Rowland Fellows Program 2026 at Harvard University
Are you an early-career experimentalist dreaming of launching your own lab in one of the world’s most prestigious academic environments? Here’s your chance to do exactly that—with full support, generous funding, and principal investigator rights. Applications for the Rowland Fellows Program 2026 at the Rowland Institute at Harvard are now officially open!
What Is the Rowland Fellowship?
Founded by Edwin Land in 1980 and now part of Harvard University, the Rowland Fellowship offers early-career scientists and engineers the opportunity to conduct high-impact, independent research in an interdisciplinary and collaborative setting. The program is designed to launch the careers of bold, experimental innovators whose work crosses traditional boundaries.
Rowland Fellowship Benefits
This is not just another postdoc. Here’s what you get as a Rowland Fellow:
- Principal Investigator (PI) status with full rights to lead your own research.
- Dedicated lab space and access to specialized rooms (e.g. cell culture, magnet rooms).
- Start-up funding for capital equipment tailored to your research.
- Annual operating budget starting at $225,000, covering: Lab supplies, Research travel, and Personnel (postdocs, undergrads, etc.)
- Annual salary starting at $89,999, plus full Harvard employee benefits.
- Teaching opportunity to engage undergraduates in your lab (non-classroom setting).
- Access to mentoring, leadership training, and Harvard’s Core for Mentorship Excellence.
- Hands-on support from Rowland engineers and staff scientists to develop new experimental setups.
- A dynamic environment within Cambridge, Massachusetts, rich in intellectual collaboration.
The fellowship lasts up to five (05) years, with flexible start dates between September and December 2026.
Who Should Apply?
If you’re currently finishing your PhD or earned your doctorate after May 1, 2024, and have a passion for experimental science or engineering—this fellowship is for you.
- PhD must be completed before fellowship start.
- Research must be experimental (across fields like physics, biology, chemistry, neuroscience, engineering, etc.).
- Open to applicants from all over the world.
- Must not propose clinical or human subject research.
- Applicants from all accredited academic institutions (US & international) are welcome.
- Harvard provides support for visa processing if needed.
Apply: https://www.rowland.harvard.edu/fellowships/
Application Timeline
- Application Deadline: August 15, 2025 (11:59 PM EDT)
- Letters of Recommendation Due: August 29, 2025
- Eligibility Results: Mid-September 2025
- Zoom Interviews: Mid-October 2025
- Finalist Symposium & Interviews: November 13–14, 2025
- Final Selections Announced: Early December 2025
-
Candidates selected as finalists will present their research during a two-day visit and engage with current fellows, staff, and the admissions committee.
Visit daadscholarship.com for More Fully-funded Scholarships 2026 News.
