The Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program brings researchers to the Smithsonian to run their own independent projects using its collections, laboratories, field stations and staff expertise. It is administered centrally by the Smithsonian Office of Academic Appointments and Internships and spans the whole Institution, from the natural history and art museums to the tropical and environmental research centres.
Four categories share one application and one deadline: a ten-week graduate student fellowship, plus predoctoral, postdoctoral and senior fellowships of three to twelve months. Postdoctoral applicants in the sciences may request up to 24 months.
Every fellow works with a member of Smithsonian staff as advisor and spends most of the term in residence. Eligible fields run from ecology, astrophysics, earth sciences and molecular biology to anthropology, folklife, American and Asian art history, and the history of science and technology.
Benefits & funding
- Ten-week graduate student fellowship: US$10,000 for the term.
- Predoctoral fellowship: US$45,000 a year.
- Postdoctoral and senior fellowships: US$60,000 a year.
- Senior and postdoctoral fellowships in earth and planetary sciences: US$65,000 a year.
- Research allowance of up to US$5,000 a year for predoctoral, postdoctoral and senior fellows. Graduate student fellows do not receive one.
- A one-time travel allowance towards relocating to the Smithsonian may be awarded separately.
- Appointments of three months or longer may join the Smithsonian group health plan, which can also cover a spouse and unmarried children under 19.
- Workspace in the host department, with access to Smithsonian collections, laboratories, libraries and archives, and an advisor on staff.
- Stipends and allowances are taxable.
Eligibility
- Graduate student category: formally enrolled in a graduate programme, with at least one full-time semester completed.
- Predoctoral category: a doctoral candidate whose university has approved the dissertation research and can certify that every other doctoral requirement is met before the fellowship begins.
- Postdoctoral category: the doctorate must be finished by the start date and awarded no more than five years earlier.
- Senior category: a PhD or equivalent held for at least five years, awarded before 15 October 2021.
- Open to applicants of any nationality. Applicants whose first language is not English are expected to write and converse fluently in English.
- Foreign nationals are normally hosted on a J-1 exchange visitor visa arranged through the Smithsonian Office of Global Affairs. Holders of an H-1B visa cannot be paid through a stipend award.
- Former Smithsonian employees and contractors need a year of separation before applying. Current employees need prior approval.
- Fellows commit full time to the proposed research and stay in residence at a Smithsonian facility or field station apart from approved fieldwork or research travel.
- Astrophysics candidates for the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory apply through the Center for Astrophysics instead of through SIFP.
Can you apply?
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Master Enrolled · PhD Enrolled · PhD
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Application process
- 1Read the fields of research listing, pick the Smithsonian unit that holds the relevant collections, and contact its staff to identify a potential advisor and test whether the project is feasible there.
- 2Build the proposal package: a one-page abstract, a research proposal of up to six double-spaced pages, a timeline of research phases, a budget and justification within US$5,000 a year, and a bibliography.
- 3Prepare a curriculum vitae of up to four pages and transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are accepted, and senior applicants do not need them.
- 4Ask two referees who are not the proposed advisors to write letters of reference.
- 5Submit through the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA) by 15 October 2026, 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
- 6Scholars in the relevant field review each application on the merit of the proposal, the applicant’s ability to carry it out, whether it fits the requested time, and how much the Smithsonian can contribute to it. Results are released through SOLAA in mid-March.
- 7Agree a start date with the host unit. It can fall between 1 June 2027 and 30 May 2028 and must begin on the first or third Monday of a month.
Program timeline
Application deadline, 11:59 PM Eastern Time
Oct 15, 2026
Decisions released through the SOLAA portal
2027-03
Earliest fellowship start date
Jun 1, 2027
Latest fellowship start date
May 30, 2028