Prospective graduate students must apply and be admitted to the University through the departmental and UU Graduate School process. Prospective students do not apply directly for the fellowship, but are nominated by their prospective faculty advisor or graduate director of their program. Prospective students must supply materials outlined below to complete the nomination package. Advisors/graduate directors may only nominate one student.

Thanks to our partnership with the Wilkes Center for Climate and Policy, we will have more resources to award fellowships for 2024-2025. GCSC Graduate Fellows with research focused on climate science or policy will also be Wilkes Scholars.

In order to support nominations from a range of disciplines with differing graduate application due dates, we have two deadlines for fellowship nominations in this cycle:

• January 31, 2024 deadline 1 (award decisions anticipated by mid- February)
• February 28, 2024, deadline 2 (award decisions anticipated by mid-March)

A. FACULTY ADVISOR/GRADUATE DIRECTOR NOMINATION MATERIALS

To submit a nomination, send materials to gcsc@utah.edu by the nomination deadline. Advisors/graduate directors may only nominate one student. Each nomination must include the following:

1. A letter from the nominating faculty member/grad director indicating that this student will be working under your supervision, why they should be considered for a GCSC fellowship, and your support of the student’s participation in the Fellowship program (see requirements below). Having reviewed the student’s application, communicated with the student, and considered the student’s lived experience, geographic representation, letters of recommendation, etc., your letter should address the following:
   1. Student’s demonstrated interests or work related to climate science or policy and/or global change and sustainability
   2. Student’s interdisciplinary experience and/or interests
   3. Student’s academic record and evidence of preparedness for graduate student research success
   4. How you and your department will ensure a competitive level of student support (e.g. tuition benefit), and plans for support beyond the fellowship year
   5. Specify whether the student is being nominated for a 1, 2, or 3-semester fellowship. (A partial GCSC fellowship can be combined with other available support, e.g. RA, TA, other GF, to make a competitive offer and these details must be included when requesting 1 or 2 semesters of support.)
   6. List any other faculty who would also be working with this student
   7. Provide the names and contact information of department personnel who should be consulted or informed regarding fellowship offers (i.e. graduate advisors, financial officers)
2. A statement from the department chair of graduate studies indicating that the student has been (or will be, upon admission to the U) admitted into your department's graduate program.

B. NOMINATED STUDENT MATERIALS

The nominating faculty/graduate program director should instruct their student nominee to submit the following to gcsc@utah.edu by the nomination deadline:

1. The student’s letter to the GCSC describing their interest in interdisciplinary environment, sustainability, and/or climate related research and training. This letter should clearly indicate how their proposed work at the U of U links to the mission of the GCSC. Nominees with climate science or policy research interests should also address relevance to the Wilkes Center mission.
2. CV or resume
3. Unofficial transcripts

All of the items listed in A and B above are required for a complete nomination package.

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GCSC Graduate Fellowship offers

An interdisciplinary GCSC Fellowship Selection Committee will review all submitted nominations and will decide on fellowship offers to be made. As graduate application due dates in different academic programs at the U span from December to February, nominations will be reviewed starting in early February through mid-March. We will be in close contact with nominating faculty as decisions are made.