Harvard Environmental Fellows Program 2027

The Harvard Environmental Fellows Program 2027 is now accepting applications from recent doctorate recipients interested in advancing environmental research and addressing complex environmental challenges.

Title: Harvard Environmental Fellows Program 2027
Location: Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Closing Date: December 1, 2026
Contract: Two-year fellowship
Salary: $92,000 per year
Benefits: Health insurance eligibility, relocation reimbursement and professional expense allowance
Expected Awards: Approximately 5 fellowships
Eligibility: Recent doctorate or comparable terminal degree recipients

Established by the Harvard University Center for the Environment (HUCE), the two-year fellowship enables talented researchers to work with Harvard faculty members in any school or department.

The programme is designed to strengthen connections across academic disciplines while giving fellows access to Harvard’s extensive research resources.

Fellows become part of an interdisciplinary community of scholars working on diverse environmental topics and developing innovative approaches to environmental scholarship and solutions.

Fellowship Award and Benefits

Successful Environmental Fellows will receive a competitive financial and professional support package, including:

$92,000 annual salary
Eligibility for employee health insurance
Up to $2,500 reimbursement for relocation expenses

$2,500 annual allowance for travel and other professional expenses
Two years of research and collaboration with Harvard faculty
Access to Harvard’s academic and research resources

Participation in a community of environmental researchers
Opportunities to engage with Harvard faculty through the programme’s co-curricular activities

HUCE expects to award approximately five fellowships for the 2027 cohort.

Eligibility Requirements

The programme is open to applicants who hold a doctorate or comparable terminal degree awarded between May 2023 and August 2027.

Applicants may come from a broad range of academic and professional disciplines. Potential fields include:

Environmental and earth sciences
Economics
Law
Government
Public policy
Public health
Medicine
Design
Humanities
Other relevant academic disciplines

Interdisciplinary research proposals are encouraged, although applicants pursuing research within a single discipline are also eligible to apply.

Research Project Requirements

Applicants must propose an independent research project that demonstrates intellectual ambition and relevance to environmental challenges.

The proposed project should:

Represent an independent line of inquiry.
Extend beyond the applicant’s doctoral research.
Move beyond the proposed host’s ongoing research.

Demonstrate strong potential for intellectual achievement.
Address significant environmental issues.
Establish new connections across research disciplines where appropriate.

Projects will be carefully evaluated by a committee of HUCE faculty members.

The selection process seeks to create a diverse cohort of researchers with complementary academic interests, skills and backgrounds.

Harvard Candidates

Researchers who received their terminal degrees from Harvard and postdoctoral researchers currently working at Harvard may also apply.

However, their proposed research and host arrangements must take them in new directions that are significantly distinct from their PhD research and current work.

Harvard candidates should not propose to continue working with the same professors or research groups with whom they are currently associated. Their proposed project should represent a substantial new direction rather than an extension of their existing research.

Harvard Faculty Host Requirement

Applicants are expected to identify a Harvard faculty member who will serve as their research host and mentor.

The host faculty member will be expected to:

Mentor the fellow throughout the fellowship.
Provide office space.
Provide basic administrative support.

Maintain a productive research environment.
Demonstrate enthusiasm for the proposed project and candidate.
Make a meaningful commitment to supporting the fellow’s research.

Each applicant’s proposed host must submit a letter of support of no more than two pages to the selection committee. The letter should explain the faculty member’s level of commitment to both the proposed research and the applicant.

Faculty members may only host one Environmental Fellow at a time.

Finding a Harvard Host

Prospective applicants are encouraged to begin identifying potential Harvard faculty hosts as early as possible.

Applicants unfamiliar with Harvard’s faculty can explore potential hosts through relevant Harvard academic resources, including faculty webpages containing information about research interests and publications.

A faculty member from any discipline may potentially serve as a host, regardless of whether that faculty member has previously conducted environmental research or worked with HUCE.

Applicants should approach potential hosts early because some Harvard faculty members receive approaches from numerous prospective fellows and may conduct their own selection process before agreeing to recommend candidates.

Faculty members who are not eligible to host fellows in 2027 are:

Charles Davis
Charles Taylor
Scott Edwards
Le Xie
Robin Kelsey
Phillip Deloria

Co-Curricular Programme

HUCE provides a co-curricular programme intended to help fellows build relationships with one another and learn about each other’s research.

Environmental Fellows participate in biweekly dinners involving Harvard faculty members and a speaker from among the Harvard faculty.

The programme is designed to strengthen connections among researchers and create opportunities for intellectual exchange across disciplines.

Selection Criteria

Applications will be assessed based on several key considerations, including:

Academic and Professional Record

The selection committee will consider the applicant’s previous academic and professional achievements and their potential contribution to scholarship or practice.

Research Proposal

The proposed research should demonstrate independence, originality and strong potential for intellectual achievement while addressing important environmental issues.

Environmental Relevance

The project should demonstrate meaningful relevance to environmental challenges and contribute to the development of knowledge or practical solutions.

Host Commitment

The enthusiasm and commitment of the proposed Harvard faculty host are important factors. The host’s ability to provide effective mentorship, office space and a productive working environment will also be considered.

Interview Process

A selected group of applicants may be invited to participate in a video interview with the selection committee to discuss their research proposal in greater detail.

Important Deadline

The application deadline for the 2027 Harvard Environmental Fellows Program is December 1, 2026.

Applicants should begin the host-identification process well in advance of the application deadline.

Applicants interested in sponsorship through Harvard’s Department of the History of Science should note that the department has a separate November 1 deadline for sponsor requests.

How to Apply

Eligible doctorate holders and researchers interested in the fellowship should review the official programme information, research the available Harvard faculty hosts and prepare their application before the December 1, 2026 deadline.

Application Deadline: December 1, 2026

Official Application and Programme Information: Harvard Environmental Fellows Program

Questions about the programme can be directed to Jim Clem, HUCE Managing Director, at environmental_fellows@harvard.edu.

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