. Confirm the invitation and internal route first.

Another mistake is assuming that any quantum-related project qualifies. ACS provides a defined list of material systems and excludes cold-atom assemblies and photonic emulators. Explain the material system and why the proposed work fits EPiQS’s interests.

Do not submit a generic fellowship statement. This award asks about financial vulnerability, research continuity, professional development, and future academic leadership. A CV full of strong papers cannot by itself explain why bridge support is timely or how the candidate will use the next year.

Do not ask letters to repeat the same story. Coordinate the package so the advisor covers the research and disruption, the second writer covers broader potential, and the institutional official covers fair selection and endorsement. Finally, do not exceed the three-page research-statement format or omit the institutional process details; technical excellence does not cure an incomplete nomination package.

After selection and use of funds

Awardees should expect to use the funds across a 12-month period. The $95,000 stipend is the main personal-support component, while the $5,000 allocation can cover travel and research-related items such as conferences, materials, and computers or software. ACS says extensions of the award term will be considered, but an extension is not automatic; recipients should follow the award agreement and contact ACS before changing the planned period.

Recipients will participate in professional-development and networking activities, including workshops, symposia, and cohort events. They will also provide brief interim and final reports documenting research continuity, participation in professional development, and career milestones. Keep a simple record of research progress, applications or transition steps, presentations, and workshop participation so reporting does not become a scramble at the end.

Frequently asked questions

Can a postdoctoral researcher apply without a university nomination?

No. The inaugural program is nomination-based. A senior institutional official must submit the package, and postdocs cannot apply on their own behalf.

Does the award require U.S. citizenship?

No. Nominees of any citizenship or national origin may be eligible, provided they are based at a U.S. institution of higher education and residing in the United States during the relevant period.

How much is the award?

Each award provides up to $100,000 for one year: a $95,000 stipend and $5,000 for travel and research-related expenses. ACS expects the money to be used within 12 months, subject to possible approved extensions.

What counts as a financial challenge?

ACS gives examples such as a lost or terminated fellowship or appointment, loss of an advisor’s funding that affects postdoctoral support, or a gap between appointments or career transitions. Describe the actual situation and its effect on research continuity.

What research areas are eligible?

Eligible work includes quantum-materials synthesis, experimental characterization, theory, and computation involving systems such as strongly correlated materials, topological materials, two-dimensional and layered systems, frustrated magnets, low-dimensional systems, hybrid quantum materials, and relevant organic-based materials. Cold-atom assemblies and photonic systems that emulate real materials are outside the call’s scope.

What is the research-statement limit?

The statement is limited to three pages in 11-point Arial or Calibri, single-spaced with one-inch margins. Figures and schemes are allowed, and references may be on additional pages.

When are decisions expected?

ACS lists expert review during August and September 2026 and funding decisions in October 2026. The page’s cycle-year labels are inconsistent, so confirm the final cohort label with ACS or the nominating institution.

Official links and next steps

Start with the official ACS-Moore Postdoctoral Bridge Award page. If you are a potentially eligible postdoc, contact your advisor, department chair, and institutional research office immediately. Ask whether your institution received an invitation, what internal ranking process applies, and when the university needs your CV, research statement, and draft letters.

Keep the research statement focused on one material system and a coherent future direction. Document the financial or appointment challenge, explain the bridge-year deliverable, and make the case accessible to reviewers outside your narrow specialty. Ask ACS questions about unusual quantum-materials systems or institutional eligibility at [email protected]. Because the deadline is 14 August 2026 and the application route is institutional, the practical next step is not waiting for a public portal: it is getting the authorized university official to confirm the nomination path and complete package.