Program Overview 

The Salata Institute Fellows Program accepts exceptional academics and practitioners working on climate change and sustainability for the purpose of supporting their scholarship or professional development. Fellows, in turn, enrich Harvard University’s community of scholars and scientists who are working on these issues. 

The Salata Institute evaluates candidates based on their contributions to addressing climate change and sustainability; their proposals for pursuing their scholarship or professional development as Salata Institute Fellows; and their interest in engaging in the academic activity around climate change and sustainability at Harvard University, especially in Salata Institute-sponsored endeavors, such as research projects, workshops, and events. 

Acceptance to the program is highly competitive. The Salata Institute awards up to five fellowships each academic year. Fellows may be scholars and scientists in any field that can contribute to advancing the Institute’s mission; or they may be leading practitioners with expertise and experience in climate change. The Program values diversity in all of its forms, including race and ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ideology, scholarly discipline, and professional practice. 

The Salata Institute expects fellows to be actively engaged in the life of the Salata Institute and, more broadly, the intellectual life of the Harvard community in climate and sustainability. Examples of such engagement could include attending our weekly Salata Institute lunch workshop, presenting research at seminars or workshops at the Salata Institute and around the University, participating in external engagement activities coordinated by the Institute, and, if there is an overlap of research interests, engaging with or participating in one of our new Climate Research Clusters. The Institute may also look to fellows to lead or participate in some activities to grow the climate research community. Such activities could include organizing an academic conference at the Salata Institute on a climate topic related to the fellows’ work, or organizing, or participating in a graduate student reading group. 

Fellows may also be invited to guest lecture; or they may audit classes with permission of the instructor. School departments may also invite fellows to teach courses, although any teaching appointment and any associated compensation are solely the purview of Harvard Schools, not of the Salata Institute. 

The Salata Institute hosts fellows for one or two terms per academic year. The Institute may also host Visitors – academics and practitioners, whose stay at Harvard ranges from a few days to a few weeks. While in residence, fellows and visitors are expected to spend most of their time on campus, except for travel conferences or other convenings associated with their projects. 

The Salata Institute may provide stipends to fellows, as detailed below. The Institute provides office space and administrative support. 

Application Process 

Fellows are admitted to the program either in the beginning of the fall or spring semesters. Fellows may be appointed for one semester or two consecutive semesters. Fall semester begins in September and ends in December; the Spring semester begins in January and ends in May. Fellows may be in residence at Harvard throughout the summer months preceding or following the semester in they are in residence, provided space is available. Extensions beyond a year are considered upon request. 

Visitors participate in the program at the invitation of the Salata Institute only. The Salata Institute does not provide any stipend to Visitors. 

Application deadlines: The deadline for 2025-2026 applications is January 31, 2025.

Visitor requests are considered on a rolling basis. 

Admissions decisions will be announced on the following timelines:  

• March for applications received by January 31, 2025.

Eligibility and Stipends 

Applicants from any discipline or professional field will be considered. (Postdoctoral students, predoctoral students, and current PhD or master’s students are ineligible to apply to this program. Harvard University fellowship programs that accept these types of applicants are found below.) 

Salata Fellows – Faculty 

Applicants must have a PhD or a terminal professional degree, and they must hold a tenured or a tenure-track position at their home institutions. 

If requested, the Salata Institute may offer stipends of one-half of a fellow’s base academic salary up to $90,000 a year ($45,000 per semester) and a research allowance of up to $5,000 for approved expenses directly related to their research. These payments support individuals in the pursuit of their scholarship, or research, of professional development. 

Applicants must indicate whether they are requesting full funding, partial funding, or no funding. 

Harvard faculty members interested in spending their sabbatical in residence as a Salata Fellow are eligible to apply for a non-stipendiary appointment.

Salata Fellows – Practitioners 

Practitioners who apply to the program must have held senior leadership positions in nonprofit organizations, governments, or the private sector.  Practitioners should have at least ten years of relevant professional experience and be recognized as leaders in their fields. 

Applicants should indicate whether they are requesting full funding, partial funding, or no funding. 

How to Apply 

To apply complete an online application, including the following documents: 

• Cover letter stating your background and interest in the Salata Fellows Program 
• Curriculum Vitae  
• Research or project proposal (suggested length 3-5 pages or 2,500 words) 
• Recent writing sample or work sample (suggested length under 30 pages or 7,000 words) 
• Three letters of recommendation (requested through the application portal) 

Criteria for Selection  

1. Significance and quality of the proposed research or project 
2. Record of achievement 
3. Potential for engagement in the academic activity around climate change and sustainability at Harvard University 

About Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University

Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders in many disciplines who make a difference globally. The University, which is based in Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts, has an enrollment of over 20,000 degree candidates, including undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Harvard has more than 360,000 alumni around the world. The University has twelve degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, offering a truly global education. Established in 1636, Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States.

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