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The Sustainability Research Initiative (SRI) is launching a research fellowship program for ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder researchers from across academic units and disciplinary backgrounds. We believe that giving people dedicated time to dream big, in community with other talented people, will catalyze fundamentally different research approaches that can better match the complexity of sustainability challenges we are called to address.

The SRI Research Fellowship will serve as a catalyst for bold, interdisciplinary thinking, translating our research strengths into new and enduring collaborations, fundamental and applied research projects, and societal impact.Ìý

Fellowship structure

The fellowship will serve as an intellectual incubator that brings together a cohort of ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder researchers to build community and form transdisciplinary teams to tackle some of our most pressing sustainability challenges. Our goal is to attract participants from across disciplinary backgrounds and ways of examining sustainability. The fellowship will consist of a combination of focused and facilitated work, a monthly public seminar series, opportunities for sustained conversations that can form the foundation for research proposals funded by the SRI, and opportunity to co-organize workshops with SRI, based on emergent topics of interest. The goal is to move beyond interdisciplinary toÌý °ù±ð²õ±ð²¹°ù³¦³ó.Ìý

We are looking for visionary sustainability researchers who are keen to step outside their disciplines and ways of conducting research, strive to build community among other researchers on campus, and who are willing to actively participate in the fellowship withÌý.Ìý

Eligibility

All ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty, Instructors and Senior Instructors (including Teaching Assistant Professors, Teaching Associate Professors, and Teaching Professors), and Career Track Research Faculty (i.e., Research Professors Series, Senior Research Associates* (SRA), Staff, and Research Associates* (RA)) who hold an appointment of half-time or greater are eligible to apply. Adjoint professors are eligible as long as they submit a letter from their unit or department head confirming theyÌýhold a long-term appointment of half-time or greater.Ìý

Fellows Support & Expectations

Support: $5,000 for 1 year, to be dispersed as additional one-time pay or transferred into a ¶¶ÒõÂÃÐÐÉä Boulder discretionary account. In the last quarter of the fellowship, the SRI research fellows will be eligible to submit interdisciplinary group proposals for up to $150,000 in seed funding.

ÌýÌýNote: The fellowship does not provide a release from teaching, research, or service responsibilities.

Program duration: March 2026 – February 2027
Typical commitment: ~1–2 hours/month (plus two required retreats and several optional events)

Key Program Milestones

• March 2026 – Kickoff lunch
• Monthly (Spring & Fall) – 1-hour cohort meeting (optional catered lunch follows)
• April 2026 – Half day spring retreat andÌýTop ChefÌýstyle collaborative dinner
• June–July 2026 – Summer pause in fellowship programming
• August / September 2026 – Full day late summer / early fall retreat
• February 2027 – Fellowship wrap up celebration dinner

Application Requirements

1. CV or Portfolio representative of your work in sustainability

2. Short Answer QuestionsÌýto help the review committee assess the applicant’s potential for visioning, collaboration, andÌý engagement.

Applications are due January 23, 2026.

Fellows will be notified the week of February 2nd and the fellowship will kick off March 2nd.