Program Overview
Completing a fellowship or summer internship as part of doctoral training offers graduate students an opportunity to explore diverse career paths and gain invaluable experience. Announced in fall 2020, the GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowship program offers highly curated experiential opportunities for graduate students at nonprofit or public sector organizations that partner with the Graduate School.
Host organizations work closely with the Graduate School to set learning outcomes and professional development goals for these immersive experiences. Each fellowship is custom-designed for graduate students to apply discipline-specific skills, gain interdisciplinary project team experience, and receive one-on-one mentoring, all while contributing to the social impact mission of the organization. Fellows gain exposure to organizational dynamics and leadership strategies, participate in virtual meetings and/or presentations, and complete meaningful projects that address local, regional, national, and global challenges.
GradFUTURES fellowships are available during the academic year and/or during the summer. The average time commitment is 10 hours per week for the length of a semester and from 10-40 hours per week during the summer. Additional features of the GradFUTURES Fellowships program include:
- Projects designed in consultation with the organization to focus on the graduate student’s learning and acquisition of the competencies in the GradFUTURES competency framework
- One-on-one mentorship for the graduate student as well as periodic check-ins by the GradFUTURES team with mentors and the graduate students throughout the program
- Shared goal-setting for the experience between the graduate student and their mentor to focus on the individual needs and unique interests of the graduate student
- An application process that involves oversight and/or vetting by the GradFUTURES team, consultation with the Graduate School’s academic affairs team and the Davis International Center (for international students), and approval by faculty advisers
- Systematic assessment of the learning outcomes for these experiences in partnership with the organization is required
- Culminating project presentations by the fellow(s) to a broad audience at the organization with members of GradFUTURES team in attendance, whenever possible
Working closely with our colleagues in Corporate Engagement and Foundation Relations, Community & Regional Affairs, the Bendheim Center for Finance, the Pace Center, and the Center for Career Development to identify potential partnerships, we look forward to offering a range of host organizations. (Please note there may be limited GradFUTURES fellowships available with private sector organizations whereby students would be compensated directly by the organization. Compensation for paid opportunities within the private sector must follow the Graduate School's guidelines for graduate student funding.)
Announcing the Higher Education Leadership Fellowships!
As part of the GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowship Program, the new Higher Education Leadership Fellowships will offer Princeton graduate students the unique opportunity to learn first-hand from senior leaders at New Jersey’s public and private institutions– with a special emphasis on community colleges. Based on the popular University Administrative Fellowship program sponsored by the Graduate School, which offers Princeton graduate students the opportunity to learn about higher education administrative structures, policies, and strategies through a mentored experience, this new fellowship will provide graduate students with exposure to administrative leadership at various institutions throughout the state.
GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowship Opportunities:
GradFUTURES Fellowship Stories
GradFUTURES Fellowship Mentors & Fellows
"As ASA is largely reimagining and rebuilding its programs, we felt this was the perfect time to bring on a different, unique perspective to help shape our work. Having Pallavi Podapati's knowledge and experience in disability is adding so much value to our work on the intersections of ageism and ableism."
"My career trajectory is far from predictable, from art history and Latin American studies to internet policy and the Middle East. But art history taught me how to look closely at things and describe what I see, rather than what I expect to see. Latin American studies, including a semester abroad in Mexico and a lot of other travel, taught me how interconnected we all are. In my career and in my life, I aim to synthesize the best of the analog world I was born into with the digital world that has since emerged and do my small part to make it a better, more inviting place for all..."
I graduated in May 2020 with my B.S. in biomedical engineering from Washington University in St. Louis. I spent the summer after my graduation interning with the cell therapy team at MilliporeSigma before starting graduate school here at Princeton.
"As an incoming first year student with limited prior industry experience, this…
"One of my projects as a Responsible AI Institute GradFUTURES Fellow involved assisting the Department of Defense with a project to integrate responsible AI practices into its procurement process. This opportunity gave me the chance to direct my graduate studies towards helping an institution with a relatively under-the-radar but pressing issue."
After completing a BS at Rochester College and MTS and ThM at Emory University, Rebekah Haigh became a Fulbright Fellow at Hebrew University in 2017-2018. In 2018, she joined the PhD program in Religions of Mediterranean Antiquity at Princeton. While her dissertation centers on ritual and violence in ancient Judaism, she also explores the role…
Debbie Hart worked alongside NJ’s biotechnology industry leaders to establish BioNJ in 1994 and has been dedicated to building NJ’s life sciences ecosystem ever since. Debbie was named by Governor Murphy to the New Jersey Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology where she serves as Vice Chair; as co-chair of the New Jersey Higher…
I'm a fourth year graduate student working on Brexit and populism in the United Kingdom, where I am currently based. Whilst conducting fieldwork, I love growing my network and learning from other Princeton alums here in Europe who have gone in exciting directions.
I recently completed a University Administrative Fellowship with the…
Florence Hudson is Executive Director of the Northeast Big Data Innovation Hub at Columbia University, and Founder & CEO of FDHint, LLC, a global advanced technology and diversity & inclusion consulting firm. She is the project leader for the COVID Information Commons (https://covidinfocommons.net) funded by NSF, providing an open…
A scholar of Roman art and Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University, Margaret Kurkoski is primarily focused on the relationship between architecture and décor at ancient villas. Drawing from textual and archaeological sources, her work investigates how individual decisions concerning properties, whether enacted by patrons, architects, or…
Christos Maravelias is the Anderson Family Professor in the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment and the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. His research interests lie in the general area of process and energy systems engineering and optimization. Specifically, he is studying production planning and scheduling, supply…
Iris Palmer is a senior advisor for higher education and workforce with the Education Policy program at New America. She is a member of the higher education team and also works closely with the Center on Education and Labor. She provides research and analysis on the ethical use of predictive analytics in higher education, apprenticeship,…
Noel is a PhD candidate in molecular biology at Princeton University co-mentored by Dr. Joshua Rabinowitz and LSI fellow Shawn Davidson.
"I was able to explore careers beyond academia as soon as I got to Princeton University- the support system for career and professional development has been astounding. The GradFUTURES Social…
"My fellowship with the American Society on Aging focused my thinking on larger sociopolitical issues and allowed me to apply my research in rewarding ways, all while collaborating with a fantastic team of dedicated individuals."
"I would without qualification recommend an internship at the Foundation for anyone looking for a varied, challenging summer work experience and a cultural introduction to London."
Anne-Marie Slaughter is the CEO of New America, a think and action tank dedicated to renewing the promise of America, bringing us closer to our nation’s highest ideals. She is also the Bert G. Kerstetter '66 University Professor Emerita of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. From 2009–2011, she served as…
Elaine Tsui is a Ph.D. Candidate in Chemistry, where she studies the development of new catalytic methods in organic synthesis. Prior to coming to Princeton, she received a B.A. in Chemistry and English from Wesleyan University and worked in patent litigation in Washington, D.C. Elaine was a GradFUTURES Fellow at New America's Future of Land…