Rowland Fellowship 2027 At Harvard University (Fully Funded)

The Rowland Fellowship 2028 at Harvard University is a fully funded, five-year research fellowship for early-career experimental scientists and engineers. Run by the Rowland Institute at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA, it gives selected fellows full principal investigator rights, their own laboratory, a starting salary of $89,999 per year with full Harvard benefits, and an annual research budget starting at $225,000. It is open to applicants worldwide, including US citizens and non-citizens, with visa support available. The next application deadline is expected around August 1, 2027 (the 2027 cycle closed August 1, 2026; the 2028-cycle dates are not yet published), so confirm the current date on the official Rowland Institute fellowships page.

Host Country: USA
Institution: Rowland Institute at Harvard, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Programme: Rowland Fellows Program (Rowland Fellowship)
Duration: Up to 5 years
Funding: Fully funded – $89,999/year salary + $225,000/year research budget + start-up funds
Deadline: 2028 dates not yet announced (2027 cycle closed August 1, 2026)

About the Rowland Fellowship 2028 at Harvard

The Rowland Fellowship is one of the most generous early-career awards in the sciences. Edwin Land founded the Rowland Institute of Science in 1980 to foster high-risk, creative research; in 2002 it became the Rowland Institute at Harvard with a mission to advance the early careers of experimental scientists and engineers. In 2024 the Institute moved from its original building to Harvard’s main campus to be closer to collaborators and university resources.

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Unlike a typical postdoc, a Rowland Fellow is an independent principal investigator. Fellows establish their own laboratories in an interdisciplinary, interactive environment, set their own research agenda, and build a group 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 fellowship lasts up to five years with a flexible start date (incoming 2027 Fellows started between July and December 2027). The programme runs yearly: the 2027 cycle closed August 1, 2026, with interviews in October and November 2026 and decisions in December 2026.

Benefits of the Rowland Fellowship

Full principal investigator rights – fellows establish and run their own independent laboratories.
Dedicated laboratory space, plus ancillary spaces as needed (for example, tissue culture rooms).
Generous start-up funding for capital equipment, depending on the fellow’s research programme.
Annual operating budget starting at $225,000 for lab supplies, travel, and hiring personnel such as postdoctoral fellows, postbacs, and undergraduates.
Salary starting at $89,999 per year with full Harvard benefits.
Teaching opportunity – fellows may teach undergraduates for at least one semester, ideally in an active research setting, to recruit talented students and gain teaching experience.
Staff scientists and engineers available to help design and fabricate new experimental setups.
Shared research equipment at the Institute and throughout Harvard, including the Center for Nanoscale Systems and the Bauer Life Science Core Facility.
Mentoring in building a productive lab culture, scientific writing, budgeting, career development, and leadership, including access to Harvard’s Core for Mentorship Excellence.

Rowland Fellowship Eligibility

Applicants must be completing a PhD or have recently received one (the 2027 cycle required a PhD received after May 1, 2025).
Fellows must have completed their doctoral degree before starting the fellowship term.
The proposed research must be experimentally focused in any field of science or engineering, including physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, and neuroscience.
The programme cannot support human-subjects research or clinical research of any type.
Applicants should not already be established as independent faculty.
Open to applicants worldwide – US citizens and non-citizens are eligible, and Harvard can assist with the visa process if needed.
Candidates may apply from any accredited academic institution in the United States or internationally.

How to Apply for the Rowland Fellowship 2028

Review the official fellowships page at rowland.harvard.edu and confirm the current cycle’s dates and eligibility before starting your application.
Submit your application through the Harvard Careers posting linked on the official page. Only applications submitted through the Harvard website will be considered.
Prepare and upload the required materials:
- A 250-word elevator pitch describing your research goals to a general audience.
- A Statement of Research (three-page limit including references) describing your proposal and any supporting recent work.
- A curriculum vitae (CV).
- A Vision Statement (one-page limit) describing how your values and experiences will shape a productive, supportive group culture.
- Contact information for three or four references.
After you submit, your referees receive automated emails requesting letters of recommendation (due two weeks after the application deadline).
Once submitted, your application cannot be revised online; email the Institute if you need to submit a revised version before the deadline.
Declare any use of AI tools in your application. The materials should reflect your personal experience and unique motivations, written in your own voice.
Shortlisted candidates are contacted for a first-round Zoom interview (around October), with finalists invited to the Institute for a two-day interview (around November); decisions are made in December.

APPLY NOW FOR THE ROWLAND FELLOWSHIP 2028

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Rowland Fellowship at Harvard?

The Rowland Fellowship is a fully funded, five-year fellowship run by the Rowland Institute at Harvard. It gives early-career experimental scientists and engineers full principal investigator rights, their own laboratory, a starting salary of $89,999 per year with full Harvard benefits, an annual research budget starting at $225,000, and start-up funding for equipment in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Is the Rowland Fellowship open to international applicants?

Yes. Both US citizens and non-citizens are eligible for appointment as Rowland Fellows, and staff at the Rowland Institute and Harvard University can assist with the visa process if needed.

When is the deadline for the Rowland Fellowship 2028?

The Rowland Institute has not yet published the 2028-cycle dates. Based on the annual cycle, the next application deadline is expected around August 1, 2027 (the 2027 cycle closed August 1, 2026, with letters of recommendation due August 15, 2026). Check the official fellowships page for the confirmed date before applying.

What is the salary and research budget for Rowland Fellows?

Fellows receive a salary starting at $89,999 per year with full Harvard benefits, a yearly operating budget starting at $225,000 for lab supplies, travel, and hiring personnel, plus generous start-up funding for capital equipment depending on their research programme.

Is the Rowland Fellowship the same as a postdoc?

No. Rowland Fellows are independent principal investigators with full PI rights and their own laboratories, not supervised postdoctoral researchers. Separate postdoctoral positions exist within Rowland Fellows’ labs.

Who is eligible for the Rowland Fellowship?

Early-career experimental scientists and engineers who are completing a PhD or received one recently, whose proposed research is experimentally focused in science or engineering, who are not already independent faculty, and whose work does not involve human subjects or clinical research.