Stories

The 2026–28 Civic Science Fellows cohort will launch in September 2026. As 2026–28 host partners open applications for Fellows, we will share them here and in our monthly newsletter (see below to sign up). Envisioned as a Civic Science Lab, Fellows and partners carry out pioneering work to co-create pilots, partnerships, knowledge, models, and new ways of working that can help seed collaborations between science and society. All Fellows will engage as a cohort in a learning program and community, developed in collaboration with the network and an interdisciplinary committee of advisors.

The University of California Berkeley Center for the Science of Psychedelics is inviting applications for a 2026-28 Civic Science Fellow to help co-create strong, diverse, and inclusive connections between science and civic life through evidence-based approaches connected to science communication and community engagement. The Fellow will collaboratively plan, co-design, and execute an equity-driven project embedded within the Center’s mission and core pillars; synthesize complex scientific literature and qualitative insights; establish novel engagement methodologies; and create high-visibility reports, toolkits, or workshops. Learn more and apply here. 

The Science, Technology and Public Policy Program at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan is inviting applications for a 2026-28 Civic Science Fellow to support evidence-based policymaking at the Office of Agricultural Science and Research at Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. The Fellow will track key federal and state bills, hearings, and new developments; research and review literature and current landscape on topics central to the Department such as soil contaminants, water quality, PFAS monitoring, invasive species, and one health; and draft memos, briefs, reports, and strategies intended for a non-technical audience. Learn more and apply here. 

The Data Science Institute at Brown University invites applications for a 2026-28 Civic Science Fellow to help bridge foundational research in computational brain science with public engagement and community impact. Hosted by the NSF AI Research Institute on Interaction with AI Assistants (ARIA) dedicated to the joint scientific study of AI and human cognition with a focus on mental and behavioral health, the Fellow will develop and lead a research project connecting ARIA’s core scientific workstreams — cognitively-inspired AI, trustworthy human-AI interaction, or AI alignment — with ARIA’s participatory design workstream. Learn more and apply here. 

The Rockefeller University Center for Clinical and Translational Science is inviting applications for a 2026-28 Civic Science Fellow to contribute to a community-engaged research project focused on chronic infectious diseases at the intersection of basic and clinical infectious disease research, community engagement, and policy.  The Fellow will collaborate with community members and local organizations in conducting research on Chagas disease and other emerging and neglected infectious diseases within a unique environment that spans Rockefeller University, Clinical Directors Network (CDN), and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), providing exposure to both academic and community-based settings and the opportunity to help develop new approaches to health research and communication responsive to community needs. Learn more and apply here. 

The School of Social and Behavioral Sciences, part of the New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences at Arizona State University (ASU) invites applications for a 2026-28 Civic Science Fellow to help strengthen community-centered science communication and public engagement with science in Arizona. Working collaboratively with ASU faculty and community partners, the Fellow will co-develop and conduct applied social science research examining how scientists, institutions, and communities can engage more effectively, build durable trust, and support informed and inclusive decision-making. Learn more and apply here. 

The Center for Black Excellence and Culture and the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are seeking a 2026-2028 Civic Science Fellow to co-develop civically oriented scholarship focused on understanding and improving the flourishing and well-being of Black members of the Greater Madison, Wisconsin area. The Fellow will work to strengthen relationships between academic research communities and the broader Black communities locally; increase creating and dissemination of community led research; and develop and test community-informed, culturally grounded wellbeing practices within the Madison Black community. Learn more and apply here.

The Open Environmental Data Project is inviting applications for a 2026-28 Civic Science Fellow to help test small, local AI based on the idea that AI without place-based knowledge is incomplete, and that local knowledge should be a starting point for our work. The Fellow will explore how community values and participation requirements can be translated into technical specifications and governance rules for AI systems; what patterns of consent, licensing, and data stewardship should govern community-contributed training data; and how small, locally governed models can support community data sovereignty while remaining useful for environmental monitoring and decision-making. Learn more and apply here.

The Interdisciplinary Rural Health Equity Hub at Duke University invites applications for a 2026-28 Civic Science Fellow to help strengthen connections between scientific research and rural communities by supporting collaborative learning, community engagement, partnership development, and knowledge translation activities across the Hub. Working closely with academic and community partners, the Fellow will help identify priorities, facilitate collaboration, and contribute to the co-development of solutions that address rural health challenges. Learn more and apply here. 

The Evidence Project, part of the Philadelphia and Scientific Advancement portfolio at The Pew Charitable Trusts, is seeking a 2026-28 Civic Science Fellow to support work to expand and strengthen research capacities and infrastructure for public impact, especially through a council of university presidents and chancellors. The Fellow will drive outreach and engagement across higher education institutions, research funders, and other research organizations around implementation strategies for enhancing public impact developed by the Evidence Project and the council.  Learn more and apply here. 

Supported by the Civic Science Fellows program funding partners, with funding from (list in formation): Rita Allen Foundation, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, Civic Science Funders Collaborative, Dana Foundation, Doris Duke Foundation, Feld Family Initiative for Civic Science Communication at the Boston University College of Communication, Freedom Together Foundation, Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, John Templeton Foundation, Morgridge Institute for Research, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Stavros Niarchos Foundation, The David & Lucile Packard Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, The Kavli Foundation, and William T. Grant Foundation.