Klarman Fellowships

Terms of the Fellowship

• Typically, ten Klarman Fellows are appointed each year.
• Klarman Fellows may be appointed for up to three years. Annual reappointment is subject to evaluation of scholarly progress by the faculty host and the College.
• The Klarman Fellowship may not be held concurrently with any other funded fellowship or employment.
• Fellowship start date is negotiable between 1 July and 1 September. 
• Candidates are usually notified of selection decisions between mid-December and mid-January. Cornell University also publishes an announcement of awardees once the cycle is complete.
• Klarman Fellows are provided an annual stipend of $80,000, plus Cornell benefits. 

• In addition to the annual stipend, Klarman Fellows are provided with an annual research fund of $12,000. Up to $2,000 in the first year may be used to help cover moving expenses (not including large non-household items such as automobiles, storage costs, or additional costs for more than one pick-up and/or drop-off location, or personal travel costs).

• Publications, presentations, and creative works drawn from research or activities conducted during the Fellow's appointment must acknowledge, verbally and/or in writing, the support of the Klarman Fellowship.

• Limited teaching may be allowed by prior approval as part of the Fellowship, specifically if it supports the professional development of a Klarman Fellow.
• The Klarman Fellowship is a residential program based at Cornell University, and with the exception of limited absences for fieldwork, research trips, conferences, and the like, Klarman Fellows are expected to be in Ithaca during the Fellowship term.

How to Apply

1. The application portal for the next cycle will open on 15 August 2025.
2. All applications and supporting materials must be submitted electronically via the Klarman Fellows portal.
3. Three letters of recommendation and a Cornell faculty host sponsorship form must be submitted by Wednesday 15 October 2025, 11:59 pm EDT. Applicants with a Cornell faculty co-host must also secure a sponsorship form from the co-host. Applications without these materials submitted by this deadline will not advance for review (see below for details).
4. The full application must be completed, submitted, and received by the final deadline of Wednesday 15 October 2025, 11:59 pm EDT.
5. Applicants will be required to provide biographical information, including expected (or actual) date that the PhD degree will be conferred. Note that the PhD degree must be received before beginning the Klarman Fellowship.
6. Full CV in PDF format. List accepted publications (with DOI, if applicable). It is acceptable to list submitted publications in review or in revision, but do not list papers in preparation. Please list refereed publications separately from non-refereed publications, conference proceedings, etc. Do not include publication reprints.
7. Description of proposed research (maximum 2 pages, single spaced, 12 point font, 1 inch margins, PDF format). The applicant must describe their research clearly, concisely, and free of jargon so that its purpose, significance to advancing the discipline, and methodological rigor can be evaluated by faculty reviewers from diverse disciplines. In addition, the proposal must describe resources necessary to conduct the project and an informed evaluation of resource availability at Cornell.
8. Full name and contact information of the Cornell faculty host. The Cornell host must be an active tenured or tenure-track Cornell faculty member whose primary appointment is in the College of Arts & Sciences and who commits to supporting the Fellow throughout their fellowship appointment.
9. The prospective Cornell faculty host will receive a system-generated email with instructions for submitting their sponsorship form. We strongly suggest that applicants inform their Cornell faculty host to check their spam/clutter filters if necessary. It is the applicant’s responsibility to verify their host’s Cornell email address and to ensure that they complete the sponsorship form by Wednesday 15 October 2025, 11:59 pm EDT. Applications without a Cornell faculty host sponsorship form submitted by the deadline will not be reviewed.
10. Full name and contact information of three references, including the applicant’s doctoral advisor. References should be scholars who are very familiar with the applicant’s research and can speak in detail about their prior working relationship with the applicant, the importance of the proposed research, and the scholarly and professional qualities that enable the applicant to complete the proposed research successfully. Prospective Cornell faculty hosts or co-hosts should not be one of the three references. References may not be relatives, either direct or through marriage/domestic partnership, of the applicant. Except in rare circumstances, one of the three references should be the applicant’s primary doctoral advisor. For questions about exceptions, please contact KlarmanFellows@cornell.edu.
11. References will receive a system-generated email with instructions for uploading their letter. We strongly suggest that applicants notify their references to check their spam/clutter filters if necessary. It is the applicant’s responsibility to verify their references' email addresses and to ensure that they upload a letter of recommendation, in PDF format, by Wednesday 15 October 2025, 11:59 pm EDT. Applications without three letters of recommendation will not be reviewed.
12. Applicants will receive email verification when each reference submits their letter of recommendation. Note: once all materials are submitted, the applicant must log in to the application portal and click "review and submit" by the application deadline of 15 October 2025 at 11:59 p.m. EDT. For this reason, we strongly recommend that applicants request that their references submit letters one day prior to the application deadline. Applications that are not reviewed and submitted will not advance.
13. Applicants who proceed to the final stage of selection will be invited to participate in an interview via video conference with the selection committee.
14. Non-US citizens are welcome to apply.
15. Candidates will be notified of selection decisions from mid-December to mid-January.

Process Timetable

mid-August Application submission opens

mid-October Applications (including all letters of reference and faculty sponsorship form) due online

early December Finalists invited for interview (by video conference)

mid-December – mid-January Successful candidates are notified

1 July – 1 September Klarman Fellows will begin at Cornell

Contacts

If you have questions about the program or the application process, please contact the Klarman Fellows Office at: KlarmanFellows@cornell.edu.