2025 Fellowship for Advancing Science Journalism in Africa and the Middle East

Fellowship for Advancing Science Journalism in Africa and the Middle East  

This new 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.

This will be a one-semester fellowship, held in the fall of 2025. The fellow will join other KSJ 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, 2025 to mid-December 2025.
• 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 provide the name and e-mail address 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 the application process, timing is subject to change:

November 15, 2024: Applications Open

January 15, 2025: Applications Close 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.

Late-January to early-March: Applications will be reviewed by a panel of distinguished science journalists and semi-finalists will be selected for video interviews.

Mid-March: The recipient of the fellowship will be selected. Applicants not selected will be notified by this time.

Mid-March to 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, 2025 and end date December 31, 2025.