Schmidt Science Fellows | The Schmidt Science Fellows Program, in partnership with the Rhodes Trust (home of the prestigious Rhodes Scholarships), aims to develop the next generation of science leaders to transcend boundaries, advance discovery, and solve the world's most pressing problems. Launched in 2017, the Schmidt fellowship offers a unique and unparalleled postdoctoral training opportunity. Awardees receive a $110,000 annual stipend and the opportunity to undertake full-time postdoctoral study for one to two years in a world-leading laboratory in a field different from that of their PhD. The program intends to give the world's best aspiring scientific minds a broader perspective, the ability to engage in an interdisciplinary way, and the opportunity to make a lasting impact in society. Fellows will be exposed to new topics, new ways of thinking, and new people that will help guide their future paths to success. The core of the program consists of a one-to-two-year postdoctoral experience in which fellows conduct research in a field-leading laboratory where they will focus on a discipline in the natural sciences, engineering, mathematics, or computing that is different from their existing area of expertise. Schmidt views this shift as a "disciplinary pivot," and this disciplinary pivot is central to the Schmidt fellowship. The goal of the pivot is to introduce fellows to the ideas, practices, methods, and cultures of other scientific disciplines, broadening the scope of their experience. The pivot should represent a genuine and innovative departure from the applicant's PhD studies, and it should enable the Fellow to achieve a scientific goal that is not possible while continuing their current course. Indeed, Schmidt discourages proposals that represent merely a logical progression from the applicant's PhD or proposals that attempt to cover multiple disciplines where only a superficial understanding of any one new area is likely to be gained. The program targets students nearing completion of their PhDs. Applicants must have earned, or be scheduled to earn, their PhD between May 15, 2024 and June 30, 2025. For more information, including award amount and selection criteria, see here: https://apps.grad.illinois.edu/fellowship-finder/SearchResult/Fellowship/4777 and https://schmidtsciencefellows.org/ ELIGIBILITY Applicants must: Attend an eligible university. The Schmidt program operates by invitation only, so only students at those invited universities are eligible for nomination. (The University of Illinois is an invited university). Receive a PhD in the natural sciences (astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics, and earth sciences), engineering, mathematics, or computing between May 15, 2024 and June 30, 2025 (Schmidt uses the deposit date, not the conferral date, as the official date for receiving the PhD). Be available for the entire period of the 2025 program, from April 2025 to July 2026, including onboarding activities, participation in the Science Leadership Program, and attendance at the Schmidt Science Fellowships Interdisciplinary Science Summit. Be nominated by their university.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE Students and nominators may not submit applications directly. All applications must first be submitted to the CS Awards Team. Students must be nominated by their department, and each eligible department may submit up to two nominations. Applications should be submitted as ONE PDF package with all required documents in the order outlined below to cs-awards@mx.uillinois.edu. Files should be named "LastName, FirstName - CS - Schmidt2025."
APPLICATION MATERIALS Please note that there are rigid formatting and length guidelines for many of these materials. Memo from the Department. This will be written on your behalf if you are chosen as one of the two CS students to be nominated. CV. Personal Statement. The statement should 1) describe your personal motivations, qualities, and interests and 2) describe how the Schmidt Science Fellows program would benefit you. This statement should not reiterate information found in your CV, dissertation summary, or fellowship research proposal. Instead, the statement should explain what personally drives your interest in research and should discuss your relevant activities and interests outside of research. The statement must be a maximum of two pages, single spaced, in Times New Roman with 12 point font and 1 inch margins. Applicants should keep the evaluation criteria (listed above) in mind as they prepare their statements. Collaboration Statement. The statement should describe your approach to collaboration and outline how you may develop, and lead, collaborative projects in the future. If you can, please provide evidence of working collaboratively, either in an academic or non-academic setting. The statement must be a maximum of one page, single spaced, in Times New Roman with 12 point font and 1 inch margins. Dissertation Summary. This summary should explain the main aims, methodologies, significance, and outcomes of your doctoral research. Please also describe what is innovative about the work and make clear what your specific contributions have been. The summary must be a maximum of two pages, single spaced, in Times New Roman with 12 point font and 1 inch margins. A supplemental one-page "References Cited" section is also allowed. Applicants should note that the campus review panel will be multidisciplinary and, as a result, the dissertation summary and the fellowship research proposal (see next item) should be written so that reviewers outside of the applicant's field can understand them. Fellowship Research Proposal ("the pivot"). This proposal requires two parts. The first part (approximately 1/2 page) explains how your proposed research constitutes an interdisciplinary pivot and describes the new skills, techniques, and knowledge you aim to acquire. This first part is foundational to the entire application as it must explain very clearly how and why your proposed research constitutes a pivot from what you have done thus far. The second part (approximately 1.5 pages) describes the research you propose to undertake through the fellowship. In this proposal, try to balance "big picture" thinking with a reasonable research plan. Your proposal should contain a clear description of the major problem you hope to address, an outline of your main hypothesis and objectives, an overview of the main methodologies you hope to adopt (and the skils you need to learn), and provide some context around the longer-term impact of your research. Be sure to include a descriptive title of your project. This proposal must be text-only, i.e., no graphics are allowed. The proposal must be a maximum of two pages, single spaced, in Times New Roman with 12 point font and 1 inch margins. References are allowed but must be included within the two-page limit. Three letters of recommendation, one of which must be from the advisor. Letter writers should keep the evaluation criteria (listed above) in mind as they prepare their recommendations. Letters should also address the candidate's proposed pivot. Current UIUC transcript (unofficial is acceptable).
Please note that the materials required by Schmidt for the national competition may differ from the materials required by the Graduate College for the campus competition. ALL STUDENTS CONSIDERING APPLYING (AND THEIR ADVISORS) SHOULD REVIEW SCHMIDT'S WEBSITE THOROUGHLY BEFORE PREPARING AN APPLICATION. A "STANDARD" RESEARCH PROPOSAL AND A "STANDARD" LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION STAND LITTLE CHANCE OF SUCCESS WITH THIS COMPETITION. MATERIALS SHOULD BE TAILORED TO THE IDIOSYNCRATIC GOALS OF THIS UNIQUE FELLOWSHIP PROGRAM. |
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