Want 3 Years of Research Freedom? Here’s What the Klarman Fellowship at Cornell Offers

In Short: The Klarman Fellowship at Cornell University provides postdoctoral scholars with the rare opportunity to pursue research without the pressures of teaching or grant requirements. Apply by Oct 15, 2025.

This fellowship program at Cornell University offers postdoctoral opportunities to early-career scholars of exceptional talent and promise. It is one of those opportunities that sounds almost too good to be true if you are just starting out as a researcher. They are essentially saying, 'Come here and bring your best ideas.' No heavy teaching duties, no endless grant hoops. Just freedom to do your work and push it in directions that might not fit into neat boxes.

It is run through the College of Arts and Sciences, which is huge. Natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, arts, stuff that mixes all of those together. They don’t really care if your work sits on the edge of disciplines. 

Location? Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Small town vibe, big winters.

Who gets to apply? You need a PhD, but not an old one. For the 2026 group, you must have finished after May 1, 2024. Too much experience past that, and you’re out. If you have already earned your PhD at Cornell or worked there for more than six months, also out. But an undergrad or master’s at Cornell is fine. So it is a little picky, but that is the deal. And you can’t apply without a Cornell Arts and Sciences faculty member agreeing to be your host.

As a Klarman Fellow, you basically design your own research project and see it through over three years. You don’t have to teach unless you want to. You’re not tied to producing results just to satisfy a grant. The only condition is that you actually live in Ithaca. You can travel for research, sure, but you are expected to be based there.

How to apply? The portal opens August 15, 2025. You’ll need your CV, a two-page research proposal, three letters of recommendation, and a sponsorship form signed by your Cornell host. They also make you do a quick self-review in the system before you can submit. The final deadline is October 15, 2025, at 12:00 hrs EDT.

If you need to seek more details, email [KlarmanFellows@cornell.edu](mailto: KlarmanFellows@cornell.edu).

To be honest, it is rare to find a fellowship that hands you this much independence. If you have got the spark and the right timing, this could be one of those career-shaping moves.