The one-semester fellowship, hosted by the Knight Science Journalism Program (KSJ) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), was inspired by the life and career of Egyptian science journalist Mohammed Yahia. The fellowship was created in partnership with Springer Nature, publisher of Nature Middle East, which grew to be an important contributor to science reporting in the region under Yahia’s leadership from 2010-2023. 

The fellowship aims to enrich the training of a journalist from Africa or the Middle East so they can contribute to a culture of high-quality science and health journalism in those regions, as well as raising awareness of regional advances in the rest of the world.

In the fall of 2026, the fellow will join KSJ Academic-Year Fellows in a program of study at MIT and other Cambridge/Boston area universities and in the program’s seminars, training workshops and field trips throughout the semester.

To be eligible for the fellowship, applicants must:

• Be journalists based in Africa and/or the Middle East with at least three years’ experience reporting on science, health or environmental issues in the region. 
• Be reporters, writers, editors, producers, illustrators, filmmakers, or photojournalists. This includes work for newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and digital media.

Visa requirements 

The candidate who is selected for the fellowship must obtain a valid visa from the U.S. State Department. The visa is typically a J-1 visa, sponsored by MIT through the International Scholars Office (ISchO).

As a J-1 program sponsor, MIT is required to verify English language proficiency of all international fellows. Verification methods include the application interview(s) and/or an English language proficiency test (such as IELTS, TOEFL). Language proficiency tests are not required, but may strengthen applications of candidates whose first/native language is not English. 

Visa-related documentation is not required as part of the initial application.

The applicant selected to participate in the fellowship at MIT must meet the following expectations:

• Reside full-time in the Boston-Cambridge area for the MIT from August 16, 2026 to mid-December 2026.
• Attend field trips, seminars, and required training sessions arranged by KSJ.
• Develop a course of study that includes at least one science course. Fellows audit courses at MIT, Harvard and other area universities. 
• Refrain from outside paid professional work during the fellowship, unless written permission has been granted by the director.

Each applicant must submit the following documents: 

• Statement of Purpose: Describe, in 500 words or less, why you want to participate in the Fellowship for Advancing Science Journalism in Africa and the Middle East and how it fits with your professional goals.
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae: Provide a brief overview of your education, work history, and professional honors. (Freelancers should include a list of freelance jobs completed in the past 12 months. Include each story, venue, and date of publication or broadcast.)
• Three Work Samples: Please provide three (3) relevant work samples. Choose samples that best illustrate your interest and abilities. Please include a translation for any work not produced in English.
• Letter of Professional Reference: Please provide at least one (1) letter of recommendation; additional letters are optional. The letter should come from an individual familiar with your work and should comment on your abilities and your commitment to journalism. Applicants will enter the e-mail address for their referee(s) in the application form, and click send and an e-mail request will be sent to the referee(s).

The Application Process:  
The following timeline is an outline of the application process. Timing is subject to change:

November 15, 2025: Application open.

January 9, 2026: Application close at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time. The letter(s) of recommendation may be submitted anytime prior to January 9 and no later than January 15.

If you are a repeat applicant or discover KSJ fellowships from an older source, please note the January 9 deadline is earlier than in previous years. 

January to March: Applications will be reviewed by a panel of distinguished science journalists. Semifinalists are selected to participate in video interviews. Semifinalists will be notified of their status in early March. If you are not selected as a semifinalist, you will be notified at this time.

April: The recipient of the fellowship will be announced publicly.

Starting in mid-March: KSJ and MIT will work with the recipient on the visa sponsorship process for the start date of August 16, 2026 and end date December 31, 2026.

Every year, the Knight Science Journalism Program at MIT (KSJ) 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.

The program is designed to recognize journalists who demonstrate a high level of professional excellence and accomplishment as well as a long-term commitment to their craft. Journalists from all countries compete on an equal basis and are encouraged to apply.

To be eligible for a KSJ Academic-Year Fellowship, applicants must:

• 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.
• Applicants must not have completed a fellowship of four months or longer during the two years prior to applying for the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship.

KSJ Policy on Use of Artificial Intelligence in Applications: 

As a journalism program, we expect applications, including those for whom English is a second language, to be authored solely by the applicant without support from Artificial Intelligence (AI). AI tools may be used only for minor editing, including to identify grammatical or spelling errors. The use of AI tools to write your application or translate your answers from a language other than English is not allowed. If AI tools are used for editing any part of your application, their use must be disclosed within the application.

Requirements specific to international candidates:

International candidates who are selected for a fellowship must obtain a valid visa from the U.S. State Department. The visa is typically a J-1 visa, sponsored by MIT through the International Scholars Office (ISchO).

As a J-1 program sponsor, MIT is required to verify English language proficiency of all international fellows. Verification methods include the application interview(s) and/or an English language proficiency test (such as IELTS, TOEFL). Language proficiency tests are not required, but may strengthen applications of candidates whose first/native language is not English. 

Visa-related documentation is not required as part of the initial application.

If applicants are selected to participate in the KSJ Academic-Year Fellowship at MIT, they must meet the following expectations:

• Reside full-time in the Boston/Cambridge area for the MIT academic year, which runs from mid-August to May.
• Produce a well-thought-out research project during the academic year that effectively leverages local resources.
• Attend field trips, seminars, and required training sessions arranged by the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program.
• Develop a course of study that includes at least one science course per semester.
• Refrain from outside paid professional work during the Fellowship, unless written permission has been granted by the director.

Each applicant must submit the following documents: 

• A Statement of Purpose: Describe, in 500 words or less, why you want to participate in the Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program and how it fits with your professional goals.
• A Career Summary: Describe, in 200 words or less, your professional life to date.
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae: Provide a brief overview of your education, work history, and professional honors. (Freelancers should include a list of freelance jobs completed in the past 12 months. Include each story, venue, and date of publication or broadcast.)
• Research Project Proposal: Describe, in 500 words or less, a project you intend to develop during the fellowship year. The goal is for fellows to create a project that uniquely leverages their time and experiences at MIT, using the resources and connections available to them while they are here. The research project must be based in journalism, but it can expand beyond traditional parameters and be created in any format: long-form, story series, multimedia, video, audio, installation, etc.
  Please note: The research project may be a book proposal, but fellows may not sell the proposal during the fellowship year, nor may they arrive with a contract to write a book during the fellowship year.
• Three Work Samples: Please provide three relevant work samples. Choose samples that best illustrate your interest and abilities. Please include a translation for any work not produced in English.
• Three Professional References: Please provide the e-mail addresses of three people who can provide letters of recommendation to support your application. Letters should come from individuals familiar with your work and should comment on your abilities and your commitment to journalism, and what qualities you have that would allow you to benefit from a fellowship year. The applicant initiates the letter requests through Submittable. Note: Due to the large volume of applications, we do not contact references for all applicants and are unable to notify applicants before we contact references. 

The Application Process:  
The following timeline is an outline of our typical application process. Timing is subject to change:

November 15, 2025: Application opens.

January 9, 2026: Application closes at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time. Referees can submit letters of recommendation before January 9 and if needed, have until January 15 complete that process. 

If you are a repeat applicant or discovered KSJ Program information from an older source, please note the January 9  deadline is earlier than in previous years. 

January – March: Applications will be reviewed by a panel of distinguished science journalists, including KSJ Director Usha Lee McFarling, KSJ Associate Director Ashley Smart, and Undark Chief Editor, Tom Zeller Jr.

Early March: Semifinalists are selected to participate in video interviews. Semifinalists are typically notified of their status in early March, as are those who have not been selected as semifinalists. 

April: The 10 recipients of KSJ Academic-Year Fellowships are usually announced in April.