Yale Planetary Solutions Doctoral Fellowship: Apply by April 14, 2025

In support of training leaders to solve the complex challenges of today – and tomorrow – Yale Planetary Solutions (YPS) is working in partnership with the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and the professional schools to offer the Yale Planetary Solutions Doctoral Fellowship.

The planetary crises we face are complex, intertwined, and existential: climate change, caused by greenhouse gas emissions from human activity, is altering the atmosphere, oceans, and land faster than at any point in recorded history. The result of the increasing temperatures and frequency of storms, droughts, and floods has disrupted ecosystem function and exacerbated biodiversity loss, which were already impaired by deforestation, land-use change, unsustainable resource extraction, and pollution.

Together, these crises impact human well-being, social systems, livelihoods, economies, and future development—as well as threaten the inherent value of the natural world. Given the scale and scope of the challenges—and recognizing the interconnectedness of the climate and biodiversity crises and their complicated relationship with humanity as the cause of and the solution to these challenges—Yale Planetary Solutions is driven to cultivate future leaders with the skills necessary to work in interdisciplinary and integrative systems. 

The fellowship will support a cohort of ambitious Yale Ph.D. students whose work contributes to the YPS mission, augmenting fellows’ studies by engaging with an interdisciplinary community working towards solving wicked problems. Fellows will also benefit by expanding their professional development through workshops, speaker series, stakeholder engagement, communication, social media, and more. 

Access the application portal here.

We will host two information sessions to answer questions about the YPS Doctoral Fellowships. Register to attend on March 6 or March 31 via Yale Connect. 

Fellowship Eligibility, Structure, and Benefits

Doctoral students from all Ph.D. granting programs across the university are eligible to apply to be fellows in either their first or second year of their program. Fellows will be admitted during the spring term to be part of a two-year cohort. 

Each fellow will receive a $3,500 top-up to their stipend for each year of the two-year fellowship. This top-up will be distributed in two disbursements, one at the beginning of each semester. Fellows will also receive a research support budget of $2,000 to be used at the fellow’s discretion in collaboration with their advisor over their time as a student.

The Appropriate Use of University Research Funds policy must be followed in utilizing this support. Each fellowship will extend for two years of the recipient’s doctoral program; the years the fellowship spans will depend on when the student is admitted. This fellowship and related funding can be deferred if the student elects to take any approved leave of absence. Students who leave the university for any reason forfeit all YPS funding. 

During their time as fellows, students will participate in professional development workshops on numerous topics including: communications skill building, systems thinking, change management theory, working across differences, financial resource management, grantsmanship, team building, working with people, and more. They will also have opportunities to explore the work of their cohort through research discussions and be supported in pursuing interdisciplinary projects and research with the potential for direct stakeholder engagement.

In addition to their research efforts, fellows will be expected to participate in Yale Planetary Solutions activities and service during their graduate education at Yale. Finally, an emphasis will be placed on building personal connections and appreciation for those in the cohort, and between cohort years. Following their formal fellowship period, fellows will still be invited to engage in program events as their time and interest allows. 

Program Admission Process & Application Portal

A multidisciplinary review team will review all applications submitted by the April 14, 2025 (midnight) deadline, and recipients will be notified by mid-May. Applicants will be reviewed based on: 

• How their research aligns with the work of YPS; 
• How their work contributes to planetary solutions, and the aspired for impact of their current and future work; 
• How participation in this fellowship will augment their training and prepare them to reach their goals. 

All applicants must also provide a letter of support from their advisor to participate.

Applications can be submitted through this portal. Fellowships will begin in September 2025, running through June 30, 2027. A new cohort will be admitted each year as long as funding allows. 

Please address any questions to planetarysolutions@yale.edu.