Applications Invited for Knight Science Journalism Academic-Year Fellowship

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About the Organization

The Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT seeks to advance science journalism in the public interest by nurturing and enhancing the ability of journalists to accurately and thoughtfully illuminate science and its intersection with human culture.

About the Program

Every year, the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT offers academic-year fellowships to 10 science journalists from around the globe, giving them an opportunity to explore science, technology, and the craft of journalism; to concentrate on a specialty in science; and to learn at some of the top research universities in the world.

While in Cambridge, fellows will pursue a research project that uniquely leverages the resources and connections available to them at MIT and in the surrounding greater Boston area.

The research project must be journalism related. Previous fellows have used their time to: conduct research and reporting for a long-form narrative or story series; develop multimedia, video, and audio reporting projects; do research for a book proposal; and build deep knowledge of a new area of science, among other project pursuits. Regular meetings are held to monitor and help with projects. Fellows deliver formal presentations about their projects at the end of the academic year; many projects are published as magazine articles, books, videos or podcasts after the fellowship ends.

The fellowship program is divided between activities arranged by the Knight Science Journalism staff and self-directed activities.

• Seminars: Fellows’ time in Cambridge is enriched by regular seminars from top researchers and media professionals.
• Field Trips: KSJ organizes several trips each year to locations of special interest to science and technology writers. Past destinations have included the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, MA, the Jackson Laboratory in Bar Harbor, ME, and the Harvard Forest in Petersham, MA.
• Skill-Focused Workshops: The number of storytelling channels open to journalists is multiplying, and we want our Fellows to return to the workforce with more technical skills than they had coming in. Each year we include a few skills-based workshops. Past workshops have centered around mobile video, still photography, digital editing, data journalism, and podcasting.
• Course of Study: Fellows audit courses at MIT, Harvard, and other colleges and universities in the area. As long as fellows include one science course each semester, they have immense flexibility in choosing the suite of courses they wish to attend. Professors of these classes must approve the fellows’ request to audit.

The program also organizes social activities — from welcome parties to holiday celebrations — to help build a sense of community. Fellows often report that life in Cambridge and the sense of collegiality within the fellowship class are among the most rewarding aspects of the year.

Benefits

• Fellows receive an $85,000 stipend paid out in installments over 9.5 months
• A travel and housing stipend paid near the start of the fellowship
• Basic health insurance for each fellow and their family

Eligibility

To be eligible for a KSJ Fellowship, applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Be full-time journalists, whether on staff or freelance. Part-time writers or producers are not eligible.
• Have at least three consecutive years of experience covering science, health, technology and environmental reporting.
• Be reporters, writers, editors, producers, illustrators, filmmakers, or photojournalists. This includes work for newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and digital media.

How to Apply

Applications for the 2026-2027 fellowship class opened on November 15, 2025 and will close on January 9, 2026. Apply Now→

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