The Environmental Fellows Program is run by the Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE), part of the Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability. It lets recent doctorate holders use Harvard’s resources to tackle complex environmental problems.
Fellows spend two years in Cambridge, Massachusetts, working with a faculty host in any Harvard school or department, and join a cohort of about a dozen scholars that meets at biweekly dinners.
Benefits & funding
- Salary of $92,000 per year for two years, with eligibility for employee health insurance.
- Up to $2,500 reimbursement for relocation costs.
- $2,500 a year for travel and other professional expenses.
- Fellows must live in the Cambridge area for both years; fieldwork trips only in the summer or January recess.
Eligibility
- A doctorate or comparable terminal degree received between May 2023 and August 2027; the dissertation must be filed before the September 2027 start.
- Any field and any university worldwide; a non-PhD degree qualifies only in fields where the PhD is not the usual terminal degree, and Master’s degrees alone do not.
- Open to all nationalities; Harvard supports visa applications, and English proficiency is generally expected.
- A tenure-track Harvard professor must commit to host you; several named faculty cannot host in 2027.
- Harvard degree holders and current Harvard postdocs need research and a host clearly distinct from their current work; no one may propose to work extensively with their thesis advisor.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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“Candidates for 2027 Environmental Fellowships should have received their terminal degree between May 2023 and August 2027.” Eligibility
Education required
PhD Enrolled · PhD
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Application process
- 1Secure a Harvard faculty host who agrees to mentor you and provide office or lab space.
- 2Submit the online application, including a five-page research proposal, by December 1, 2026, 5:00 pm EST.
- 3The host letter (two pages maximum) and recommendation letters are due December 11, 2026, 5:00 pm EST; applications without a host letter are not reviewed.
- 4Shortlisted applicants discuss their proposal with the selection committee by video.
Program timeline
Application deadline.
December 1, 2026
Host and recommendation letters due.
December 11, 2026
Decisions.
Late January 2027
September 2027
Fellowship starts (as early as July 1).