Applications are now open for the 2026 Fully Funded Rowland Fellowship Program at Harvard ($89,999 per year salary)

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Closing Date: 15 August 2025

Applications are now open for the 2026 Fully Funded Rowland Fellowship Program at Harvard ($89,999 per year salary)

Overview

The Rowland Institute at Harvard seeks outstanding early-career experimentalists in all fields of science and engineering. The Rowland Fellowship Program provides an opportunity to establish an independent program in the rich intellectual environment of Cambridge, Massachusetts. To qualify, applicants should currently be in the process of either completing their PhDs and/or have received their PhD after May 1, 2024. Fellows must have completed their doctoral degree prior to starting their Fellowship term.

The benefits of a Rowland Fellowship Program include:

Fellows will have full principal investigator rights and will establish their labs in an interdisciplinary and interactive environment, in the rich intellectual environment of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Fellows will be provided with dedicated laboratory space, and ancillary spaces as needed (e.g. cell culture, magnet rooms etc); generous start-up funding for capital equipment, depending on the Fellow’s research program; a yearly budget starting at $225,000 for general operations (lab supplies, travel, etc.) and the hiring of personnel (postdoctoral fellows, postbacs, undergraduates); and, a salary that begins at $89,999 per year with full Harvard benefits.
Fellows will have the opportunity to teach undergraduates for at least one semester during their Fellowship, to enable contact with students (ideally in an active research setting, rather than in a classroom), both to help Fellows recruit talented students to their labs and to provide teaching experience that will help them in any career they choose.
Staff scientists and engineers are available to work directly with Rowland Fellows to design and fabricate new experimental set-ups. Shared research equipment is available at facilities within the Institute and also throughout Harvard University (e.g. the Center for Nanoscale Systems, and the Bauer Life Science Core Facility).
Fellows will receive mentoring to develop a productive lab culture, support for scientific writing and budgeting, alongside ongoing support for career development throughout the Fellowship period, including leadership training and access to Harvard’s Core for Mentorship Excellence.

The Fellowship lasts up to five years, with a flexible start date; incoming 2026 Rowland Fellows will have start dates September-December 2026.

How to Apply

Only applications submitted through the Harvard website will be considered for the position. To apply the candidates must use the link below to submit their application:

Eligibility

To qualify for the 2026 cycle, applicants should currently be in the process of either completing their PhDs and/or have received their PhD after May 1, 2024. Fellows must have completed their doctoral degree prior to starting their Fellowship term.
Your proposed research must be experimentally focused in any field of science or engineering – including physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, neuroscience, etc.
The program accepts applications from such a broad range of fields that the research conducted by current and past Fellows can be used as a guide, but should not be considered restrictive! Fellows are chosen based on the best proposed science at the time of submission. That said, Harvard cannot support human subjects research or clinical research of any type, as its fellowship is designed to enable Fellows from multiple disciplines to share overlapping laboratory spaces.
Harvard encourage applicants from the broader scientific community; candidates can apply from any accredited academic institution whether in the United States or internationally.
US Citizens and non-citizens are eligible for appointment as Rowland Fellows. The staff at the Rowland Institute and Harvard University can assist you in the visa process if needed.
Please email [email protected] if you have questions regarding eligibility or the application.