Rowland Fellow

Position

Details

Title Rowland Fellow School Faculty of Arts and Sciences Department/Area Rowland Institute at Harvard Position Description

The Rowland Institute at Harvard seeks outstanding early-career experimentalists in all fields of science and engineering. The Rowland Fellowship provides an opportunity to establish an independent program in the rich intellectual environment of Cambridge, Massachusetts. To qualify, applicants should currently be in the process of either completing their PhDs and/or have received their PhD after May 1, 2025. Fellows must have completed their doctoral degree prior to starting their Fellowship term.

Edwin Land founded the Rowland Institute of Science in 1980 to foster high-risk, creative research. In 2002, we became the Rowland Institute at Harvard when we joined the University with the mission of advancing the early careers of experimental scientists and engineers. In 2024 we moved from our original building to main campus to be closer to collaborators and university resources. In our founder's tradition, we are particularly interested in supporting scholars who have the potential to establish a ground-breaking research program in a field 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 benefits of a Rowland Fellowship include:

• Fellows will have full principal investigator rights and will establish their labs in an interdisciplinary and interactive environment, in the rich intellectual environment of Cambridge, Massachusetts.
• Fellows will be provided with dedicated laboratory space, and ancillary spaces as needed (e.g. cell culture, magnet rooms etc); generous start-up funding for capital equipment, depending on the Fellow's research program; a yearly budget starting at $225,000 for general operations (lab supplies, travel, etc.) and the hiring of personnel (postdoctoral fellows, postbacs, undergraduates); and, a salary that begins at $89,999 per year with full Harvard benefits.
• Fellows may have the opportunity to teach undergraduates during their Fellowship, to enable contact with students (ideally in an active research setting, rather than in a classroom), both to help Fellows recruit talented students to their labs and to provide teaching experience that will help them in any career they choose.
• Staff scientists and engineers are available to work directly with Rowland Fellows to design and fabricate new experimental set-ups. Shared research equipment is available at facilities within the Institute and also throughout Harvard University (e.g. the Center for Nanoscale Systems, and the Bauer Life Science Core Facility).
• Fellows will receive mentoring to develop a productive lab culture, support for scientific writing and budgeting, alongside ongoing support for career development throughout the Fellowship period, including leadership training and access to Harvard's Core for Mentorship Excellence.

The Fellowship lasts for five years. Incoming 2027 Rowland Fellows will have the choice of a flexible start date, between July-December 2027.

Deadline for applications is Saturday, August 1, 2026 at 11:59PM EDT.

Basic Qualifications

• Applicants should currently be in the process of either completing their PhDs, and/or have received their PhD after May 1, 2025
• Fellows must have competed their doctoral degree prior to starting their Fellowship term

Additional Qualifications Special Instructions

Applicants should upload the following materials:

1. a 250 word "elevator pitch" to describe your research goals to a general audience,

2. a Statement of Research (three page limit including references),

3. a curriculum vitae (CV),

4. a Vision Statement (one page limit) to describe how your personal values and experiences in academia inform your plan for a productive and supportive culture within your group,

5. and, contact information for three or four references (automated emails will be sent requesting letters of recommendation direct to your references that includes their submission deadline.)

APPLICATION TIMELINE:

• Applications are due August 1st, 2026

• Letters of recommendation are due August 15th, 2026

• Mid-September: applicants who do not meet the eligibility criteria will be notified by email.

• Mid-October 2026: Candidates are contacted for a first-round Zoom interview, and unsuccessful candidates will be notified by email.

• November 12th-13th 2026: Finalists come to the Institute for two days.

• Day 1: Candidates participate in a symposium, and give a brief presentation on both past and proposed research.

• Day 2: Candidates will interview with current Rowland Fellows, Rowland staff, and the admissions committee.

• Early December 2026: Selection decisions are made and finalists are informed

Contact Information

Dr. Michael M. Burns

Rowland Fellows Program

Rowland Institute at Harvard

60 Oxford Street,

Cambridge, MA 02138 USA

Contact Email rf@g.harvard.edu Salary Range

$89,999

Minimum Number of References Required 3 Maximum Number of References Allowed 4 Keywords

Fellowship, Rowland Institute at Harvard, PhD, research, experimentalist, group leader, principal investigator

EEO/Non-Discrimination Commitment Statement

Harvard University is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination. We seek talent from all parts of society and the world, and we strive to ensure everyone at Harvard thrives. Our differences help our community advance Harvard's academic purposes.

Harvard has an equal employment opportunity policy that outlines our commitment to prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, religion, disability, or any other characteristic protected by law or identified in the university's non-discrimination policy. Harvard's equal employment opportunity policy and non-discrimination policy help all community members participate fully in work and campus life free from harassment and discrimination.

Supplemental Questions

Required fields are indicated with an asterisk (*).

• • Title of Proposal:

(Open Ended Question)

• • Discipline or Field:

(Open Ended Question)

• • Ph.D. Institution:

(Open Ended Question)

• • Proposed start date:

(Open Ended Question)

• • How did you learn about the program:

(Open Ended Question)

• • Date Ph.D. received or expected:

(Open Ended Question)

• • Please declare use of AI tools in your application and describe their use. Importantly, their use should not replace your original thinking. The required materials seek to elicit responses that reflect your personal experience and unique motivations and should be written in your own voice. Hence, caution is advised against using AI-generated materials as-is: admissions committees can often sense AI-written materials because they lack personal nuance and can be rather vague in the details.

(Open Ended Question)

Applicant Documents

Required Documents

• Other
• Statement of Research
• Curriculum Vitae
• Other Statement

Optional Documents

• Cover Letter