Cornell Atkinson Graduate Research Grants
Internal — Cornell University only
Cornell Atkinson Graduate Research Grants support graduate students’ research to advance energy transitions, reduce climate risk, increase food security, and strengthen human, animal, and ecosystem health.
Funder: Cornell University
Due Dates: November 17, 2026, 5:00 p.m. ET (Full proposals) | October 29, 2026 (Graduate Research Symposium) | Early February 2027 (Estimated award announcement) | February 15, 2027 (Earliest project start)
Funding Amounts: Up to $7,000, or $8,000 with undergraduate research support, for 6–24 months; follow-on awards up to $3,000–$4,000
Summary: Supports Cornell graduate students’ innovative research on energy transitions, climate risk, food security, and One Health.
Key Information: Applicants must remain enrolled at Cornell throughout the award, and their faculty mentor must be a Cornell Atkinson Faculty Fellow.
Description
Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability’s Graduate Research Grants provide direct research funding to students in any doctoral graduate field at Cornell, or terminal-degree programs in fields that do not offer a Ph.D. The program supports innovative work aligned with one or more of four sustainability priorities: Accelerating Energy Transitions, Reducing Climate Risk, Increasing Food Security, and Advancing One Health.
Supported by gifts from Cornell Atkinson donors, the grants fund research spanning engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, planning, and other fields. Recent projects address hydrogen technologies, waste-heat recovery, agricultural methane emissions, environmental regulation, crop protection, climate finance, and connections between human, animal, and ecosystem health. The program emphasizes intellectual merit, alignment with Cornell Atkinson’s strategic goals, and potential impact beyond academia.
