Fellowship and Grant Opportunities

The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) and our Richard Gilder Graduate School (RGGS) are leaders in the education and training of young scientists in the natural history disciplines represented in this institution.

Doctoral and Graduate Student Fellowships

Students applying to the Comparative Biology Ph.D. Program at the Richard Gilder Graduate School are automatically eligible for fellowship support from the school, provided in part by the generous support of Richard Gilder and the Gilder Foundation, Norma Hess (Hess Foundation, Inc.) and Golden Family Foundation. We also offer Graduate Fellowships for students interested in earning a PhD at one of our partner institutions (currently Columbia University, CUNY, NYU and Cornell University), when they are advised by an AMNH curator.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

Newly graduated or soon-to-graduate PhDs may apply for a postdoctoral fellowship in any discipline of the AMNH. Applicants with research interests that may have broad implications for such themes as advancing our understanding of the evolution and diversity of species and the “tree of life”, genomics, and/or human and medical research through the study of other organisms may be eligible for co-funding from the Gerstner Scholar program. Some postdoctoral fellowship applicants may be eligible for support through special programs, if their areas of specialization include the study of North American terrestrial and freshwater fauna (Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Fund) or marine biology (Lerner-Gray Fund for Marine Research).

Research Grants and Student Exchange Fellowships

Seed research grants are available for students and young professionals intending to do field-based research, as well as to use the AMNH collections. These include Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grants, Lerner-Gray Marine Research Grants, Chapman Memorial Grants and Collection Study Grants. Additionally, we have the Kade Fellowship to support graduate student exchanges between AMNH and French or German institutions.

Undergraduate Fellowships

Every summer AMNH hosts two National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduate Site grants: Research in Evolution and Systematics and Earth Sciences and Astrophysics. In these programs, undergraduate students who have completed their freshman through junior years may work with AMNH scientists on one of an array of potential research projects that are available each year.

To Apply for a Program:

All applications are to be completed online only.   All materials, including reference letters, must be submitted electronically, using the forms we provide. Details are available within the application website.  Click here to begin your application.

Detailed Program Descriptions

AMNH Comparative Biology Ph.D. Program

The new AMNH Ph.D. Program in Comparative Biology will train the next generation of biologists through an integrative approach that focuses on the history, evolutionary relationships, and interactions among species. It builds on the Museum’s strength and experience in research and training, to educate a new generation of scientists to become leaders in understanding the history and diversity of life on Earth and in disseminating their work in ways that will support advances in biological research, human health, biodiversity conservation, and other related fields. This is an accelerated program, designed for students to complete their degrees in four years. The Richard Gilder Graduate School will typically provide full financial support to students matriculating in the Comparative Biology Ph.D. Program.

Graduate Student Fellowship Program (Collaborative Ph.D. Programs)

The AMNH Graduate Student Fellowship Program is an educational partnership with selected universities and is dedicated to the training of Ph.D. candidates in those scientific disciplines practiced at the Museum. The university exercises education jurisdiction over the students and awards the degree. The Museum curator serves as a graduate advisor, co-major professor or major professor, and adjunct university faculty member. The student benefits by having the staff and facilities of both the university and the Museum in order to carry on his/her training and research program. The current joint graduate training programs are with four universities: Columbia University provides students opportunities in anthropology, vertebrate and invertebrate paleontology, earth and planetary sciences and evolutionary, ecological, and environmental biology; Cornell University in entomology; the Graduate Center of the City University of New York in paleontology and evolutionary biology; and New York University in molecular biology.

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program

The Postdoctoral Research Fellowship Program of the American Museum provides training to postdoctoral investigators and established scientists to carry out a specific project within a limited time period. The project must fit into the Museum’s areas of interest. The program is designed to advance the training of the participant by having him/her pursue a project in association with museum professionals in a museum setting. Appointments are typically made for up to two years. Postdoctoral Fellows are expected to be in residence at the Museum. Limited relocation, research, and publication support is provided.  Postdoctoral fellows may conduct research in any area of the AMNH, with special funding options available for those focusing on North American fauna and marine biology.

Gerstner Scholars Program

Generously funded by the Gerstner Family Foundation, the Gerstner Scholars program will encourage and support groundbreaking research in biology, with an emphasis on genomics, including such topics as microbes, mammals, invertebrates, marine life, and computational biology. The work of scholars at AMNH co-supported through this competitive program will have implications for such broad themes as: human and medical research that is informed by understanding the scientific composition and behavior of other species; and advancing our understanding of the evolution and diversity of species and the "tree of life."

Chosen for their creative approaches to research questions that are likely to lead to important new discoveries in their respective fields, Gerstner Scholars will include biological scientists who have demonstrated outstanding performance that merits recognition early in their careers.  Awardees must have received their degree or deposited their dissertation before they begin their appointment.

Click here to learn more about this exciting program.

Research Fellowship in Museum Anthropology

The Bard Graduate Center and the American Museum of Natural History are collaborating on a fellowship scheme, which provides support to a postdoctoral researcher to carry out a specific project for a two-year period. The project will be carried out in association with a curator in the AMNH Division of Anthropology, and will also involve teaching one graduate-level course per year at the Bard Graduate Center (BGC). Housing is a possibility and there is a stipend payable. Details can be downloaded from the BGC website by following the above link. All applications should be directed to BGC.

Anthropology Internship Program

The Anthropology Internship Program offers internships for undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in programs in anthropology and related fields to work on projects relating to the collections or to the ongoing research interests of curatorial staff in the museum or in the field. In addition to Curatorial Research, internships can be considered in collections management, archives, and conservation. Internships are offered for periods ranging from three months to one year depending on the project. Grants provide monthly stipends for periods of two months to one year. The minimum work requirement for a paid internship is two days per week.

For more information, please go to anthro.amnh.org/anthropology/collections/InternshipGuide.shtml or contact Anita Caltabiano, Director of Internship Program, Division of Anthropology at anita@amnh.org

Annette Kade Graduate Student Fellowship Program

The purpose of this program is to partner with French and German institutions to permit an exchange of graduate students. This program will allow students to spend 3 months during the year at a selected university in France or Germany or for French and German students to come the to AMNH 3 months. We expect that the students will have the opportunity to explore new cultures and enrich their lives with new contacts and friendships.

 Grant Programs for Students, Postdoctoral Trainees, and Research Scientists

The AMNH Grants Program offers modest short term awards to advanced students, postdoctoral trainees, and scientific researchers who are commencing their careers in the fields covered by AMNH. Grants are available from four funds each having specific restrictions. Frank M. Chapman Grants support and foster research in ornithology, both neontological and paleontological. Lerner-Gray Grants for Marine Research support marine zoology. Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Grants support research on North American fauna in any phase of wildlife conservation or natural history.

Another program provides support to students, postdoctoral investigators, and research scientists specifically to visit the collections. The awards partially support travel and subsistence for scientists on short term AMNH visits.  

 Research Experiences for Undergraduates Program

The Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REU) program, funded by the National Science Foundation, offers paid summer internships for qualified undergraduate students to conduct research projects with AMNH scientists either in evolutionary biology, physical sciences, or linked to specific individual research projects. Included in the program are a general orientation to the Museum and a series of weekly meetings at which students discuss their research, present informal progress reports, and participate in discussions and seminars regarding systematics and phylogeny as well as graduate and research career opportunities. At the conclusion of the internships, students deliver oral presentations of their work and prepare publication quality research papers.

The American Museum of Natural History is an Equal Opportunity/ Affirmative Action Employer. The Museum encourages Women, Minorities, Persons with Disabilities, Vietnam Era and Disabled Veterans to apply. The Museum does not discriminate due to age, sex, religion, race, color, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other factor prohibited by law. If special accommodations are needed in applying for a position, please call the Office of Human Resources.