Fellowships

This extensive list of fellowships, internships, and jobs was compiled in 2006, and as a result we may be missing some newer opportunities. Also, while we have tried to keep all of the links and application deadlines up-to-date, some details (like stipend amounts) may not be accurate. If you have corrections or additions, please let us know.

Resources for Applicants

Jeevak Parpia's July 2011 Guide to NSF Fellowship Applications

Fellowships for Seniors and Graduate Students

IBM Ph.D. Fellowship Awards

It is renewable for up to three years and supports non-US citizens as well as US citizens. Research must involve substantial computational effort. A mentor from IBM is necessary and a summer project there is recommended. Applications due 2 November 2010. Cornell recipients include Leah Shaw.
Hertz Foundation Fellowship

Graduate research fellowship awarded to graduating seniors and new graduate students. Applications due 29 October 2010.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Three-year graduate research fellowship awarded to graduating seniors and new graduate students. Physics applications due 18 November 2010. Cornell recipients include Peter Onyisi, Jason Slinker, and many more.
National Physical Science Consortium

Graduate research fellowship awarded to graduating seniors and first-year graduate students. Duration varies by sponsor, must intern at sponsor institution for two summers. Dissertation Support Fellowships available for older grad students. Applications due 30 November.
National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Three-year graduate research fellowship awarded to graduating seniors and new graduate students. Applications due 17 December 2010. Cornell recipients include Dan Bernards, Robin Smith, and Dana Weinstein.
Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship

Four year graduate fellowship for scientists, mathematicians, and engineers conducting research with a large computational aspect. Requires extra course work and at least one three month stint at a DOE national lab. Awarded to graduating seniors/first or second year graduate students (very rarely anyone later in their degree). Must be US citizen or permanent resident. Applications due 11 January 2011. Current Cornell recipients: Josh Waterfall, Jordan Atlas, Brian Levine, Michael Veilleux, Stefan Wild.
AT&T Labs Fellowship Program

Three-year fellowships are available to outstanding under-represented minority and women students who are U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents and who are pursuing PhD studies in computer and communications-related fields. Application due 31 January 2011. Cornell recipients include Robin Smith and Luat Vuong.
DoE Office of Science Graduate Fellowship Program

Three-year fellowship for seniors and first- and second-year graduate students in physical science, math, biology, and engineering. [FY 2011 application period pending final FY 2011 federal appropriations decisions.]
Science, Mathematics & Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship

The SMART program aims to increase the number of scientists and engineers working at Department of Defense labs by supporting undergraduate and graduate students in STEM disciplines. Application due 1 December 2010.
Stewardship Science Graduate Fellowship

Funded by the DoE’s National Nuclear Security Administration and open to seniors and first- and second-year graduate students studying high energy density physics, nuclear science, properties of materials under extreme conditions, and hydrodynamics. Support for up to four years, but must be renewed each year. Application due 12 January 2011.
Cornell NanoBiotechnology Center (NBTC) Graduate and Postdoctoral Fellowships

Up to three awards given annually, provides full funding fore one 9 month period, usually not renewable. Awards given for research in: biomolecular devices, cellular microdynamics, cell surface interactions, nanoscale cell biology, and nanoscale materials. Although occasionally given as incentive for incoming graduate students, these fellowships are more often awarded internally at the recommendation of a department or professor. For more information, contact Randy Hess. Cornell recipients include: Samantha Roberts.
Cornell Center for Nanoscale Systems (CNS) Graduate and Postdoctoral Fellowships

Full or partial fellowships, often renewable, given as incentives for new grads or awarded internally to Cornell grads/postdocs who will make extensive use of the Cornell Nanofabrication Facilities. Contact information.
Cornell Center for Materials Research (CCMR)

CCMR may offer similar fellowships to NBTC and CNS. Contact information.
Integrative Graduate Education And Research Traineeship (IGERT)

The Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program seeks to train Ph.D. scientists and engineers with the interdisciplinary background and the technical, professional and personal skills needed to address the global questions of the future. Through the use of innovative curricula and internships, and by focusing on problem-centered training, these programs give their graduates the edge needed to become leaders in their chosen fields. To learn more about IGERT Ph.D. programs located at universities across the country, and to find a program that’s right for you, visit their web page. There are over 100 programs nationwide. Participants receive a $30,000 stipend, plus tuition and fees. Women and minorities are encouraged to apply. IGERT is a program of the National Science Foundation. Graduating seniors and new graduate students welcome to apply. IGERT recipients include Cornell physics grads Gordon Berman, Bryan Daniels, Leif Ristroph, and Jennifer Rieser.
Cornell University Graduate School Fellowships Database

Fellowships and Internships for Continuing Undergraduates

Rieser Fellowship in Science, Technology, and Global Security

The fellowship will annually provide one-time awards of $2,500-$5,000 to between three and five undergraduate students seeking to explore the connections between science, technology, global security, and public policy (science students are especially encouraged to apply). It will be presented to students whose academic interests, extracurricular activities, and career aspirations demonstrate a significant interest in the role of scientists in formulating public policy and in addressing global security policy challenges. [Fellowships were not awarded in 2009, but should have resumed in 2010.]
Department of Homeland Security Undergraduate Scholarship

Stipend of $1,000/month for 9 months during the academic year. Full tuition paid for two years. A 10-week, continuous, off-campus research internship paying $5000 at a DHS-designated facility will be required during the summer between your first and second year appointments.
Goldwater Scholarship

Established by Congress in 1986 to foster and encourage excellence in science and mathematics, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation operates an educational scholarship program designed to provide opportunities for American undergraduate students with excellent academic records and outstanding potential. Goldwater Scholarships support study in the fields of mathematics, engineering and the natural sciences as preparation for careers in these areas. The Foundation will award up to 300 Goldwater Scholarships to students who will be college Juniors or Seniors during the 2007-2008 academic year. Awards are made on the basis of merit. Cornell is invited to nominate several Sophomores or Juniors to the national competition. Each award covers eligible expenses, including tuition, fees, books, and room and board, up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. Goldwater Scholars are eligible for one or two years of support.

For more undergraduate fellowships, see the Cornell Career Services fellowships website.

Fellowships for Graduating Seniors (not for Ph.D. programs)

Churchill Scholarships from the Winston Churchill Foundation

For students with a bachelor’s degree who have not yet attained a doctorate. Covers tuition and fees for one year of graduate studies at Cambridge University, as well as a living allowance and travel allowance.

Other fellowships include Watson, Marshall, Rhodes, Mitchell, Churchill, Gates Cambridge, Fulbright, and Jack Kent Cooke. These applications are generally due between early September and October. Cornell gives information sessions about them usually in the spring. Applications are usually submitted through Cornell. See the Cornell Career Services fellowships website.

Fellowships for Grads Looking for Postdoc Positions and Internships

Fellowships for Foreign Students

Canada Graduate Scholarships

Must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Due 15 October; earlier if applying through a Canadian University.
Canadian NSERC Postgraduate Scholarships

Must be a Canadian citizen or permanent resident. Due 15 October, earlier for internal deadlines if applying through a Canadian University.
Australia to US Fellowships

Fellowships awarded by the American Australian Association. Due 15 April each year.

Fellowships, Internships, etc. for Undergrads, Grads, and Postdocs

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
DOE Fusion Energy Sciences Postdoctoral Research Program

Application deadline: 1 March 2011
Fulbright Scholarship Program

Can be used for physics research/study abroad. Available for foreign nationals to study in USA, and for Americans to study in many other countries. Applications generally sent through current academic institution in mid September. Cornell grad recipients: Joern Kupferschmidt, Ann-Sophie Rittner, Robin Smith.
National Security Agency (NSA)

Undergrads in particular should consider the DSP and MSEP programs if they have an inclination towards mathematics and/or computer science. Cornell recipients include (no, we won’t reveal their identities, but we’ve been told that the internships are among the best in the country).
Sandia National Labs
NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program

12-month award for graduate students in STEM fields related to NASA R&D. Encourages research at a NASA center, extending the fellowship.
NRAO Summer Student Research Assistantship

Summer research program under the supervision of an NRAO staff member on a project relating to astronomy.

Internships for Undergrads and Grads

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory
Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program of the National Academies

Designed to engage graduate science, engineering, medical, veterinary, business, and law students in the analysis that informs the creation of science and technology policy and to familiarize them with the interactions of science, technology, and government. Students develop essential skills different from those attained in academia and make the transition from being a graduate student to a professional.

Graduate Career Services

The Graduate Student Life Office offers career services for graduate students who are seeking jobs outside the professoriate. For more information on workshops, events and resources please join the gradcareers-l list serve. If you are uncertain how to join a list serve you can get instructions at CIT’s E-lists page.

Need More Fellowships?

All this fellowship information (and a little more) in printable RTF format is available here [last updated in 2006]. You may also read the notes from the 2006 PGS discussion forum on “how to get a postdoc position.”

Discontinued Fellowships

Jack Kent Cooke Graduate Fellowship

Up to six-year graduate fellowship awarded to graduating seniors and recent grads planning to start grad school. Must apply through your current institution’s (Cornell’s) nominating representative. [Due to financial losses, graduate scholarships are only available to the Foundation’s undergraduate scholars.]
Bell Labs Graduate Research Fellowship Program

Fellowships are awarded to women and members of a minority group currently underrepresented in the sciences who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The program is primarily directed to graduating college seniors, but applications from first-year graduate students will be considered. Each participant is expected to spend the first summer working with their mentor at Bell Labs on a research project in their area of interest. Application due 12 January 2007. [Alcatel-Lucent has abandoned their focus on science and math and has therefore canceled this program.]
Department of Homeland Security Graduate Fellowship

Three-year graduate research fellowship awarded to graduating seniors and new graduate students. A 10-week, continuous, off-campus research internship at a DHS-designated facility will be required during the summer between your first and second year appointments. [In consideration of overall DHS Office of University Program objectives, graduate fellowships will not be offered during the 2010 competition cycle.]