If the applicant is awarded a Fellowship, how long does he/she have to accept? to begin the appointment?
As with all research staff positions here at ORNL, the acceptance and reporting dates are negotiable based on availability and need.

How competitive is the Fellowship? For example, how many applicants do you typically have? How many Fellowships are awarded?
We currently have ten Fellow positions. Each time a current Fellow completes his/her two-year tenure (and either continues here as a staff member or decides to continue his/her career elsewhere), we begin the search for a new Fellow. We receive over 100 applications every year for the Fellowship. By the end of the selection process, we usually make the final choice from among four to seven highly qualified applicants.

How are research appointments made for Fellows? Can Fellows identify the lab they would like to work in?
As Secretary to the Selection Committee, it is my responsibility to identify an appropriate "sponsor" organization for each of the candidates prior to final selection. Oak Ridge National Lab is made up of six major research areas:

http://www.ornl.gov/ornlhome/science_technology.shtml

In these research areas will be one or more organizations doing work directly related to each candidate's area of interest and expertise? (If not, then the candidate cannot be further considered.) Sometimes the "sponsor" connection is easily made because an organization has identified potential candidates to me or because the candidate is already familiar with particular areas of research (and researchers) at ORNL.

What benefits are available to Fellows?
As staff members, Fellows are entitled to full fringe benefits, including relocation benefits.

What are typical salaries for Fellows?
To meet the mission of the Wigner Fellowship Program, which is to attract and retain outstanding new research staff to ORNL, we add a "premium" over and above our normal starting salaries for research staff positions. These salaries vary by discipline, market factors, and the experience level of the selected Fellow.