Key Takeaways
- • The Simons Foundation announced the second cohort of its Simons Dissertation Fellowship in Mathematics in 2026, continuing a program established in 2024 to honor late co-founder Jim Simons and support exceptional mathematics Ph.D. candidates.
- • Each fellow receives $30,000 in direct research support over two years, plus $2,000 in departmental discretionary funding and $6,400 in indirect costs, totaling $38,400 per awardee for the fellowship period.
- • The 2026 class comprises mathematics doctoral candidates from leading research institutions including MIT (5 fellows), UC Berkeley (4 fellows), Princeton (2 fellows), Georgia Tech (2 fellows), Cornell (2 fellows), and 16 other U.S. universities, reflecting broad geographic distribution across elite mathematics programs.
- • The fellowship targets advanced Ph.D. students in their fourth and fifth years of doctoral study, a critical period for dissertation research completion and academic development in mathematics.
Summary
The Simons Foundation has announced the second class of recipients for its Simons Dissertation Fellowship in Mathematics, a program created in 2024 to commemorate the foundation's late co-founder Jim Simons and perpetuate his legacy of supporting mathematical research and talent development. The 2026 awards represent the foundation's continued commitment to nurturing exceptional graduate mathematicians during the advanced stages of their doctoral work.
The fellowship structure provides meaningful financial support during a critical phase of doctoral development. Each recipient receives $30,000 in general research support distributed over two years, $2,000 in discretionary funding allocated to the recipient's home department, and $6,400 in indirect costs, bringing the total support per fellow to $38,400. This funding model balances direct student support with departmental resources, recognizing the ecosystem necessary for successful dissertation completion.
The 2026 cohort encompasses mathematics doctoral candidates from a broad network of leading U.S. research universities. MIT leads representation with five fellows, followed by UC Berkeley with four fellows. Princeton and Georgia Institute of Technology each contributed two fellows, as did Cornell University. Additional fellows hail from 16 other institutions including Harvard University, University of Chicago, Stanford University, University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon University, and others, demonstrating the program's national scope and reach across the mathematics research community.
The fellowship specifically targets advanced Ph.D. students in their fourth and fifth years of doctoral study—a period when dissertation research intensity peaks and funding often becomes constrained. By providing targeted support during these final dissertation years, the program addresses a documented funding gap in mathematics doctoral education and enables fellows to focus on research completion and academic output without undue financial pressure.
The fellowship structure provides meaningful financial support during a critical phase of doctoral development. Each recipient receives $30,000 in general research support distributed over two years, $2,000 in discretionary funding allocated to the recipient's home department, and $6,400 in indirect costs, bringing the total support per fellow to $38,400. This funding model balances direct student support with departmental resources, recognizing the ecosystem necessary for successful dissertation completion.
The 2026 cohort encompasses mathematics doctoral candidates from a broad network of leading U.S. research universities. MIT leads representation with five fellows, followed by UC Berkeley with four fellows. Princeton and Georgia Institute of Technology each contributed two fellows, as did Cornell University. Additional fellows hail from 16 other institutions including Harvard University, University of Chicago, Stanford University, University of Michigan, Carnegie Mellon University, and others, demonstrating the program's national scope and reach across the mathematics research community.
The fellowship specifically targets advanced Ph.D. students in their fourth and fifth years of doctoral study—a period when dissertation research intensity peaks and funding often becomes constrained. By providing targeted support during these final dissertation years, the program addresses a documented funding gap in mathematics doctoral education and enables fellows to focus on research completion and academic output without undue financial pressure.
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