Simons Dissertation Fellowship in Mathematics is sponsored by Simons Foundation Inc.. This program provides research support to excellent graduate students in the final years of their Ph. D.

studies in the United States.

Simons Dissertation Fellowship in Mathematics You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience. Mathematics & Physical Sciences Mathematics & Physical Sciences 12 p.

m. (noon) Eastern Time 12 p. m.

(noon) Eastern Time Program or administrative questions: Simons Award Manager (SAM) FAQ and Instructional Videos: https://www. simonsfoundation. org/funding-opportunities/simons-award-manager-sam-faq-and-instructional-videos/ Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.

m. – 5:00 p. m.

Eastern Time, except designated holidays. November 26, 2025 – November 30, 2025, and December 24, 2025 –January 4, 2026 The Simons Foundation’s Mathematics and Physical Sciences (MPS) division invites applications for the Simons Dissertation Fellowship in Mathematics to provide research support to excellent graduate students in the final years of their Ph. D.

studies. This program was created to honor the work of our late founder, Jim Simons, and his commitment to supporting the field of mathematics. Funding will be based on the quality of the applicant, significance of the applicant’s previous research and promise of the pursued research program.

The grant will commence September 1, 2026, for a two-year period, to coincide with the final fourth and fifth years of the Fellow’s Ph. D. program.

The grant will provide $19,200 per year for a total of $38,400 USD as follows: $15,000 per year in general research support, to be used at the sole discretion of the Fellow, in such areas as: Domestic or international scientific travel to conferences and meetings that further the Fellow’s research and professional development, as well as visits to other institutions to pursue research.

These funds cannot be used for the travel of others, whether collaborators or visitors. Research related expenses for the Fellow, such as computers, computer support, publication expenses, stationery, supplies, books and membership fees to professional organizations.

$1,000 per year to the Fellow’s department as discretionary funds, to be used at the sole discretion of the department chair, to enhance the research atmosphere of the department.

Funds may be used for such expenses as: Support for departmental colloquia and seminars, as well as refreshments and other research-related amenities; Support for student orientations, prospective student visits and other departmental activities; Subsidizing meals for faculty, students and visitors; Furniture and research infrastructure, such as copiers, computers and software.

$3,200 per year for indirect costs, equal to 20% of direct costs per the foundation’s indirect costs policy . An applicant must be enrolled as full-time Ph. D.

student in a Ph. D. granting mathematics department at an institution in the United States, and must be in their third year of study of a five-year Ph.

D. program. Applicants must apply in the third year of their Ph.

D. program. There are no citizenship requirements.

Note: Simons Foundation employees who receive a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) from the Simons Foundation, including employees of the Flatiron Institute, may not apply as a PI to any Simons Foundation or Simons Foundation International RFAs released by the Simons Foundation.

If the applicant will receive funding for salary, travel, support for students, postdocs or research staff, lab equipment, computing time or other individual expenses they may not be employees of the Simons Foundation, which includes the Flatiron Institute. Unspent funds may be carried forward annually.

Unspent funds at the end of the grant should continue to be used towards the aims of the grant to support graduate students in the mathematics department, and can be expended indefinitely for the duration that funds remain. If the awardee transfers or otherwise leaves the Ph. D.

program, funds should be used by the institution in line with the goals of the grant to support graduate students in the mathematics department. The grant will require the submission of a countersigned award letter. No additional reporting will be required.

The foundation expects to award up to 40 dissertation fellowships for 2026. Applicants must be submitted via the Simons Award Manager (SAM), https://sam. simonsfoundation.

org/ . The deadline to submit applications is February 25, 2026, at 12 p. m.

(noon) Eastern Time. Please refer to the How to Apply tab for instructions. Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations, The Simons Foundation, Inc. (“the Foundation” or “SF”) reserves the right to refer an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (“SFI”) for consideration and funding.

SFI and SF have entered into an agreement pursuant to which SF provides program operations and grant administration services, including payment processing, to SFI. SFI grant recipients are subject to SF Policies and Procedures . Our Commitment to Expanding Pathways to Science and Opportunities for All Many of the greatest ideas and discoveries come from a diverse mix of minds, backgrounds and experiences.

The Simons Foundation is committed to advancing basic science and mathematics to benefit humankind and expand our collective understanding of our world. As part of our mission, we support partners, programs and initiatives that seek to broaden the scientific community and open pathways to science and mathematics careers.

The Simons Foundation provides equal opportunities to all applicants for funding without regard to race, religion, color, age, sex, pregnancy, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic disposition, neurodiversity, disability, veteran status or any other protected category under federal, state and local law. 12 p. m.

(noon) Eastern Time Program or administrative questions: Simons Award Manager (SAM) FAQ and Instructional Videos: https://www. simonsfoundation. org/funding-opportunities/simons-award-manager-sam-faq-and-instructional-videos/ Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.

m. – 5:00 p. m.

Eastern Time, except designated holidays. November 26, 2025 – November 30, 2025, and December 24, 2025 –January 4, 2026 Please note that in the event of budgetary or other considerations, The Simons Foundation, Inc. (“the Foundation” or “SF”) reserves the right to refer an application to The Simons Foundation International, Ltd. (“SFI”) for consideration and funding.

SFI and SF have entered into an agreement pursuant to which SF provides program operations and grant administration services, including payment processing, to SFI. SFI grant recipients are subject to SF Policies and Procedures . Complete the application as follows : Applicant Details: Complete required fields for the applicant including title, department, academic rank and ORCID iD.

The applicant may use the Edit Profile button to update their information as needed. Enter degrees (optional). Indicate whether the mathematics department at the grantee’s institution has a Ph.

D. granting program. See the eligibility section of the RFA for further information.

Enter the title of the application. Start and end dates are fixed. The grant will commence September 1, 2026 and end August 31, 2028.

Upload a PDF of the following: Statement of Research Plans (two-page limit, plus up to one page for references and figures, which can be embedded within the text): A statement summarizing the applicant’s research contributions, research plans for the immediate future, and career goals. Letter from Thesis Advisor (two-page limit): Must be signed by the letter writer.

The letter should summarize the scientific accomplishments of the applicant and the applicant’s potential in the field of mathematics. Applicant Biosketch: Upload a biosketch using the template provided, or upload a SciENcv, NIH- or NSF-style biosketch. Indicate the extent to which, if any, generative AI technology was used and how it was used to develop your proposal.

Indicate whether the applicant is affiliated with the Simons Foundation or the Flatiron Institute as a Visiting Scholar / Independent Contractor or Employee. Note: Simons Foundation employees who receive a W-2 (Wage and Tax Statement) from the Simons Foundation, including employees of the Flatiron Institute, may not apply as a PI to any Simons Foundation or Simons Foundation International RFAs released by the Simons Foundation.

If the applicant will receive funding for salary, travel, support for students, postdocs or research staff, lab equipment, computing time or other individual expenses they may not be employees of the Simons Foundation, which includes the Flatiron Institute. Contacts & Personnel Tab: Refer to the instructions provided in SAM to add Institution Administrative Contacts.

Keywords: Click on the Add/Modify Keywords button to select up to two tags as it applies to the applicant’s research. Your choices will be used to select the most suitable reviewers. Check Application Progress: Click the Check Application Progress button to check for any missing required information or files.

All missing required information will be listed at the top of the screen and must be corrected before the application can be submitted. Send for Sign-off: When the application is complete, click on the Send for sign-off button to send to your signing official for signature. You will receive a notification when the application is signed.

Submit Application: When the full proposal application is complete and signed, click on the Submit Application button. A confirmation page will appear once the application is successfully submitted. The application will appear in the Submitted tab of the Applications in Progress table.

You will not be able to submit an application if the deadline has passed. 12 p. m.

(noon) Eastern Time Program or administrative questions: Simons Award Manager (SAM) FAQ and Instructional Videos: https://www. simonsfoundation. org/funding-opportunities/simons-award-manager-sam-faq-and-instructional-videos/ Monday–Friday, 9:00 a.

m. – 5:00 p. m.

Eastern Time, except designated holidays. November 26, 2025 – November 30, 2025, and December 24, 2025 –January 4, 2026 Are all mathematics departments, including statistics, eligible? All mathematics departments are eligible, as long as the mathematics department has a Ph.

D. degree granting program. However, a department that is solely statistics would not be eligible.

What is the application success rate? The foundation expects to award up to 40 dissertation fellowships for 2026. Can multiple graduate students from the same university and department apply at the same time?

If I am not awarded a fellowship this year, may I reapply next year? No, the program is designed to begin supporting students in their fourth year of studies. Those going into their fifth year would not be eligible to apply.

Can I apply if I am in my fourth year in order to support my fifth year of study? The program will only be accepting applications to support both the final fourth and fifth years of study. One could not apply in the fourth year of study if one expects to graduate from their program at the end of their fifth year.

No exceptions will be made. My Ph. D.

program is six years. Can I apply in my fourth year to support my final fifth and sixth years? At this time, the program will not support those in a six-year Ph.

D. program. Can funds be used for tuition expenses?

Can the fellowship be transferred to another institution?

Michael Ackermann, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Shrey Aryan, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Juliet Aygun, Cornell University Benjamin Baily, University of Michigan Katalin Berlow, University of California, Berkeley Ellis Buckminster, University of Pennsylvania Daebeom Choi, University of Pennsylvania Giorgio Cialdea, New York University Preston Cranford, Northwestern University Uttaran Dutta, University of South Carolina Anne Fayolle, University of Utah Felipe Flores, University of Virginia Soham Ghosh, University of Washington Gil Goldshlager, University of California, Berkeley Yiqi Huang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Matthew King, Harvard University Philip LaPorte, University of California, Berkeley Michael Law, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Qiao Li, Princeton University Xingzhe Li, Cornell University Sadie Lipman, University of Michigan Indulekha Madathil Sasi, Carnegie Mellon University Md Shahriar Mahmud, Iowa State University Foundation Aryaman Maithani, University of Utah Clayton Mizgerd, University of Illinois at Chicago Lauren Mossman, University of California, Davis Yuji Okitani, University of California, Berkeley Jiyun Park, Stanford University Ethan Partida, Brown University Alan Peng, University of California, Berkeley Kevin Ren, Princeton University Javier Reyes, University of Maryland, College Park Olivine Silier, University of California, Berkeley Atticus Stonestrom, University of Notre Dame Anda-Sorana Tenie, Harvard University Timothy Van Hoose, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Hongjian Yang, Stanford University Dmitrii Zakharov, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lichen Zhang, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Shengtong Zhang, Stanford University All applicants for this grant must use our new grants management portal, the Simons Award Manager (SAM), to submit applications.

If you are applying to the Simons Foundation for the first time, please register in SAM before selecting “Create Application. ” Instructional videos about using SAM can be found here . If you have a ProposalCentral (pC ) account, a profile was created for you in SAM using the email address associated with your pC account.

Please select “ Forgot Password? ,” set a new password for your SAM account and then select “Create Application. ” To create a new application, click on the button below.

After creating an application, navigate to the “Applications in Progress” section on your homepage to access the in-progress application. For assistance, contact [email protected] .