Brinson Prize Fellowship Program

The Space Telescope Science Institute is collaborating with The Brinson Foundation to support the Brinson Prize Fellowship Program. These fellowships are awarded to early career astrophysicists and cosmologists who are committed to chasing bold ideas with creative, nimble, and innovative research.

These awards focus on supporting research in observational cosmology, in particular that which complements and capitalizes on space science, including topics such as the first stars, the cosmic distance scale, and the development of large-scale structure. The proposed research can include a theoretical or instrumental component, but must have a clear link to observational activities from either ground or space. This may encompass the analysis of large survey datasets.

Brinson Fellowships are tenable at the U.S. institutions listed below. The fellowship provides up to three years of support for independent research, including an annual research stipend.

Important Dates and Deadlines

• September 10, 2025: Announcement of opportunity issued
• September 11, 2025: Application website opens
• November 6, 2025, 7:00 p.m. EST: Applications due
• November 27, 2025, 7:00 p.m. EST: Letters of reference due – Extended deadline to accommodate U.S. government shutdown
• February 2026: Offers made

Participating Institutions

• California Institute of Technology
• Cornell University
• Johns Hopkins University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Northwestern University
• Princeton University
• Stanford University
• University of Arizona
• University of California, Berkeley
• University of Chicago

Application Information

Applications for the Brinson Prize Fellowships are now closed. The deadline was Thursday, November 6, 2025.