Harvard University
Title: Rowland Fellow
School: Faculty of Arts and Sciences
Department_Area: Rowland Institute at Harvard
Position Description: The Rowland Institute at Harvard seeks outstanding early-career experimentalists in all fields of science and engineering. The Rowland Fellowship provides an opportunity to establish an independent program in the rich intellectual environment of Cambridge, Massachusetts. To qualify, 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.
Edwin Land founded the Rowland Institute of Science in 1980 to foster high-risk, creative research. In 2002, we became the Rowland Institute at Harvard when we joined the University with the mission of advancing the early careers of experimental scientists and engineers. In 2024 we moved from our original building to main campus to be closer to collaborators and university resources. In our founder's tradition, we are particularly interested in supporting scholars who have the potential to establish a ground-breaking research program in a field that bridges traditional disciplinary boundaries. Previous Rowland Fellows have gone on to extremely successful careers, mostly in academia, but also in industry and as founders of startup companies.
The benefits of a Rowland Fellowship include:
- Fellows will have full principal investigator rights and will establish their labs in an interdisciplinary and interactive environment, in the rich intellectual environment of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
- Fellows will be provided with dedicated laboratory space, and ancillary spaces as needed (e.g. cell culture, magnet rooms etc); generous start-up funding for capital equipment, depending on the Fellow's research program; a yearly budget starting at $225,000 for general operations (lab supplies, travel, etc.) and the hiring of personnel (postdoctoral fellows, postbacs, undergraduates); and, a salary that begins at $89,999 per year with full Harvard benefits.
- Fellows will have the opportunity to teach undergraduates for at least one semester during their Fellowship, to enable contact with students (ideally in an active research setting, rather than in a classroom), both to help Fellows recruit talented students to their labs and to provide teaching experience that will help them in any career they choose.
- Staff scientists and engineers are available to work directly with Rowland Fellows to design and fabricate new experimental set-ups. Shared research equipment is available at facilities within the Institute and also throughout Harvard University ( e.g. the Center for Nanoscale Systems, and the Bauer Life Science Core Facility).
- Fellows will receive mentoring to develop a productive lab culture, support for scientific writing and budgeting, alongside ongoing support for career development throughout the Fellowship period, including leadership training and access to Harvard's Core for Mentorship Excellence.
The Fellowship lasts for five years. Incoming 2026 Rowland Fellows will have the choice of a flexible start date, between September-December 2026.
Deadline for applications is Friday, August 15, 2025 at 11:59PM EDT .
Basic Qualifications: - 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 competed their doctoral degree prior to starting their Fellowship term
Special Instructions: APPLICATION INFORMATION :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),
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.)
APPLICATION TIMELINE : • Applications are due August 15th, 2025
• Letters of recommendation are due August 29th, 2025
• Mid-September: applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will be notified by email.
• Mid-October 2025: Candidates are contacted for a first-round Zoom interview, and unsuccessful candidates will be notified by email.
• November 13th-14th 2025: Finalists come to the Institute for two days.
o Day 1: Candidates participate in a symposium, and give a brief presentation on both past and proposed research.
o Day 2: Candidates will interview with current Rowland Fellows, Rowland staff, and the admissions committee.
• Early December 2025: Selection decisions are made and finalists are informed
Contact Information: Dr. Michael M. Burns
Rowland Fellows Program
Rowland Institute at Harvard
60 Oxford Street,
Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
Contact Email: rf@g.harvard.edu
Equal Opportunity Employer: 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.
Minimum Number of References Required: 3
Maximum Number of References Allowed: 4
Keywords: Fellowship, Rowland Institute at Harvard, PhD, research, experimentalist, group leader, principal investigator
Supplemental Questions: Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).
- * Title of Proposal:
(Open Ended Question) - * Discipline or Field:
(Open Ended Question) - * Ph.D. Institution:
(Open Ended Question) - * Proposed start date:
(Open Ended Question) - * How did you learn about the program:
(Open Ended Question) - * Date Ph.D. received or expected:
(Open Ended Question)
Equal employment opportunity, including veterans and individuals with disabilities.
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