Harvard University - The Rowland Institute Fellowship 2026

🏫 About the Fellowship

The Rowland Institute at Harvard seeks outstanding early-career experimentalists in all fields of science and engineering. This fellowship provides an opportunity to establish an independent program in the rich intellectual environment of Cambridge, Massachusetts.

🎁 Benefits of the Fellowship

Fellows of the Rowland Institute Fellowship will receive the following benefits:

• Full Principal Investigator Rights: Fellows will establish their labs in an interdisciplinary and interactive environment.
• Dedicated Laboratory Space: Includes ancillary spaces as needed (e.g., tissue culture).
• Generous Start-Up Funding: Capital equipment funding based on the Fellow’s research program.
• Yearly Budget: Starting at $225,000 for general operations (lab supplies, travel, etc.) and hiring personnel (postdoctoral fellows, postbacs, undergraduates).
• Salary: Starting at $89,999 per year with full Harvard benefits.
• Teaching Opportunities: Fellows may teach undergraduates during their fellowship to recruit talented students and gain teaching experience.
• Access to Staff Scientists and Engineers: Assistance in designing and fabricating new experimental setups.
• Shared Research Equipment: Available at facilities within the Institute and throughout Harvard University (e.g., the Center for Nanoscale Systems, Bauer Life Science Core Facility).
• Mentorship and Career Development: Includes leadership training, scientific writing support, budgeting assistance, and access to Harvard’s Core for Mentorship Excellence.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for the 2027 cycle, applicants must meet the following requirements:

• PhD Completion: Applicants should either be in the process of completing their PhDs or have received their PhD after May 1, 2025. Fellows must complete their doctoral degree before starting the fellowship.
• Experimentally Focused Research: Proposed research must be experimental in any field of science or engineering (e.g., physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, neuroscience).
• Broad Range of Fields: The fellowship accepts applications from diverse fields. However, it does not support human subjects research or clinical research.
• Open to All Institutions: Candidates from any accredited academic institution, whether in the United States or internationally, are eligible.
• Citizenship: Both US citizens and non-citizens are eligible. Visa assistance is available if needed.

For eligibility questions, email rf@g.harvard.edu.

📋 Application Process

Applicants should prepare and upload the following materials:

1. Elevator Pitch: A 250-word summary describing your research goals to a general audience.
2. Statement of Research: A three-page document (including references) describing your research proposal and, if relevant, a summary of recent work supporting the planned experiments.
3. Curriculum Vitae (CV).
4. Vision Statement: A one-page document describing how your personal values and academic experiences inform your plan for a productive and supportive lab culture.
5. References: Contact information for three or four references. Automated emails will be sent to request letters of recommendation directly from your references.

📅 Application Deadline

The application deadline is 01 August, 2026.

🔗 Additional Information

For more details about the fellowship, visit the official Harvard University - The Rowland Institute Fellowship page.

For further inquiries, contact rf@g.harvard.edu.

• Full principal investigator rights and the establishment of labs in an interdisciplinary environment.
• Dedicated laboratory space with generous start-up funding; yearly budget starting at $225,000 for operations.
• Salary beginning at $89,999 per year with full Harvard benefits.
• Opportunity for teaching undergraduates and receiving mentoring for lab culture development and career advancement.
• Access to shared research equipment and staff to assist with experimental designs.