Fulbright Scholar Award Opportunity

Jun 19, 2026 | Announcements, Vol 62 Issue 2

Two people overlooking icy Antarctic landscape and mountains

We are excited to share that Fulbright has launched the U.S.-Chile Fulbright Antarctic Science Exchange, a first-of-its-kind bilateral award between Chile and the United States focused on Antarctic scientific research. Designed for early-career scientists, academics and postdoctoral researchers holding U.S. citizenship, the deadline to apply is September 15, 2026.

Program Description and Timeline:

This program, in partnership with Chile’s Instituto Antártico Chileno (INACH), will bring together early-career scientists and postdoctoral researchers from both countries for collaborative field research.

The focus of the cohort’s research will be Frontiers of Life: Antarctic Biological Systems from Genes to Ecosystems, with participants exploring how life survives and adapts in one of Earth's harshest environments. Participants will examine strategies Antarctic organisms use to withstand extreme cold, intense radiation, and scarce resources.

The program follows a year-long cycle from May 2027 to May 2028, beginning with virtual collaboration as the cohort develops a shared research framework under INACH’s scientific leadership. U.S. scholars will travel to Chile in late 2027 for approximately five to six weeks to join their Chilean counterparts. Working on King George Island, the cohort will study the diversity of Antarctic ecosystems, investigate how organisms adapt at the cellular and molecular levels, and explore the potential applications of these adaptations in biotechnology and other fields.

This program requires a 5-6 week in-person component on King George Island, with the rest of the program consisting of virtual meetings with U.S. and Chilean counterparts. Individuals with or without other full-time positions in the U.S. are eligible to apply provided they can commit to attending the 5-6 week program in Chile. In addition to the rare opportunity to work on King George Island, program participants will be able to establish valuable scientific connections and partnerships with colleagues from the U.S. and Chile.

For more details on program structure and requirements, please see the award page.

Eligibility:

Applicants must:

Hold U.S. citizenship; dual U.S.-Chilean citizens are ineligible to apply.
Be a postdoctoral researcher or early career academic and/or scientist, defined as someone who has been working in the capacity of a teacher or scholar for no more than seven years.
Hold a PhD or other terminal degree in one of these fields:
- - Environmental Sciences
  - Biology
  - Biochemistry
  - Chemistry
Meet other Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program requirements, outlined on this page.

Interested candidates should apply by the September 15 deadline.

For any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to IIE Program Officer Conor Lane at antarctica@iie.org. Please also sign up for our Fulbright newsletter here.

Fulbright Scholar Award Opportunity

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