Applicants should upload the following materials: 

1. a 250 word “elevator pitch” to describe your research goals to a general audience,
2. a Statement of Research (three page limit including references), describing your research proposal and, if relevant, a summary of any recent work that supports the planned experiments
3. a curriculum vitae (CV), 
4. a Vision Statement (one page limit) to describe how your personal values and experiences in academia inform your plan for a productive and supportive culture within your group,
5. and, contact information for three or four references (automated emails will be sent requesting letters of recommendation direct to your references that includes their submission deadline.) 

Deadline

• 2026 Rowland Fellowships:
  • The deadline for applications is Friday, August 15, 2025 at 11:59PM EDT. 

Timeline for the Rowland Fellowship application process:

Some notes about applications:

• Your application need not be completed and submitted in one sitting; you can log back in at a later time to make additions and changes.
• When your application is completed and submitted, instructions will automatically be sent to these referees about submitting their letter of recommendation.
• Once completed and submitted, you cannot revise your materials. If you do need to submit a revised version after submittal but before the deadline, please email  rf@g.harvard.edu and we will reactivate your account so you can submit the revised version.
• Please declare use of AI tools in your application and describe their use. Importantly, their use should not replace your original thinking. The required materials seek to elicit responses that reflect your personal experience and unique motivations and should be written in your own voice. Hence, caution is advised against using AI-generated materials as-is: admissions committees can often sense AI-written materials because they lack personal nuance and can be rather vague in the details.

Eligibility

• To qualify for the 2026 cycle, applicants should currently be in the process of either completing their PhDs and/or have received their PhD after May 1, 2024. Fellows must have completed their doctoral degree prior to starting their Fellowship term.
• Your proposed research must be experimentally focused in any field of science or engineering – including physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, neuroscience, etc.
• The program accepts applications from such a broad range of fields that the research conducted by current and past Fellows can be used as a guide, but should not be considered restrictive! We choose Fellows based on the best proposed science at the time of submission. That said, we cannot support human subjects research or clinical research of any type, as our fellowship is designed to enable Fellows from multiple disciplines to share overlapping laboratory spaces.
• We encourage applicants from the broader scientific community; candidates can apply from any accredited academic institution whether in the United States or internationally.
• US Citizens and non-citizens are eligible for appointment as Rowland Fellows. The staff at the Rowland Institute and Harvard University can assist you in the visa process if needed.
• Please email rf@g.harvard.edu if you have questions regarding eligibility or the application.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Harvard is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or any other characteristic protected by law.