Postdoctoral Fellowship

Postdoctoral Fellowship

This highly competitive fellowship is awarded to outstanding future leaders in energy science who also emphasize collaborative work across research labs. Fellows must be co-sponsored by at least two faculty members of the Institute.

Our Current Postdoctoral Fellows

Past Fellows

Now Accepting Applications for the VIEST Postdoctoral Fellowship!

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(07/10/2025) - The Vagelos Institute for Energy Science and Technology (VIEST) at the University of Pennsylvania invites applications for the Vagelos Institute Postdoctoral Fellowship. This highly competitive fellowship is awarded to outstanding future leaders in energy science who also emphasize collaborative work across research labs. Completed applications are due by Monday, October 13, 2025. Final decisions will be announced by January 2026.

VIEST Postdoctoral Fellows will be supported annually with a $70,000 stipend and benefits, a $10,000 research fund, and up to $2,000 for professional travel. A one-time relocation reimbursement of up to $2,000 is also available. 

Eligibility and Qualifications

  • Fellows must be co-sponsored by at least two faculty members of the Institute. Applicants are encouraged to contact at least one faculty member well in advance of the application deadline to advise on proposal and collaboration development.

  • Applicants must have completed all requirements for their doctorate by the fellowship start date, and their PhD should have been awarded no longer than three years before the application close date. Fellows are expected to begin their appointment by September 1, 2026.

  • This program is intended to recruit outstanding new talent to Penn and is therefore limited to applicants who are not current Penn postdocs at the application deadline.

  • Fellows will be eligible for support for up to two consecutive years. 

  • VIEST Postdoctoral Fellows are expected to play a leadership role in the development of collaborative research throughout the Institute. The proven ability to thrive in a leadership role in a collaborative environment and highly developed communication skills will be critical skills for success.

  • Fellows are expected to be committed to their personal professional development and participate in training to improve skills in science communication and leadership.

How to Apply: Completed applications are due by Monday, October 13, 2025, and must include:

  • A joint letter of nomination from the proposed Penn postdoctoral sponsors.

  • Two (2) letters of recommendation. One letter must be from the applicant’s thesis advisor and comment specifically on the applicant’s ability to learn from and contribute to a multi-disciplinary and collaborative research environment. The second letter should be from an individual well acquainted with the applicant’s PhD research.

    • The nomination and recommendation letters must be on letterhead and emailed directly to Erika Martinez (erima@upenn.edu) by no later than 5 pm ET on October 13, 2025.

  • The applicant’s current CV.

  • A three-page research proposal detailing the work planned during the fellowship period. The proposed research must be aligned with the research priority of the Institute to address large-scale energy research challenges that would significantly mitigate climate change. The contribution that each faculty sponsor will bring to supporting the fellow in the research should be clear. References and/or Works Cited are not counted toward the three-page limit.

  • A two-page personal statement that includes a description of the applicant’s PhD research project (written for a scholar outside the major field of study), and a discussion of the applicant’s career goals.

    • The research proposal and personal statement must be standard letter-size page, 1-inch margins, and at least 11 pt font.

  • The CV, proposal, and personal statement must be combined into one pdf file and emailed to Erika Martinez (erima@upenn.edu) by no later than 5PM ET on October 13, 2025. Please use the subject “VIEST Postdoctoral Fellow Application - [Your Name]” and name the PDF attachment “YourNameApplication.pdf”.

Review Criteria: Postdoctoral Fellowships will be awarded on the basis of academic excellence, a demonstrated likelihood of leadership capability within the Institute and among the next generation of energy scientists and engineers, as well as the alignment of the research proposal with the goals and research priorities of the Institute.