Environmental Science Fellowships at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Environmental Science Fellowships at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center fund students and researchers conducting independent environmental studies to broaden and diversify Smithsonian research.
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Funder: Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Due Dates: October 15, 2026 (Application deadline, 11:59 p.m. ET) | June 1, 2027–May 30, 2028 (Fellowship start window)
Funding Amounts: $10,000 for 10-week graduate fellowships; $45,000–$60,000 annually for other categories, plus eligible allowances
Summary: Fellowships support independent environmental research by graduate students, doctoral candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and senior investigators at SERC.
Key Information: Fellows must devote full-time effort to their research and spend most of their tenure in residence.
Description
The Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) offers environmental science fellowships through the centrally administered Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program (SIFP). Fellows conduct independent research with Smithsonian research staff serving as advisors and hosts. Research topics include biodiversity and conservation, biological invasions, ecosystem ecology, environmental pollution, food webs, global change, parasite and disease ecology, watersheds, and land use. Projects that broaden and diversify Smithsonian research are encouraged.
A particular priority for this cycle is postdoctoral research on fauna of countries outside the United States, including native species abroad and non-native animals currently in the United States. Animals need not be the sole focus: projects may examine animal–plant interactions, environmental influences, or other processes. Placements are onsite in Edgewater, Maryland, or the San Francisco Bay area, depending on the advisor’s location.
