Fellowship Opportunities

The term fellowship is used both on and off campus, but may mean different things. On campus, the term fellowship is used to describe a scholarship usually awarded based on merit. Off campus, the term fellowship is used to describe a paid position open to graduate students or recent graduates that allows them to gain advanced experience in a topical area. These positions usually last a year, but can last longer. Below is a list of off-campus fellowship opportunities.

Reoccurring fellowship opportunities

Switzer Fellowship
The Switzer Fellowship offers on-year fellowships to highly talented graduate students from diverse academic backgrounds in New England and California whose studies and career goals are directed towards environmental improvement and who clearly demonstrate leadership in their field.

Benefits: The fellowship includes a $15,000 cash award, leadership training, access to a vibrant network of Switzer Fellowship alums, and opportunities for professional development and grants beyond the fellowship year.

Timeline: There is one application per year, due January 10.

You can see eligibility requirements and more information here.
Energy, Efficiency and Renewable Energy Science, Technology and Policy Program
The Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE) Science, Technology and Policy (STP) Program serves as a next step in the educational and professional development of scientists and engineers interested in energy efficiency and renewable energy policy. The EERE STP Program provides an opportunity for highly talented scientists and engineers to participate in policy-related projects at DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy in Washington, D.C. and Golden, CO site office. EERE STP participants apply the expertise gained from their education and history of conducting research to new and ongoing EERE initiatives.

Initial appointments are for one year and may be extended up to four years.

Benefits: Vary based on academic level and qualifications.

Timeline: Applications are accepted and reviewed all year. Applications must be submitted through Zintellect.com.

You can see eligibility requirements and more information here.
Global Fellowships for Agricultural Development (CAES)
Originally funded by USAID as a Research Innovations Fellowship in Agriculture (RIFA) program, the Global Fellowships for Agricultural Development (GFAD) program offers early-career professionals enrolled in agricultural and development-oriented graduate programs at all University of California campuses the opportunity to plan, engage and implement two to six-month-long international projects in developing countries.

Global Fellows collaborate with a host organization to develop robust projects that address global challenges in agriculture and food systems. Host institutions work with the fellow and UC faculty supervisor to co-create opportunities. The fellow’s collaborative work takes research to action, contributing integrally to the success and sustainability of development projects and programs, faculty research while augmenting fellows’ experiential education.

See eligibility requirements and more information here.
Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program (National Academies of Science, Engineering, Medicine)
The Christine Mirzayan Science & Technology Policy Graduate Fellowship Program, now in its 25th year, is a full-time hands-on training and educational program that provides early career individuals with the opportunity to spend 12 weeks at the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Washington, DC learning about science and technology policy and the role that scientists and engineers play in advising the nation.

Each year, applicants from around the world become part of an Academies' unit where they are assigned to a mentor and learn about the world of science and technology policy. An immersive experience, the program is designed to broaden fellows' appreciation of employment opportunities outside academia and leave them with both a firm grasp of the important and dynamic role of science and technology in decision-making and a better understanding of the role that they can play in strengthening the science and technology enterprise for the betterment of mankind.

Open to graduate students and those who have completed graduate studies within the last five years. The 2023 session of this fellowship begins in March and concludes late May. Keep an eye out for the application window.

You can see more information here.
Congressional Fellowships on Women and Public Policy
The Women’s Congressional Policy Institute has been the home of the Congressional Fellowships on Women and Public Policy (formerly the WREI Fellowships) since 2014. The fellowships are extended each year to a select number of students pursuing a graduate degree or those who have recently completed a master’s, doctorate, or professional degree with a proven commitment to equity for women. Fellows gain practical policymaking experience and graduate credit as they work from January to July in congressional offices.

The Fellowships are designed to train potential leaders in public policy formation to examine issues from the perspective, experiences, and needs of women.

Open to graduate students and those who've completed graduate studies within the last two years of the fellowship date.

Benefits: Fellows receive a stipend of around $3,400 a month for seven months (January-July). An additional sum of $1,000 is provided for purchase of health insurance.

Timeline: Check in April 2023 for 2024 application cycle.

You can see more information here.
Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) (U.S. Dept of Energy)
ORISE is a U.S. Department of Energy asset that is dedicated to enabling critical scientific, research, and health initiatives of the department and its laboratory system by providing world class expertise in STEM workforce development, scientific and technical reviews, and the evaluation of radiation exposure and environmental contamination.

Here is a list of STEM internships and fellowships for current graduate students and recent graduates. There are hundreds of opportunities.
IDA's Science Policy Fellowship
IDA’s two-year Science and Technology Policy Institute (STPI) Fellowship provides recent bachelor’s degree recipients with a unique opportunity to use their critical thinking and analytic skills to work on a diverse set of challenges in science and technology (S&T) policy areas, including energy and the environment, space sciences, innovation and competitiveness, evaluation, life sciences, information technologies, national security, and STEM education. Fellows will be involved in collaborative research for leaders in the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) in the Executive Office of the President and other Federal Government organizations, such as the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

Timeline: Applications are accepted each year beginning in the fall and selections are made in the spring the following year.

See more information here.
IEE USA Government Fellowships
Each year, IEEE-USA sponsors several government fellowships for qualified U.S. IEEE members. The Fellows — chosen by the IEEE-USA Government Fellows Committee and confirmed by our Board — spend a year living and working in Washington as advisers to the U.S. Congress and to the U.S. Department of State or U.S. Agency for International Development. Known as Congressional Fellowships, Engineering & Diplomacy Fellowships, or Engineering & International Development Fellowships, the fellowship program links science, technology and engineering professionals with the U.S. government, and provides a mechanism for IEEE’s U.S. members to learn firsthand about the public policy process while imparting their knowledge and experience to policymakers.

Congressional Fellowship
State Department Engineering & Diplomacy Fellowship
USAID Engineering & International Development Fellowship
TechCongress (Technology Policy)
We place computer scientists, engineers, and other technologists to serve as technology policy advisors to Members of Congress through the Congressional Innovation Fellowship, the Congressional Innovation Scholars program, and the Congressional Digital Service Fellowship. We bridge the divide of knowledge and experience between DC and Silicon Valley for better outcomes for both.

Congressional Innovation Fellowship -- for mid-career
Congressional Innovation Scholars Program -- for early career

Timeline: Open now through August 10, 2022

See more information here.
Congressional Black Caucus Foundation (Public Policy)
The CBCF Congressional Fellowship Program equips early career policy professionals who are committed to contributing to public policy with the necessary skills to become the next generation of leaders in public service. The program is an intensive 12-month policy training and leadership development program which enables fellows to receive hands-on public policy training as full-time legislative aides and policy analysts. Fellows are paid an annual salary plus benefits. Participants must reside in or relocate to the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area and are responsible for their own travel, housing, and other living expenses.

Benefits: Salary of between $60,000-$70,000 + benefits, interim housing, monthly professional development activities, bill project presentations

Congressional Fellowships
John R. Lewis NREI Social Justice Fellowships
Research Fellowships

See more information here. See application requirements here.
Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute
CHCI’s Graduate Fellowship Program is designed for exceptional emerging Latino leaders who want to immerse themselves in a specific public policy area. This paid, nine-month fellowship will provide you with valuable work experience, access to powerful Latino network, and a chance to showcase your public policy knowledge on Capitol Hill. With CHCI’s fellowship, you plot your own path. Guided by CHCI, you will research opportunities to work in congressional offices, committees, federal agencies, or even the White House. Choose one that best matches your policy focus area—K-12 education, health, housing, law, energy—and consider changing your placement midway through the program to maximize your experience.

See more information here.

Benefits: Stipend of $34,200 over nine month fellowship. Stipend or voucher to subsidize travel to Washington DC, medical, dental and vision insurance, $80/month metro stipend, housing vouchers to cover housing on arrival to DC, for up to four weeks before the start of the program, weekly leadership training and more.

Timeline: Applications launch October 1, close in January. Fellowship dates August- May.

You must have completed your master's degree within two years of the program start date to be eligible.
Presidential Innovation Fellows (Data Science)
Presidential Innovation Fellows is committed to reflecting the diversity of the people we serve. We’re a multidisciplinary team of product designers, full-stack engineers, and VC-backed founders. We’re also artists. Parents. Immigrants. Veterans. Walking into the office, we all share a passion for civic purpose—people helping people.

Hand-in-hand with federal agency leaders, we identify innovation opportunities of critical agency and/or national priority. As we do so, our team recruits outstanding private-sector technologists. And then, we unite. PIF embeds the nation's top engineers, designers, and strategists within agencies as yearlong entrepreneurs in residence. With our agency partners, our fellows advise, prototype, and scale solutions using industry best practices across data science, design, engineering, product, and systems thinking.

See more information here.

Timeline: Applications for 2023 closed in July. Check back for the new cycle.
California Capitol Fellows
The Capital Fellows Programs are nationally recognized public policy fellowships which offer unique experiences in policy-making and development in each branch of government.

Capital Fellows are placed at some of the highest levels of California state government and assist state legislators, senior-level executive staff, and court administrators with a broad range of public policy issues and projects and are typically given assignments with a significant amount of responsibility and challenges. Rooted in experiential learning and public service, Capital Fellows spend 10-11 months as part of a cohort working in a Legislative, Executive or Judicial Branch office.

Benefits: Monthly stipend of $2,964 and medical, dental and vision benefits, fully paid enrollment and earn six graduate units, student loan deferment, and upon completion of the fellowship a Graduate Certificate in Applied Policy and Government

Timeline: Applications open in October, are due in February. Interviews take place in late April/ early May. Program orientation begins in October.

If you're interested in the Capitol Fellows program, please contact the Associate Director for more information.

There is also the Executive, Judicial and Assembly Fellowship Programs.
California Sea Grant Fellowships
California Sea Grant State Fellows Program- California Sea Grant's State Fellows Program provides a unique educational opportunity for graduate students who are interested both in marine resources and in the policy decisions affecting those resources. The program matches highly motivated and qualified graduate students with hosts in municipal, state and federal agencies in California for a 12-month paid fellowship.
Deadline: July 20, 2022

John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship- The Sea Grant Knauss Fellowship provides a unique educational experience to graduate students who have an interest in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and in the national policy decisions affecting those resources. The program, which is sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Sea Grant College Program, matches highly qualified graduate students with hosts in the legislative branch, executive branch, or appropriate associations/institutions located in the Washington, D.C., area for a one-year paid fellowship. The program is named after former NOAA administrator John A. Knauss.
Deadline: February

Coastal Management & Digital Coast Fellowship- The Coastal Management Fellowship was established in 1996 to provide on-the-job education and training opportunities in coastal resource management and policy for postgraduate students and to provide project assistance to state coastal zone management programs. The program matches postgraduate students with state coastal zone programs to work on projects proposed by the state and selected by the fellowship sponsor, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office for Coastal Management. The NOAA Digital Coast Fellowship was established in 2012 to provide on-the-job education and training opportunities in coastal resource management and policy for postgraduate students and to provide technical assistance to help advance the goals of the Digital Coast and its partner organizations. Up to three fellows are placed with Digital Coast Partner organizations every other year, in the even years.
Deadline: January

Delta Science Fellowship- The purpose of the Delta Science Fellows Program is to train the next generation of science leaders in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta (Delta) by bringing together fellows with research mentors and community mentors in collaborative research, data analysis, and synthesis projects relevant to Delta policy and management. California Sea Grant will administer and manage the fellowship program on behalf of the Delta Science Program. This fellowship funds research projects of up to two years in duration that will advance the state of knowledge underlying high priority science issues that affect the Delta and its management as an integrated socio-ecological system.The Delta Science Fellowship is normally offered every two years, depending on funding availability.
Deadline: April 2022
MANO Project- US Fish and Wildlife Service Directorate Resource Assistant Fellows Program (DFP)
DFP is a special hiring program the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) uses to diversify their workforce. FWS measures DFP’s success by how well they attract students to a summer Fellowship and convert them to full-time, permanent positions. Their goal is to hire all Fellows into permanent employment.

The DFP is for students interested in conservation careers and positions that support the FWS mission to work with others to conserve, protect, and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. In prior years, positions included work on species conservation planning, field surveys and monitoring for species, landscape-scale conservation partnerships, environmental law and policy, education and outreach, community engagement, digital communications, and other areas that support FWS’ mission.

Selected students participate in a paid 12-week summer Fellowship program with a week-long orientation and 11 weeks of 40-hour work in remote or in-person positions, as designated in each position description. Upon successful completion of the Fellowship program, along with degree conferral, participants may be directly hired or appointed to full-time, permanent positions without competition.

Benefits: $680 weekly stipend for 12- weeks of full-time work, housing or housing stipend, and more.

Eligibility: US. Citizen, current undergraduate or graduate students.

Apply for January 13 at 11:59pm EST. See more information here.