2022 Hertz Fellowship Application Now Open

The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the nation’s most promising innovators in science and technology, today announced that it is accepting applications for the 2022 Hertz Fellowship.

The Hertz Fellowship provides financial and lifelong professional support for graduate students in the applied physical and biological sciences, mathematics, and engineering. Fellows receive full tuition equivalent for up to five years, plus an annual stipend, freeing them from the traditional constraints of graduate training to pursue innovative projects that have real-world impact. 

In addition, Hertz Fellows take part in ongoing mentoring, symposia, and workshops with a powerful and connected community of more than 1200 peers, creating relationships that can accelerate their careers and broaden the applications of their work.

“This year’s candidates represent the next generation of leaders, disruptors, and shapers of science and technology in our nation,” said Derek Haseltine, director of the Hertz Fellowship Program. “We are looking forward to discovering their extraordinary potential.”

The fellowship’s merit-based selection process includes evaluation of written responses to application questions, letters of recommendation, and two rounds of rigorous, in-person interviews with current leaders in a variety of scientific and technical disciplines. In addition to academic excellence, the selection committee focuses on the exceptional and unique aspects of each candidate that are essential for future success: deep, integrated knowledge; creative problem-solving; a commitment to the greater good; and a record of leadership and achievement. 

The application period ends October 29, 2021. Fellowship finalists will be named in March 2022, and awardees will be officially announced in May 2022. 

The Hertz Foundation is committed to enhancing our nation's security and economic vitality, while fueling its global leadership in science and technology. It provides Hertz Fellows with the unparalleled research freedom needed to transform scientific discoveries into action. Through the Hertz Fellowship and access to the Hertz community, fellows are empowered to pursue bold ideas, potent collaborations, and promising opportunities.

Next year’s class joins a community of fellows comprising some of the nation’s most noted science and technology leaders, whose transformative research and innovation impact our lives every day. Hertz Fellows have developed the first handheld whole-body ultrasound system, saved lives with a simple test that reveals fake pharmaceuticals, are influencing companies to institute environmentally sound practices, and have proven the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe. 

Many Hertz Fellows have pivoted their work to join the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, inspired by the moral commitment each new fellow makes to take action in times of national emergency.

Over the Hertz Foundation’s 58-year history of awarding graduate fellowships, Hertz Fellows have established a remarkable track record of accomplishments. Their ranks include two Nobel laureates; two MacArthur Fellows; eight recipients of the Breakthrough Prize; and winners of the Turing Award, the Fields Medal, the National Medal of Technology, and the Wall Street Journal Technology Innovation Award. In addition, 43 are members of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, and 12 have been included in Forbes magazine’s “30 under 30” list in Science. Hertz Fellows have founded more than 200 companies and hold more than 3,000 patents.

The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation identifies the nation’s most promising innovators in science and technology, and empowers them to pursue solutions to the nation’s toughest challenges. Launched in 1963, the Hertz Fellowship is the most exclusive fellowship program in the United States, fueling more than 1,200 leaders, disruptors, and creators who apply their remarkable talents where they’re needed most—from the future of healthcare to the future health of our environment. Hertz Fellows hold 3,000+ patents, have founded 200+ companies, and have received 200+ major national and international awards, including two Nobel Prizes, eight Breakthrough Prizes, the National Medal of Technology, the Fields Medal, and the Turing Award. Learn more at HertzFoundation.org.