Harrington Faculty Fellows Program Grant

The Harrington Faculty Fellows Program at UT Austin invites exceptional early- and mid-career scholars to apply for the 2026-27 academic year. This program focuses on energy studies, encompassing a range of topics from discovery to technology innovation. Selected fellows will receive substantial salary support, a housing allowance, and discretionary funds for research. The initiative fosters interdisciplinary collaboration, offering fellows the chance to engage with renowned mentors and contribute to impactful energy research.

The Harrington Faculty Fellows Program advances the research and scholarship impact of UT Austin by bringing outstanding early- and mid-career faculty to campus for a year to advance their research, scholarship, and collaboration. Bolstered by unmatched resources and financial support, Harrington Faculty Fellows are provided the freedom to solve significant problems, the privilege of renowned mentorship and scholarly collaboration, and the opportunity to push their work forward for the benefit of all society.
Each year, the University will select a cohort of Harrington Faculty Fellows whose research or scholarship are focused on a shared theme. The thematic focus for the 2026–27 competition is energy, which can include issues related to energy discovery, production, storage, demand, usage, technology innovation or distribution. Scholars from the disciplines of engineering, geology, chemistry, physics, biosciences, law, computer science, policy, or business are especially encouraged to apply, but applications from any academic discipline will be considered. The selected Harrington Fellows will be based at the Energy Institute, which fosters the innovative, interdisciplinary energy-related research of its over 400 faculty affiliates at UT Austin.
Harrington Faculty Fellows – Energy Studies
The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) invites pioneering early- or mid-career scholars from around the world in the area of energy studies to apply for the Harrington Faculty Fellows Program for the 2026-27 academic year. This highly selective program provides a full year of salary support to enable ambitious scholars to focus entirely on the advancement of their research and scholarship. Bolstered by unmatched resources and financial support, Harrington Fellows are provided the freedom to solve significant problems, the privilege of renowned mentorship and scholarly collaboration, and the opportunity to push their work forward for the benefit of all society.
The thematic focus for this year’s competition is energy, which can include issues related to energy discovery, production, storage, demand, usage, technology innovation or distribution. Scholars from the disciplines of engineering, geology, chemistry, physics, biosciences, law, computer science, policy, or business are especially encouraged to apply, but applications from any academic discipline will be considered. The selected Harrington Fellows will be based at the Energy Institute (https://energy.utexas.edu/), which fosters the innovative, interdisciplinary energy-related research of its over 400 faculty affiliates at UT Austin.
Fellows will be awarded generous salary stipends equivalent to 130% of their salaries at their home institutions. Each Fellow will also receive $75,000 in discretionary funds to support their research, scholarship, collaboration, and dissemination while at UT Austin. There are no teaching expectations for this fellowship. Harrington Fellows will benefit from opportunities to interact regularly with one another and with prominent campus research leaders, providing additional opportunities for collaboration, career development, and academic growth.

Eligibility

Tenure-track or tenured faculty from any discipline whose research addresses the area of energy are invited to apply. Fellowships are open to early- and mid-career faculty who will be within 10 years of the initial year of their first tenure-track faculty position during the 2026-27 academic year. Applicants whose faculty appointments are not at UT Austin will be prioritized, but faculty with current appointments at UT Austin are eligible to apply. Applicants must be willing to relocate to Austin, TX, and to remain in residence at UT Austin for the full 2026-27 academic year (August 2026 to May 2027) and have the option to remain for up to 11 months. Applicants are not required to be US citizens. We welcome applications from faculty at institutions from around the world who are eligible for J-1 visas.