2025-2026 KSJ@MIT Fellowship Application

The Knight Science Journalism Fellowship Program at MIT supports a global community of dedicated and thoughtful journalists specializing in science, health, technology and environmental reporting. The program is designed to recognize journalists from around the world 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 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.

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 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.
• 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.
• Produce a well-thought-out research project during the academic year.

Each applicant must submit the following documents: 

• Professional Autobiography: 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.
• 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.
• Five Work Samples: Please provide five 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 three letters of recommendation. Letters should come from individuals familiar with your work and should comment on your abilities and your commitment to journalism. Applicants will provide the names and contact info for their recommenders in the application form, and letter requests will be sent to the recommenders automatically.

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

November 15, 2024: Application Opens

January 15, 2025: Application Closes at 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time. References are strongly encouraged to meet this deadline, but they are given a grace period until January 21 to upload their recommendation letters. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

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

Early March: From the initial pool of applicants, semifinalists are selected to participate in a round of video interviews. Semifinalists are typically notified of their status in early March. If you are not selected as a semifinalist, you will be notified at this time.

April: The 10 recipients of Knight Science Journalism fellowships are usually announced in April.