Application is now open for the Knight Science Fellowship at MIT. Interested candidates are encouraged to send in their applications before the deadline date.
About Knight Science Fellowship
With a focus on reporting on science, health, technology, and the environment, the Knight Science Fellowship at MIT provides support to a global network of committed and perceptive journalists. The program’s objective is to honor journalists from all over the world who exhibit a high degree of accomplishment, professional competency, and persistent dedication to their vocation. It encourages international journalists to apply and ensures that participants are given equal opportunities to partake in the program.
The MIT Knight Science Fellowship Program sponsors ten scientific journalists from diverse regions worldwide. Through this project, journalists can improve their technological, scientific, and journalism skills. Fellows can work with top research universities around the world through the program, which allows them to specialize in a particular area of science.
The fellowship offers a venue for journalists to meet with experts, professors, and professionals in their chosen scientific subjects. Fellows gain a unique and valuable experience from this engagement that helps them become more proficient reporters and gain a deeper knowledge of difficult scientific subjects. Through accurate and perceptive science writing, the program helps to build a global community of journalists.
By fostering collaboration and knowledge sharing, the Knight Science Fellowship at MIT plays a key role in supporting the progress of science journalism and developing a greater understanding of scientific discoveries and their implications on a worldwide scale.
Details about the Knight Science Fellowship at MIT
Scholarship Sponsor: Knight Science Journalism MIT
Scholarship Value: $85,000 | Allowances | Health Insurance
Number of awards: 10
Study level: Fellowships
Host Institution(s): Knight Science Journalism MIT
Benefits:
- An $85,000 stipend, distributed in increments over 9.5 months, is awarded to fellows.
- Allowance for relocation
- Every colleague and their family will receive basic health insurance.
Eligibility Criteria for Knight Science Fellowship
Candidates must fulfill the following requirements to be considered for the Knight Science Fellowship:
- MIT requires full-time residence in the Boston/Cambridge area from mid-August through May for the academic year.
- Participate in training courses, seminars, and field trips that are organized by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program.
- Create a study plan with at least one science course every semester.
- During the Fellowship, avoid taking on an outside paid professional job unless the director has given written approval.
- During the school year, produce a thoughtful research project.
- Become full-time reporters, whether employed by a company or not. Writers and producers who work part-time are not eligible.
- Possess a minimum of three years’ worth of experience reporting on science, health, technology, and the environment.
- Become photojournalists, writers, editors, producers, illustrators, or filmmakers. Work for periodicals, newspapers, radio, television, and digital media falls under this category.
Note: Before applying for the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship, candidates cannot have completed a fellowship that lasted more than four months in the two years before.
Documents Required
The following materials are required to be submitted by each candidate interested in the Knight Science Fellowship:
- Expert Autobiography: Summarize in no more than 500 words the reasons you wish to apply for the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program and how it aligns with your career objectives.
- In your resume or curriculum vitae, briefly summarize your professional accomplishments, employment history, and educational background. (Freelancers ought to connect a list of their recent 12-month freelancing projects that they have achieved. Add the date of publication or transmission, the location, and each tale.)
- Research Project Proposal: Provide a 500-word synopsis of a project you want to work on during the fellowship year. Fellows are required to plan a project that maximizes their time and experiences at MIT by utilizing the resources and connections available to them. While the research project must have a foundation in journalism, it is free to follow any format, including multimedia, long-form, narrative series, video, audio, installations, etc., and is not restricted by rules.
Please note: A book proposal could constitute the research project, but fellows are not allowed to sell the idea or come in with a contract to produce a book during the fellowship year.
- Five Work Samples: Kindly submit five samples of your relevant work. Select samples that most accurately reflect your skills and areas of interest. For any work that was not created in English, kindly provide a translation.
- Three Expert Sources: Kindly submit three recommendation letters. Letters should be written by people who are acquainted with your work and should highlight your skills and dedication to journalism. The names and contact details of the recommenders will be supplied by the applicants on the application form, and the recommenders will automatically get letter requests.
Application Process for Knight Science Fellowship
Interested and eligible candidates for the fellowship should apply here. For further inquiries, please email knight-info@mit.edu. You can visit the official website for further details.
The Application Deadline is: January 15, 2024
Not interested in this particular scholarship? See other USA scholarships here.