Scholarships & Fellowships Supporting Physical & Life Science Career Goals
Considering your career interests and potential trajectories within the physical and life sciences? There are scholarship opportunities that provide both financial support and career entry points for students in different ways. Here are just a few examples of scholarship and fellowship programs with specific career connections. For support in applying, connect with the Office of Merit Scholarships, Fellowships, & Awards.
Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Research Program (SCGSR): provides supplemental funds for graduate awardees to conduct part of their thesis research at a host DOE laboratory/facility in collaboration with a DOE laboratory scientist. Annual deadline: May. See other Department of Energy scholarships and internships.
Goldwater Scholarship Program: Provides scholarships and a robust scholar/alumni network to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. Annual UW deadline: November.
Graduate Fellowships for STEM Diversity: GFSD welcomes applications from any qualified U.S. citizen who will pursue graduate work at a GFSD university associate. Applicants at any stage of their graduate program may apply if they will be available to accept two summers of paid internship. Annual deadline: December.
Hertz Foundation Fellowship: Open to college seniors, first-year graduate students, or those in a gap year preparing to apply to graduate school who intend to pursue a PhD in the applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics, or engineering, and who intend to direct their studies toward understanding and solving major, near-term problems facing society. Annual deadline: October.
National Institutes of Health (NIH) programs: NIH offers a wide variety of different scholarship, internship, gap year, and graduate programs for a huge range of fields. A few highlights:
- Undergraduate Scholarships: provide up to $20,000/year for up to 4 years along with summer internships and post-graduate employment for students with financial need committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research. Annual deadline: March.
- Post-baccalaureate Intramural Research Training Award: enables eligible recent college graduates who are planning to apply to graduate or professional school to spend one or two years working with investigators at the NIH. Rolling application process, but apply six to nine months prior to the date on which you want to start.
- NIH Graduate Partnerships Program: opportunities for PhD seekers (both before starting and after) to pursue research in collaboration with their university mentors and NIH. Collaborates with universities worldwide, including Oxford, Cambridge, universities in China, Taiwan, Sweden, Chile, and in the US. Annual deadline: December.
National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Hollings Scholarship: Provides a scholarship of $9,500/year for 2 years and 10-week, full-time, paid summer internships. Open to sophomores with declared majors in a discipline including, but not limited to: oceanic, environmental, biological, and atmospheric sciences, mathematics, engineering, remote sensing technology, computer and information science, physical and social sciences including geography, physics, hydrology, geomatics, or teacher education that support NOAA’s programs and mission. Annual deadline: January.
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP): Provides up to three years of funding for research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in a wide variety of social science fields, STEM fields, and STEM education, with the goal of ensuring the quality, vitality, and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the US. Annual deadline: October.
Udall Scholarship: Open to sophomores and juniors committed to careers in the environment, tribal policy, or Native health care. Provides up to $7,000 scholarships and access to the Udall Alumni Network, an association of change-makers working in environmental fields and with Native communities, sharing ideas, professional advice and job and internship opportunities. Annual UW deadline: December.
