NASA Hubble Fellowship Program 2027

The NASA Hubble Fellowship Program (NHFP) provides an opportunity for recent postdoctoral scientists to conduct independent research which contributes to any area of NASA Astrophysics. The research will be carried out at United States host institutions chosen by each fellow, subject to a limitation on the number of fellows that can be hosted by any one institution.

The NHFP provides salary support plus benefits for up to three years, and an additional allowance for travel and other research costs. Contingent upon NASA funding, 24 new fellowships will be awarded for 2027.

The NHFP encompasses the areas of astrophysics previously covered by the NASA Einstein, Hubble, and Sagan Fellowships. To continue the legacy of these programs, fellows will be named as Einstein, Hubble, or Sagan Fellows, depending on which of the three major NASA Astrophysics science questions most closely aligns with their proposed research.

The NHFP is administered for NASA by the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) in collaboration with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and the NASA Exoplanet Science Institute (NExScI) at the California Institute of Technology and the Chandra X-ray Center (CXC) at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory.

A fellowship application consists of a research proposal and supporting documentation, as described below. Applicants must have received a PhD or equivalent doctoral-level research degree in astronomy, physics or a related discipline. The date of the PhD award should be on or after January 1, 2023.

What's New

• The NHFP Selection Rubric has received minor updates for 2027. Review the updated version.
• Justifications for first and second choice host institutions are now entered into specific boxes on the application form (not in the research overview document), and are capped at 250 words each. See the FAQ page for more details.
• Applicants are now asked to describe any use of AI in preparing their application materials in a new box on the application form. Responses are solely for NASA awareness and will not be used in the review or ranking of applications.
• Our rules on the number of fellows a host institution can accept have been updated. At most two new fellows will be approved for any single institution in a given year, and any institution that receives two fellows in one year will only be able to accept one fellow the following year.

• Table of Content
• About NASA
• NASA Hubble Fellowship Program Fellowship
• Aim and Benefits of NASA Hubble Fellowship Program Fellowship
• Requirements for NASA Hubble Fellowship Program Fellowship Qualification
• Interview date, Process and Venue for NASA Hubble Fellowship Program Fellowship
• Documents Required for Application
• Application Deadline
• How to Apply

NASA Hubble Fellowship Program Fellowship

Application Deadline	28 Oct 2026
Country to study	United States
Type	Fellowship
Sponsor	NASA
Gender	Men and Women

Aim and Benefits of NASA Hubble Fellowship Program Fellowship

• The initial annual salary or stipend for a NHFP Fellow is comparable to that of other prize fellowships and is subject to annual review and adjustment. In addition, the NHFP Fellow will receive support for health insurance, relocation costs, travel, computing services, publications, and other direct research costs. No additional stipend, salary, or other remuneration may be accepted from any other appointment (such as teaching), fellowship, or similar grant during the period of the fellowship. Additional honorary named appointments intended to be linked with the title of "NHFP Hubble Fellow,” “NHFP Sagan Fellow,” or “NHFP Einstein Fellow" are similarly not allowed.
• While the salary of the fellows is determined by the NHFP, benefits such as health insurance, retirement, family leave, etc., depend on the rules of the host institution and whether the fellow is considered an employee or independent (stipendiary) fellow by the host institution. Prospective fellows are strongly encouraged to investigate the policies at potential host institutions before listing them on their application, as changes after acceptance can be difficult, or even impossible as host institutions reach their quota of fellows.

For more information on these issues please see the Visa and Benefits Information and Frequently Asked Questions.

Duration of Fellowship

Contingent upon the availability of funding, NHFP Fellowships are awarded through grants to host institutions for up to three years. Funding will be provided initially for the first year of the fellowship; renewals for the second and third years will depend on satisfactory annual performance reviews, and the availability of NASA funds.

Requirements for NASA Hubble Fellowship Program Fellowship Qualification

• The NHFP is open to English-speaking applicants of any nationality who have earned their doctoral degrees in astronomy, physics, or related disciplines on or after January 1, 2023, or who will receive their degree before September 2027.
• Graduate-student awardees who have not yet received their doctoral degree at the time of application must present evidence of having completed all requirements for the degree before commencing their fellowships.
• Former and present NHFP Fellows are not eligible to apply. 
• Qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration without regard to race, creed, color, age, sex, sexual orientation, veteran status, disability, or national origin.

Host Institution

• Contingent upon availability of funding from NASA, NHFP fellowships are awarded through grants to U.S. host institutions. Applicants may select any eligible U.S. institution at which to conduct their research as long as the choice is suitably justified. For the present purposes, "institution" means a separate administrative entity that offers its scientific staff a career advancement process that can lead to long-term/permanent contracts or to tenure. Host institutions must be located in the United States or its territories.
• A faculty member or other eligible member of the scientific staff of the host institution will serve as the faculty contact for scientific purposes and will be the Principal Investigator of the fellow's grant for administrative purposes.
• The NHFP includes caps on the number of fellows that any one institution can accept each year to avoid an excessive concentration of fellows in one location. In an effort to better align the NHFP with current federal grant policies and regulations and diversify the NHFP fellows' hosts, this year the host cap rules have been updated. At most two new fellows will be approved for any single institution in a given year, and any institution that receives two fellows in one year will only be able to accept one fellow the following year. This year, Caltech, Harvard University, Institute for Advanced Study, Johns Hopkins University, MIT, Princeton University, Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory, and Stanford University can only accept one new fellow to start in 2027, because they accepted two new fellows to start in 2026.
• In order to host new NHFP Fellows, host institutions must offer their NHFP Fellows the opportunity to be employees. Host institutions are also encouraged, but not required, to offer NHFP Fellows the option to be stipendiary fellows rather than employees.
• As described on the Host Institutions and Employment Policy page, an institution must send a letter to the NHFP telling us that they can host fellows under this policy. View the list of institutions that have already contacted NHFP. 
• Should you wish to take an NHFP Fellowship to an institution that is not on the Host Institutions list, please direct them to the Host Institutions and Employment Policy page and ask them to send a letter of compliance to [email protected] as soon as possible.
• Applicants are asked to propose up to three prospective host institutions in order of preference. An endorsement letter from the host institution will be required for all accepted fellows. (For details see Section 5 of the Application Procedure below).
• It is important that candidates for the NHFP give serious consideration to their designations of first-, second-, and third-choice host institutions before their applications are submitted. These initial designations generally do not play a significant role in deciding who will receive an offer, however they play an important role in how fellows are matched with host institutions. It is possible for a fellow to change their mind after the award is made; however this will reduce the chance that they will be able to go to the institution of their choice since those who do not change their selection will have priority at institutions that are oversubscribed.
• In general, fellows will work full time on the research programs proposed in their applications and will be in residence at their designated host institution during the entire period of the fellowship. However, should a fellow have a compelling need to work remotely or transfer to a different institution, and can present suitable justification, the NHFP will consider the request. Transfers and remote work are subject to the policies limiting the number of fellows per institution. For more information, please contact [email protected]. 

Interview date, Process and Venue for NASA Hubble Fellowship Program Fellowship

1. The Panel Review

The application materials and supporting documents will be reviewed by the NHFP Selection Committee between November 2026 and January 2027. Applications will be read both by experts in the area of proposed research, as well as by astrophysicists from other areas of research. Applicants are therefore advised to write a proposal that connects their program not only to their subfield but also to questions of broad importance so that the proposal will appeal to experts and non-experts alike.

The NHFP Selection Committee makes recommendations to the STScI director in the form of a ranked list of candidates from which the director grants the NASA Hubble Fellowship awards. It often happens, however, that several successful candidates have requested the same host institution. In these cases, priority is given to the higher-ranked candidate. The general approach taken is to place as many new fellows as possible in the host institutions of their choice, subject to: the limits on the number of fellows that can go to a given institution, the prioritized list of host institutions provided by the candidates, and the ranked list of candidates provided by the selection committee. This process can become complicated, with the decisions of one candidate affecting those of several other candidates. Thus, with the goal of filling all the fellowships in an orderly manner and avoiding last-minute decision cascades, all successful candidates are requested (and in rare cases, may be required) to make their decisions as expeditiously as possible.

Fellowship offers for 2027 will be made by early February 2027, and acceptance or refusal must be made no later than February 15, 2027. After this date additional offers may be made if any of the initial offers are not accepted.

 

2. Review Criteria

The task of the NHFP Selection Committee is to identify the most promising science programs and applicants.  The science programs can span the breadth of NASA astrophysics.  The primary criteria used by the Selection Committee are shown below.  

Proposed Scientific Research  

• The proposed research program is the most important element in an application for an NHFP fellowship. NHFP Fellows are chosen primarily for having made a cogent, persuasive case for an important scientific research program that will advance the frontiers of astrophysics, with potential for lasting impact. The program must be technically feasible.

Preparation and Past Research  

• Preparation and past research encompasses the applicant’s education, experience, technical abilities, productivity, scientific impact, and publication record. When assessing the application package, reviewers should make every attempt to disentangle preparation from “pedigree” (e.g., high profile advisors or universities), accounting for career length and available resources and opportunities of the applicants.

Leadership Potential

• The application includes evidence of the applicant’s leadership within the broader scientific community, beyond the production of high-quality science results. Some examples of leadership include: organizing conferences or workshops, mentoring students, leading science communication and outreach efforts, and other community service. This list is far from exhaustive, and we encourage reviewers to take a broad view of leadership roles and to account for the career length and available resources and opportunities of the applicants. Reviewers may also account for an applicant’s resilience, as demonstrated by their commitment to achieving their goals in the face of adversity.

NHFP Selection Rubric

• The NHFP Selection Committee is provided with a more detailed selection rubric. The rubric is designed to encourage reviewers to consider many different factors when evaluating candidates for the NHFP and therefore even the top candidates are not expected to garner the highest score in every category. We encourage all early career astrophysicists to consider applying. Most successful applicants are surprised to receive an offer, and you may be too. 

 

3. Naming of the Fellows

Once selected, fellows are named to one of three sub-categories corresponding to NASA’s “big questions” according to the topic of their proposed research: 

• How does the Universe work? — Einstein Fellows
• How did we get here? — Hubble Fellows
• Are we alone? — Sagan Fellows

The fellowship sub-categories of Einstein, Hubble, and Sagan have no individual quotas or limits. The only limit is on the number of new fellows as a whole. As a result, the sub-categories do not affect acceptance into the NASA Hubble Fellowship program.

 

4. Commencement of the Fellowship

The NHFP Fellowship can begin no earlier than August 1, 2027 and no later than January 1, 2028. 

 

5. Visa Requirements

Non-U.S. nationals who are offered awards must have valid visas, either Exchange Visitor or Immigrant Visas, for the duration of the fellowship. If an awardee applies for an Exchange Visitor Visa, the sponsorship will be under the host institution. If they choose to apply for an Immigrant Visa, STScI cannot be a participant in the visa request. More information on this can be found on the Visa and Benefits page.

 

6. NASA Hubble Fellowship Budget

NOTE: A budget is NOT submitted with the fellowship application. Detailed budget instructions are provided to successful applicants and their host institutions after the fellow accepts the offer.

After the selection process, fellows and host institutions are notified of the intent to award an NHFP Fellowship. The fellow's faculty contact will act as the Principal Investigator of the NHFP Fellowship grant. The Grants Administration Office will then request that the host institution submit a budget through the Space Telescope Grants Management System (STGMS). For information regarding program policy, including allowable costs and expenses, review the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program Policy and Budget Information. This will be updated each spring for the new year.

Note that a fellow may apply for other grants during their NHFP Fellowship, (e.g., JWST, NASA Keck, or Chandra General Observer grants), but such grants cannot include salary support. In such cases, the fellow may act as the Principal Investigator of the grant, if this is allowed by the normal rules of the host institution for scientists at the postdoctoral level.

Documents Required for Application

• You should have received your PhD on or after January 1, 2023.
• Upload the following materials as PDF files via the NHFP Application Form, by Wednesday, October 28, 2026 7:00 PM EDT (4:00 PM PDT, 23:00 UTC):
  • Completed NHFP Application Form (including Science Categories and Techniques)
  • Curriculum vitae
  • List of publications
  • Research Overview, including two sections: “Summary of Previous and Current Research” and “Research Proposal” (limited to eight pages including tables and figures. References should be placed at the end and don’t count towards page limit). Include relevance to NASA Astrophysics.
  • Do not attach anything else (reprints, preprints, cover letter, cover sheets, etc.)
• Deadline for receipt of reference letters is Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 7:00 PM EST (4:00 PM PST, 24:00 UTC).
• We recommend that you remind your referees early to send their letters by the above deadline.  
• Please email all correspondence to [email protected].
• Receipt of applications will be acknowledged by email shortly after the online submission.
• Applications for the NHFP Fellowships must be made using the NHFP Application Form. For technical questions related to application and/or letter submission, please contact [email protected].
• For questions about policies and procedures regarding the NASA Hubble Fellowship Program, please contact the Hubble Fellowship Program coordinators at [email protected].

Check also:
Erasmus Mundus Scholarship 2027
Global Korea Scholarship 2027

Application Deadline

October 28, 2026

How to Apply

Interested and qualified? Go to NASA on cosmos.ipac.caltech.edu to apply

1. Application Deadlines

Application Deadline: 
Wednesday, October 28, 2026 7:00 PM EDT (4:00 PM PDT, 23:00 UTC)

Letters of Reference Deadline: 
Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 7:00 PM EST (4:00 PM PST, 24:00 UTC)

2. Materials Submitted Directly by the Applicant

Applicants must submit their materials via the web Application Form. These materials must include:

• Completed Application Form
• Curriculum vitae and list of publications
• Research overview, described below. Limited to eight pages including tables and figures. 

Please do not attach anything not listed above (reprints, preprints, cover letter, etc.) to your application.

All materials submitted must be in at least 12-point font and single spaced.

Applicants should make sure that their applications will copy successfully onto 8.5 x 11 inch (21.6 x 28 cm) paper without loss (i.e., with 1-inch margins on all sides). Please keep each file to less than 2 MB.

When you fill out the application form you will be asked to specify the science categories and techniques that best match your proposed research. This is to help us match your proposal to reviewers' expertise. For a detailed listing and more information on how they are used in the review, see Science Categories and Techniques. You will also be asked to provide up to three possible host institutions in order of preference.  Your first and second choice hosts should be justified in the appropriate boxes on the application website, and not in the proposal itself. Each host justification can be up to 250 words in length.

3. Research Overview

The Research Overview provides the reviewers with a summary of the research you have already worked on, and your plans for future research should you be awarded an NHFP Fellowship. The Research Overview should be broken up into two sections:

1. Summary of Previous and Current Research
2. Research Proposal

Summary of Previous and Current Research

• Please provide an overview of your research to date. Figures and tables may be placed as needed within the proposal and can be shared between the Previous and Current Research and the Research Proposal.  References should be placed at the end and do not count against the page limit. As a guide, it may be helpful to know that in previous years when the Previous and Current Research and the Research Proposal sections had separate page limits, the Previous and Current Research was allotted three pages and the Research Proposal five, with a suggestion that about 40% of the space be used for figures and tables. However, applicants are free to apportion the eight pages as they deem appropriate.

Research Proposal

• Each applicant must formulate a specific research program that is related to or motivated by NASA Astrophysics strategic goals and is compatible with the research activities of the host institution. Your application should clearly describe the relevance of your proposed research program to the scientific and/or technical goals of NASA Astrophysics — though not necessarily to specific NASA missions. Proposals to study the Solar System, Sun or Earth are not excluded, if their relevance to NASA Astrophysics is made clear. 

Reviewers will base their grades on a rubric (see Review Criteria below) which in addition to past, current and proposed research, asks the reviewers to judge the applicant’s leadership potential.  Leadership can be purely scientific, and in that case evidence for it will likely appear naturally in the Previous and Current Research and Research Proposal sections.  However, if you have other activities that show your potential as a leader in the astronomical community which are not fully reflected in your science (for instance, an outreach or mentoring program you created or are just starting and plan to continue), then you should feel free to discuss those efforts in either the Previous and Current Research or the Research Proposal, as you feel appropriate. However, the total page limit (eight pages) must be respected. Applicants may also consider including these activities in their CV.

4. Letters of Reference

Applicants should arrange for letters of reference to be submitted by three individuals who are familiar with their scientific abilities and listed on the application form. Concise letters are encouraged and in any case must be no more than three pages in length including salutation and signature—any additional pages will be discarded.

These letters must be uploaded no later than November 4, 2026, 7:00 PM EST (4:00 PM PST, 24:00 UTC).

Applicants should emphasize to their letter writers that the letters must be uploaded as PDF files by the deadline using the submission form. Letter writers will not receive an automated email with a link to upload their letter. There is no assurance that late letters can be sent to the reviewers in time to be considered during the selection process.

Letter writers and applicants will receive an email confirming the submission of each letter. If this email is not received, or if there are any other questions, please contact [email protected].

Please note that the letters of reference are due a week after the applications. The application deadline is October 28, 2026 7:00 PM EDT (4:00 PM PDT, 23:00 UTC).

5. Endorsement Letter

If an applicant is offered an NHFP Fellowship, they must then arrange for a letter endorsing their fellowship to be provided to STScI by an official of the host institution. The letter of endorsement must be provided to STScI after the notification letters have been received by the successful offerees. The faculty contact at the host institution can usually help the offeree determine who the appropriate official is (e.g., the department chair, division head). The institutional endorsement is necessary to indicate that adequate facilities will be provided for the fellow. The endorsement consists of an acceptance letter signed by an authorizing official (typically the department chairperson) of the first-choice host institution. An example acceptance letter is as follows:

NASA Hubble Fellowship Program
Space Telescope Science Institute
3700 San Martin Drive

I am writing in regard to [offeree's name]'s application for an NHFP Fellowship. We have reviewed their research proposal entitled "[program title]" and are pleased to endorse it and to inform you that we will welcome them here and offer them support and facilities during the fellowship. Dr. [faculty contact's name] has agreed to serve as their faculty contact. Dr. [faculty contact's name] is authorized to act as Principal Investigator for external funding at our institution.

We acknowledge that our institutional indirect costs will be waived on the Fellowship stipend and fringe benefit.

We further acknowledge that we understand the NHFP host institution employment policy, are already listed among compliant host institutions, or have recently sent a letter of compliance to [email protected].

Sincerely yours,
Chairperson

An authorizing official, such as the department chair or their office, and not the fellow or their faculty contact, should send the letter to [email protected].

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Additional Information

Prospective applicants may wish to consult the Advice for Applicants page for some helpful suggestions. Requests for additional information on application procedures and supporting documents may be requested by emailing [email protected].

Contact the NHFP

• [email protected]
• NASA Hubble Fellowship Program

For more information, kindly visit NHFP webpage.