Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution Grant

The Simons Graduate Fellowships in Ecology and Evolution support students entering U.S.-based Ph.D. programs focused on ecology and evolution. These fellowships encourage interdisciplinary research linking ecological and evolutionary studies to various STEM fields. Applicants should be entering or applying for relevant Ph.D. programs in fall 2025, and those with master's degrees in related fields are preferred. There are no citizenship requirements, and fellows must maintain enrollment at their host institution throughout the award period.

The purpose of these awards is to provide support for students entering U.S.-based Ph.D. programs with a plan to perform research in ecology and evolution. While we will consider all projects in ecology and evolution, we are particularly interested in interdisciplinary research that jointly considers processes on both ecological and evolutionary timescales, or that links studies of ecology and evolution to other STEM fields, including physics, computer science, mathematics, chemistry and other areas of biology, especially genetics.

Eligibility

Applicants must be entering or applying for Ph.D. programs in biology or a subfield of the life sciences during fall 2025, with matriculation to start no later than October 1, 2026. It is permissible for applicants to hold a master’s degree, and it is encouraged that they hold a master’s degree in physics, mathematics, computer science or engineering. Fellowships must be hosted at United States institutions, at a campus within the United States. In order to hold the fellowship, the fellow must maintain enrollment at the host institution throughout the award period. There are no citizenship requirements. Fellows are responsible for obtaining and maintaining the appropriate visa, if applicable.

Ineligibility

Individuals who already hold a Ph.D. or other terminal degree, or who have enrolled in a Ph.D. program prior to fall 2025, are not eligible.Individuals may not receive salary support from this fellowship concurrently with salary support from any other source.Simons Foundation employees who receive a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) from the Simons Foundation, including employees of the Flatiron Institute, may not apply as a principal investigator (PI) to any Simons Foundation or Simons Foundation International Requests for Applications (RFAs) released by the Simons Foundation.