Schmidt Sciences, in partnership with the Rhodes Trust

Schmidt Science Fellows

Schmidt Science Fellows takes scientists who are finishing a PhD and pays for them to switch fields: one to two years as a postdoc in a different discipline, in a lab of their choosing anywhere in the world. It was launched by Eric and Wendy Schmidt in 2017 with the Rhodes Trust, and has since chosen 241 fellows across nine cohorts. Candidates cannot apply on their own; their university must nominate them.

Official site How to apply

Level: Postdoc
Study or work in: Anywhere in the world, in a different lab from the PhD
Who can apply: PhD in the natural sciences, engineering, mathematics or computing, finished in the cycle's window, nominated by a partner university
What it covers: Financial support for a postdoctoral placement of one to two years, a 12-month Science Leadership Program and one-to-one mentoring
Length: One to two years
Application window: Nominations by mid May, applications May to July, selection in March (2027 cohort: nominations by 15 May 2026)

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How to apply

Ask your PhD-awarding university about its internal nomination round. Nominated candidates apply online with transcripts, a CV, publications, recommendation letters, a personal statement and a proposal for research in a new field; finalists have an online panel interview.

The idea: a deliberate change of field

The programme is built around what it calls an interdisciplinary pivot. Fellows leave the discipline of their PhD and spend their postdoc in a new one, and the programme expects the research proposal to be a genuine and ambitious change of focus. The 2026 cohort's research includes climate and conservation, quantum materials, novel therapeutics and advanced diagnostics.

Fellows may do their placement in any suitable lab anywhere in the world, but not in the lab where they did their PhD. After selection, new fellows are encouraged to take time over the choice and agree their research plan and host lab with the programme's Academic Council, whose senior scientists also mentor them one to one.

Who can apply

For the 2027 cohort, candidates must complete every requirement for their PhD, including the defence, between 1 May 2026 and 30 June 2027. The PhD must be in the natural sciences (astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics or earth sciences), engineering, mathematics or computing. The programme normally excludes students on clinical-track MD-PhD or veterinary PhD programmes, PhDs in social or political science or economics, and proposals to pivot into those fields.

Candidates must be nominated by the university that awards their PhD, and that university must be one of the programme's nominating partners. Each partner runs its own internal selection before the nomination deadline.

What fellows receive

The fellowship gives financial support for a postdoctoral placement of one to two years. Fellows normally may not receive awards or pay from other organisations at the same time.

Alongside the research, fellows take a 12-month Science Leadership Program that includes three week-long convenings, and they join a community of past fellows. The programme describes four parts to the fellowship: support for the placement, the community, one-to-one mentoring, and leadership training.

How selection works

University nomination. Each nominating partner chooses its candidates through its own process and nominates them by the deadline (15 May 2026 for the 2027 cohort).
Application. Nominated candidates apply between late May and mid July (19 May to 13 July 2026), sending preliminary information first (by 1 June 2026) and then the full application.
Academic review. Discipline-specific panels of senior researchers review the applications between August and February.
Final interview. Shortlisted finalists have an online panel interview with senior figures from academia, business and society.
Selection and placement. The cohort is chosen in March (March 2027), and new fellows then work with the programme team to confirm their placement, which starts in July or October.

Questions

Can I apply directly?

No. Your PhD-awarding university must be a nominating partner and must nominate you.

How competitive is it?

Very. The programme expects to select around 30 fellows a year.

Where can I do the placement?

In any laboratory anywhere in the world that fits the programme's vision, but not the lab where you did your PhD.

When does the fellowship start?

Placements begin in July or October.

Can I hold another fellowship too?

Normally not; fellows are not usually allowed other awards or pay from other organisations during the fellowship.

Do I need to have finished my PhD when I apply?

No. For the 2027 cohort applications closed on 13 July 2026, but the PhD, including the defence, can be completed as late as 30 June 2027.

Which subjects have fellows moved into?

The 2026 cohort is working on research that includes climate and conservation, quantum materials, novel therapeutics and advanced diagnostics.

Is it only for universities in the United States?

No. The 2026 fellows were nominated by 25 institutions across North America, Europe, Asia and Australia, and the community spans more than 70 institutions worldwide.

Who runs it?

It is an initiative of Schmidt Sciences delivered in partnership with the Rhodes Trust.

Related programmes

Sources

Official pages last checked 27 September 2026.