Schmidt Science Fellows has begun the process of identifying and selecting candidates to join the Program’s 2021 cohort of Fellows. This next group of Fellows is expected to be announced in May 2021.

Schmidt Science Fellows works in partnership with a select group of the world’s leading science and engineering institutions to identify and nominate their most promising early-career scientists as potential Fellows. Nominees are then invited to make individual applications through an online portal before entering a rigorous review and selection process. The nomination period for institutions has just opened, with the online portal opening for applicants on 14 September ahead of the deadline for full applications to be submitted by 30 November 2020.

The initial Academic Review stage of the process involves discipline-specific panels and committees of senior researchers reviewing applications to determine which candidates will progress to final online panel interviews. The interviews, with senior figures from academia, business, and society, will select the 2021 cohort of Schmidt Science Fellows to be announced in May.

Dr. Simon Vaughan, Schmidt Science Fellows Director of Admissions, said: “We are looking for talented and dynamic individuals coming out of the world’s strongest science, technology, engineering, and mathematics PhD programs, and for candidates who share our vision of the crucial role of interdisciplinary science.”

We are looking for talented and dynamic individuals coming out of the world’s strongest science, technology, engineering, and mathematics PhD programs, and for candidates who share our vision of the crucial role of interdisciplinary science. – Dr. Simon Vaughan

“The coronavirus pandemic and the world’s response has demonstrated the importance of interdisciplinary science in tackling society’s biggest challenges. I am proud that Schmidt Science Fellows can commit to growing our community again in 2021. We have made adjustments to our processes and timings for the coming year to ensure that we can still attract and select the brightest interdisciplinary candidates, despite the disruption to many universities and their students’ studies in recent months.”

Candidates nominated for the 2021 cohort selection process must have completed, or expect to complete, all the requirements for the conferral of their PhD, including a successful defense, between 30 April 2020 and 30 September 2021. Candidates cannot apply directly to the Program but must be nominated by their PhD awarding institution.

Full details of the process, timetable, and selection criteria for the 2021 cohort of Schmidt Science Fellows is available here https://schmidtsciencefellows.org/selection/