The Rowland Institute at Harvard University offers the Rowland Fellow Program, a fellowship for outstanding early-career experimentalists in all fields of science and engineering. The Fellowship supports postdoctoral researchers to establish an independent research program in the interdisciplinary environment of Cambridge, Massachusetts, continuing the Institute’s founding tradition of supporting high-risk, creative research that bridges traditional disciplinary boundaries.
Proposed research must be experimentally focused in any field of science or engineering, including physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, and neuroscience, though the program cannot support human subjects or clinical research.
Applicants should currently be in the process of completing their PhDs and/or have received their PhD within the past year, and must have completed their doctoral degree prior to starting the Fellowship term. Applicants may come from any accredited academic institution, whether based in the United States or internationally, and both US citizens and non-citizens are eligible for appointment, with visa support available through the Institute and Harvard University.
The Fellowship provides a salary beginning at 89,999 USD per year with full Harvard benefits, alongside a yearly operations budget starting at 225,000 USD for lab supplies, travel, and personnel, including postdoctoral fellows, postbacs, and undergraduates. The Fellowship lasts five years and includes full principal investigator rights, dedicated laboratory space, and start-up funding for capital equipment.
Applications close on August 1, 2026. Letters of recommendation due by August 15, 2026. Incoming 2027 Rowland Fellows will have a flexible start date between July and December 2027.