Funder: SOM Foundation
Due Dates (Anticipated): March 2027 (Application deadline)
Funding Amounts: $20,000 fellowship; travel, documentation, and analysis completed within 18 months
Summary: Supports structural engineering students pursuing independent travel and research that can inform teaching and professional practice.
Key Information: Applicants must attend a professionally accredited U.S. degree program and intend to enter structural engineering practice; U.S. citizenship is not required.
Description
The SOM Foundation’s Structural Engineering Fellowship supports independent travel and research exploring how structures can positively affect the built environment. Established in 1998, the annual fellowship funds a student specializing in structural engineering whose research contributes to the Foundation’s current topic and has potential to influence teaching and professional practice. Recipients must thoroughly document their findings and develop conclusions or suggestions for practical or educational applications.
The Foundation’s 2026–2027 research framework is “AI, the Built Environment, and Human Agency.” The previous fellowship brief focused on “Exploring the Potential of Mobility Corridors,” examining how movement infrastructure shapes cities, ecosystems, and communities. Past fellowship research has addressed short-span bridges, modular coastal protection, innovative housing, structural materiality, and bioinspired structures.
