University of Minnesota named host institution of prestigious fellowship

The fellowship provides up to eight early-career scientists resources for their research in planetary astronomy

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (08/08/2025) — A highly competitive fellowship in planetary astronomy will be hosted at the University of Minnesota.

The fellowship provides up to eight early-career scientists with the resources, freedom, and flexibility to conduct theoretical, observational and experimental research in planetary astronomy.

Each fellowship recipient receives an initial three-year grant of up to $450,000 to pursue their proposed research at their selected host institution. Fellows typically select an institution that is not their home institution. The University of Minnesota will be invited to nominate up to four scholars from the pool of applicants that select the University as their desired host institution for the 2026 grant cycle.

Claudia Scarlata, Distinguished McKnight University Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy and Director of the Minnesota Institute for Astrophysics, will be the University's institutional contact for the fellowship. She will attend the HSF-hosted fellowship summit on Aug. 12-13, 2025, in Half Moon Bay, Calif., where fellows present on their current research and interact with each other and faculty in the field.

Read more on the University of Minnesota’s Research and Innovation Office story.

Applications for the 51 Pegasi b Fellowship will be accepted through Oct. 3, 2025. Learn more about the fellowship and how to apply.