Graduate Fellowship Opportunities

KIC graduate fellowships, available to students in their last year of PhD study, are high-profile “Finishing Fellowships” for promising young researchers who work in the area of nanoscale science. Three fellowships are available for the academic year, to be awarded to promising graduate students at Cornell University in fields within the College of Engineering.

Applications for the upcoming academic year typically open in early April. Decisions are typically made in early June.

Funding

There are three fellowships available for the academic year:

• The KIC Graduate Fellowship provides a full-year fellowship (FA23, SP24, and SU24), including stipend, tuition, and health insurance, and is open to graduate students whose work engages with Cornell NanoScale Science and Technology Facility (CNF).
• The Knight@KIC Fellowship provides a full-year fellowship (FA23, SP24, and SU24), including stipend, tuition, and health insurance, and is open to graduate students in any field within the College of Engineering.
• The Webb@KIC Fellowship provides a full-year fellowship (FA23, SP24, and SU24), including stipend, tuition, and health insurance, and is open to graduate students in the School of Applied & Engineering Physics (AEP).

Eligibility Requirements:

• You must be a PhD student in good standing in a field within the College of Engineering,
• You are on track to defend your dissertation within one year of selection (expected conferral August 2024 or earlier), and
• Your research has a major component related to pushing the frontiers of nanoscale science.

Criteria for Selection:

Applications are judged on the qualifications of the candidate, quality and originality of the proposed research, and suitability to the KIC mission. If you have questions, you’re welcome to consult with members of the KIC Executive Committee.

How to Apply:

Applications are submitted using the KIC Graduate Fellowships Application Form - this form will again be available when the 2024 application cycle opens. Applications were due on July 4, 2023 by 11:59 pm. 

All applications are reviewed by the KIC Executive Committee.

The form will require that you upload the following documents:

• Statement describing your achievements thus far, and what you aim to accomplish over the next year (1 page max) 
• CV (include list of publications and talks)
• 1-3 papers (can be in draft status or already published)
• Letter of support from your PI, which clearly indicates that you are on track to defend your dissertation within a year 

One application is all that is needed; eligibility and suitability for each fellowship available will be determined by the KIC Executive Committee.