Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship In Sustainability 2027 | Study in United States — Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability, Cornell University

Three years, a $65,000 salary, and a mandate to work on climate risk, energy transitions, food security, or One Health alongside both a Cornell faculty mentor and an outside partner organization. That is the shape of the Cornell Atkinson Postdoctoral Fellowship, and it is built for researchers who want their work to leave the lab and land somewhere useful.

Early-career scholars from anywhere in the world can apply, provided they hold a recent PhD and are ready to relocate to Ithaca, New York for the duration.

About the Scholarship

The Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability created this postdoctoral fellowship with support from David and Patricia Atkinson, and it reflects the center’s broader mission of pushing interdisciplinary research toward practical, real-world impact rather than leaving findings to sit in academic journals alone. Each fellow spends three years at Cornell University working under the joint guidance of a Cornell faculty mentor and a partner organization drawn from academia, government, the nonprofit sector, or private industry.

That dual mentorship structure is really the heart of the program. Rather than functioning as a standard academic postdoc focused purely on publication, fellows are expected to translate research into something an external partner can actually use, whether that is a policy recommendation, a new monitoring method, or a piece of applied technology. The center organizes this work around four priority areas: reducing climate risk, accelerating the transition to clean energy, strengthening food security, and advancing One Health, the field connecting human, animal, and environmental health.

Cornell itself is one of the world’s leading research universities, and the Atkinson Center sits at the intersection of several of its strongest departments, drawing collaborators from engineering, agriculture, public policy, and the natural sciences. Fellows join a community of postdoctoral researchers who meet regularly, share findings across disciplines, and receive structured professional development that goes beyond the research itself.

The requirement to line up both a Cornell mentor and an external partner before applying sets this fellowship apart from a typical postdoc search. It front-loads a lot of relationship-building into the application process itself, which can feel demanding, but it also means that by the time a fellow actually starts, the collaboration has already been tested and both sides know what they are getting into. That tends to reduce the awkward early months many postdoctoral placements spend figuring out scope and expectations.

Fellows are based in Ithaca for the full three years, which places them inside a genuinely rural, four-season upstate New York setting rather than a major metropolitan research hub. For some applicants that is part of the appeal, offering a quieter environment focused squarely on research. For others weighing a move from a large city or from abroad, it is worth factoring into the decision alongside the fellowship’s academic and financial terms.

Researchers still finishing a STEM graduate degree who are not quite ready for a postdoc might also want to look at the GEM Fellowship Program, which funds master’s and PhD study across many of the same engineering and science fields this fellowship later draws its applicant pool from.

Scholarship Benefits

This fellowship pays a genuine salary rather than a token stipend, and the support extends well past base compensation.

• An annual salary of $65,000
• Full Cornell University employee benefits
• $12,000 per year in dedicated research and travel funding
• Structured professional development through the Sustainability Leadership Program
• Training in science communication, strategic career planning, and collaborative leadership
• Ongoing support from Cornell’s Office of Postdoctoral Affairs
• Three full years of funded research time to build out a substantial project with real partner involvement

Eligibility Criteria

• Open to applicants from any country
• A PhD in a field relevant to the proposed research, completed by the fellowship start date but earned no earlier than 1 May 2025
• A secured PI-eligible Cornell faculty mentor and a confirmed external partner organization before submitting the application
• Primary residency in Ithaca, New York for the full duration of the fellowship, with no hybrid or fully remote arrangements permitted
• Full-time, in-person availability to work at Cornell throughout the fellowship period
• Applicants who earned their PhD from Cornell, or who are already Cornell postdoctoral researchers, are not eligible
• International applicants who require visa sponsorship will receive guidance from Cornell International Services once selected
• Applicants should confirm early that their proposed research fits clearly within one of the four priority areas, since projects outside climate risk, energy transitions, food security, and One Health are less likely to be competitive

Fields of Study Covered

Because the fellowship is organized around thematic priority areas rather than a single department, it draws PhD holders from a genuinely broad academic range, including:

• Climate science and atmospheric research
• Energy systems engineering and policy
• Agricultural science and food systems
• Environmental science and ecology
• Veterinary science and One Health research
• Public health and epidemiology
• Economics and public policy connected to sustainability
• Engineering disciplines applied to environmental or energy challenges

Required Documents

• Project Abstract, maximum 250 words
• Applicant Background Statement, maximum 250 words
• Description of the Proposed Project, maximum 1,000 words excluding references
• Impact Statement, maximum 300 words, with room for one page of supporting figures
• Updated Curriculum Vitae listing all published and accepted work
• Four separate letters of recommendation: one from the Cornell faculty mentor, one from the external partner organization’s primary advisor, one from the applicant’s doctoral advisor, and one additional professional reference

How to Apply (Step-by-Step)

1. Identify a PI-eligible Cornell faculty member willing to serve as mentor for the proposed research direction.
2. Secure commitment from an external partner organization in government, industry, academia, or the nonprofit sector to collaborate on the project.
3. Draft the required written materials, including the project abstract, background statement, full project description, and impact statement, keeping each within its stated word limit.
4. Arrange for four letters of recommendation to be submitted separately by the relevant recommenders.
5. Complete the online application through the official submission form, uploading the CV and all written materials.
6. Submit the full application package before the October deadline.
7. Prepare for possible visa sponsorship steps through Cornell International Services if selected and relocating from outside the United States.

Selection Process

Because applicants must already have a confirmed Cornell faculty mentor and external partner before applying, a significant part of the selection process happens informally before the formal application is even submitted. Reviewers then assess the completed application package for scientific merit, feasibility within the three-year window, and genuine potential for real-world impact through the external partnership.

The four letters of recommendation carry real weight here, since they come from four different vantage points: the academic mentor, the external partner, the doctoral advisor, and an independent professional reference. Together they are meant to give reviewers a rounded picture of both the applicant’s research ability and how well the proposed collaboration is likely to function in practice.

Tips to Improve Your Chances

• Start building the mentor and partner-organization relationships months before the deadline, since these connections take real time to establish and confirm
• Write the project description around a concrete, achievable three-year plan rather than an overly ambitious scope that would be difficult to complete
• Make the Impact Statement specific about who benefits from the research and how, since this fellowship prioritizes applied outcomes over purely theoretical contributions
• Choose a doctoral advisor recommender who can speak concretely to independent research ability, not just coursework performance
• Confirm the external partner organization is genuinely engaged and not just nominally listed, since reviewers can often tell the difference from the letter’s specificity
• Budget realistic time for the $12,000 annual research and travel allowance across the three years, and mention in the project description roughly how it would be used to support the proposed work

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to already have a Cornell connection to apply?

You need to secure a PI-eligible Cornell faculty mentor before applying, but you do not need to be a Cornell alumnus or have any prior formal relationship with the university. Reaching out to potential mentors ahead of the deadline is part of the normal application process.

Can I complete this fellowship remotely?

No. The program requires full-time, in-person residency in Ithaca, New York for the entire three-year duration. Hybrid or remote arrangements are not permitted under any circumstances.

What counts as an eligible external partner organization?

Partners can come from academia, government agencies, non-governmental organizations, or the private sector, as long as they are willing to actively collaborate on the proposed research and provide a letter of recommendation.

Is there a minimum time since completing my PhD?

The PhD must be completed no earlier than 1 May 2025 and finished by the fellowship start date, which places this opportunity firmly in early-career territory rather than open to more senior researchers.

How much research funding is available beyond the salary?

Fellows receive an additional $12,000 per year specifically for research and travel expenses, on top of the $65,000 annual salary and full Cornell employee benefits.

What happens if I need a visa to work in the United States?

Selected applicants who require visa sponsorship will work with Cornell International Services, who provide guidance on the appropriate visa category and process once the fellowship offer is confirmed.