The American Physical Society’s M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship awards up to $45,000 to support physicists returning to research after a career interruption. Learn about eligibility, funding, and the application process.
The American Physical Society (APS) offers the M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship, a prestigious research fellowship that helps physicists resume their research careers after taking a professional break. The fellowship provides up to $45,000 in funding for one year and supports researchers returning to physics through financial assistance for salary, research expenses, dependent care, travel, and tuition.
Established in memory of accelerator physicist M. Hildred Blewett, the fellowship aims to reduce barriers that may prevent talented researchers from re-entering the scientific community after career interruptions.
Fellowship Overview
The M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship provides a one-year award of up to $45,000.
Funding may be used for:
- Salary support
- Research-related travel
- Scientific equipment
- Tuition and fees
- Dependent care (up to 50% of the award)
Institutional overhead or indirect costs are not permitted under the fellowship.
Purpose of the Fellowship
The fellowship was created to enable researchers to restart careers in physics after interruptions caused by personal or professional circumstances.
Although originally established to support women returning to research, APS states that the fellowship is open to any physicist making a transition back into a professional research career following a career interruption.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must:
- Be a U.S. or Canadian citizen, legal resident, or resident alien authorized to work in the United States or Canada.
- Have completed work toward a Ph.D. in physics or a related field.
- Obtain written confirmation from a U.S. or Canadian institution stating they will have an institutional affiliation during the fellowship period.
Applicants do not need to have an institutional affiliation when submitting their application, but one must be secured before the fellowship begins.
What the Selection Committee Looks For
Applications are evaluated based on several factors, including:
- Academic and professional qualifications
- Career achievements prior to the interruption
- Steps taken to return to physics research
- Connection to the research community
- Long-term career plans
- Scholarly significance of the proposed research
- Quality and feasibility of the research project
- Expected impact of the fellowship on the applicant’s career
Required Application Materials
Applicants are expected to submit:
- Application through the APS portal
- One to three letters of recommendation
- Institutional support letter
- Documentation describing the proposed research and career plans
One recommendation letter—preferably from a mentor or institutional representative—should specifically explain how the fellowship will help the applicant successfully return to research and contribute to long-term career development.
Funding Duration
The fellowship provides one year of support.
APS notes that the program is intended to facilitate a successful transition back into research and that funding is generally not renewed beyond the initial award period.
About M. Hildred Blewett
The fellowship honors M. Hildred Blewett, an accelerator physicist whose career contributed significantly to the field of physics and the U.S. scientific community.
Through a generous bequest, she established this fellowship to help researchers overcome career obstacles and re-enter the profession.
Why This Fellowship Matters
Career interruptions can occur for many reasons, including caregiving responsibilities, family commitments, health issues, or other life events. The M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship provides financial support that enables talented physicists to rebuild research programs, reconnect with collaborators, and continue contributing to scientific discovery.
For researchers seeking to restart a career in physics, this fellowship represents one of the leading funding opportunities dedicated specifically to career re-entry.
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