To be eligible, a candidate must hold a Ph.D. or equivalent degree and must be a member of the faculty of a college, university, or other degree-granting institution in the United States or Canada. The candidate must have teaching responsibilities and must be tenure-track but untenured as of September 15 of the nomination year. Only candidates with letters of nomination from department heads or other senior researchers are considered. The foundation has been supportive of scientists who are parents by allowing them extra time after their doctorate during which they remain eligible for the award. An independent committee of distinguished scientists in each field selects the fellows based upon their research accomplishments, creativity, and potential to become leaders in their chosen field. Since the inaugural class of 1955, 6,144 fellowships have been awarded, with faculty from the top ten universities representing over 35% of all fellows.
MIT counts the most fellows at 309, followed by
Berkeley at 291,
Harvard at 242,
Stanford at 237, and
Princeton at 236. == Notable award recipients ==