Fellowships, Scholarships, and Awards
Incoming and continuing graduate students are eligible for special awards, fellowships, and scholarships offered on a competitive basis. No applications are necessary for any of the incoming graduate student awards. All graduate program applications are considered by the Chemistry PhD Admissions and Recruiting Committee for incoming student awards including the Dalton and ARCS Fellowships.
Excellence in Chemistry Graduate Awards
Fellowships for incoming students are granted by the Chemistry PhD Admissions and Recruiting Committee based a holistic review of the application to the Ph.D. program, including considerations of academic and research achievements. These departmental fellowships augment a graduate student’s stipend, and are made possible through the generosity of our donors, many of whom are alumni. Current students may be selected to receive merit-based awards on an ad hoc basis, typically with the support of endowment-derived funds.
ARCS Fellowships
The Seattle Chapter of ARCS Foundation (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) provides financial awards to the nation’s most outstanding graduate students in the fields of medicine, science and engineering. More information on the ARCS Fellowship is available from the UW Graduate School.
Larry R. Dalton Term Ph.D. Fellowship in Chemistry
The Dalton Fellowship recognizes incoming students who have demonstrated outstanding scholarship and will enhance the diversity of our graduate student population. The award provides financial support across multiple years of graduate study, including: 1) funding for summer research prior to graduate enrollment, 2) an unrestricted supplementary stipend awarded during the first year of graduate study, and 3) four quarters of departmental research assistantship funding beginning their second year. This fellowship program is made possible by a generous gift from Professor Emeritus Larry Dalton and Dr. Nicole A. Boand through the PhD Fellowship Initiative of 2019.
Summer Research Acceleration Fellowship
Departmental fellowships are available to fund research during the summer quarter immediately preceding graduate enrollment. If you are a domestic student interested in carrying out summer research, please contact the specific faculty member with whom you would like to work to see if funding is available.
Chemistry Husky Awards
Incoming PhD students are eligible for a $1,000 stipend paid in their first quarter of study, funded by donor support through endowed student support funds. This stipend was established in 2022 by the Department of Chemistry PhD Admissions and Recruiting Committee. There is no separate application process for these stipends, as all graduate program applications are considered for these stipends by the Admissions Committee.
External Fellowships
Highly-qualified undergraduate students are encouraged to apply for pre-doctoral fellowships through the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Hertz Foundation at the beginning of their senior year of college.
UW Funding Opportunities
Chemistry graduate students are eligible for Molecular Biophysics Traineeships. These usually are awarded to second-year students and are renewable for up to three years.
The Grants and Funding Information Service (GFIS) is a resource for finding funding opportunities.
Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award
The Department of Chemistry sponsors an Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award. Chemistry Teaching Assistants and Teaching Associates are eligible to be nominated for this award of $500 which will be recognized at the Department of Chemistry's annual Awards Dinner in the spring.
Nominations are due on March 1 annually. TAs from Winter 2022, Spring 2022, Summer 2022, and Autumn 2022 will be considered in March 2023. Nominations are accepted from students and other faculty, instructors, staff, and grad students who have worked with the TA. Submit your nomination via this nomination form (UW NetID required).
In the nomination application, provide specific reasons and cite examples in support of why the Selection Committee should consider your TA for this award. How has the TA impacted your learning? How has the TA impacted your ability to succeed in the class? Has the TA had an impact on your educational experience beyond this class (study habits, etc.)?
Alma Mater Travel Awards
Students who are selected for this opportunity will receive reimbursements to cover domestic travel expenses to the institution where they received their undergraduate degree to present a seminar on their Ph.D. research. The purpose of this award is two-fold: it provides our graduate students with a professional development opportunity, and it contributes to our graduate program recruitment efforts.
Applications are reviewed by the PhD Admissions and Recruiting Committee. Competition for these travel awards is open to all UW Chemistry graduate students that have passed the second year exam and are in Good Academic Standing.
The Travel Award will be provided to selected students only for reimbursement of travel and accommodation expenses including:
- Airfare (depart Seattle the day before the talk, return to Seattle the day after your talk or on a red-eye flight the night of your talk)
- Ground transportation (public transit or Uber/Lyft) to and from Sea-Tac or parking/mileage
- Lodging (maximum 2 nights)
- Ground transportation to and from hotel in destination city
- Meal per diem
Reimbursements will follow standard UW travel procedures. Documentation is required.
Awards for Conference Travel
Details are forthcoming.
Prizes for Thesis and Research
Each year, the Department of Chemistry recognizes doctoral research with $1,000 prizes for best thesis in Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, and Physical Chemistry. Master's program research is recognized with $500 prizes for best thesis and excellence in research. Further details are forthcoming.