Gruber Foundation Fellowship in Astrophysics 2026 (up to $25,000) – YOA

Deadline: March 1, 2026

Applications are open for the Gruber Foundation Fellowship in Astrophysics 2026. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) is happy to invite purposes for the 2026 Gruber Foundation Fellowship in Astrophysics, a prestigious program supported by The Gruber Foundation (GF). This fellowship is designed to help early-profession astronomers and promote the development of cosmology and different branches of astronomy.

The Fellowship will probably be awarded to extremely promising early-profession astronomers working in any area of astrophysics, together with theoretical, observational, or experimental analysis. The Gruber Foundation supplies funding of US$ 75,000 per 12 months, usually divided amongst three recipients as a analysis grant to cowl journey and analysis bills in help of a postdoctoral appointment at a bunch establishment. The postdoctoral appointment for the 2026 Gruber Foundation Fellowship in Astrophysics should start no later than 1 October 2026. The fellowship could also be mixed with different awards.

Funding

• The whole grant (US$ 75,000) will probably be divided usually between three impartial awardees (US$ 25,000 every).
•  The grant will probably be paid straight to the recipient(s).
•  The proposed finances ought to cowl solely the interval for which the applicant has confirmed employment on the time of application.
•  The fellowship can’t be used to lengthen an present postdoctoral place past the confirmed interval of employment.
•  A small portion of the grant (up to 10%) could also be used to complement wage if the host establishment absolutely covers all relevant wage-associated prices (pensions, medical insurance, and so on.), topic to approval by the IAU General Secretary. An in depth justification have to be supplied.

Eligibility

Eligible candidates are early-profession astronomers inside three years of PhD protection who meet one of many following situations on the time of application:

• Final-year PhD college students: Must have a confirmed contract provide for a postdoctoral place. The PhD have to be efficiently defended by the fellowship begin date (no later than 1 October 2026).
• Early-career astronomers: Must be in a postdoctoral appointment and have at the least one 12 months of confirmed employment remaining from the fellowship begin date.
• Transitioning to a brand new postdoctoral place: Must have a contract provide for a second postdoc beginning no later than 1 October 2026.

The three-12 months eligibility interval is measured from the PhD protection date to the proposed fellowship begin date. Officially documented profession breaks (e.g., parental go away, medical go away, or necessary army service) don’t depend towards this restrict.

The host establishment should:

• Be a acknowledged middle of excellence in the applicant’s analysis area.
• Be situated in a special nation from:
  •  The PhD-granting establishment (for first postdocs).
  •  The earlier postdoctoral establishment (for second or subsequent postdocs).
• Provide primary wage and analysis amenities, because the GF grant primarily covers journey and analysis bills.

Application

The deadline for fellowship purposes is March 1, 2026 at 11:59 PM Paris Time, UTC+1.

Click here to apply

For extra data, go to Gruber Foundation Fellowship in Astrophysics.