Faculty Fellows Program
Rock Ethics Institute Application for Faculty Fellowships
Accepting Applications: Deadline November 8, 2026
The Rock Ethics Institute invites applications for its annual Faculty Fellows program. These fellowships, which have been awarded annually since 2015, provide a one-course release from teaching during a single academic year to support ethics-related research projects by Penn State faculty. For each fellowship, the Rock Ethics Institute will provide up to $7,500 in buyout funds to the faculty member’s department or college to compensate for a course release. We anticipate awarding two ethics-related fellowships this cycle.
The fellowship program aims to encourage innovative approaches to ethics-related research across disciplines, to support interdisciplinary engagement and collaborations among faculty, and to promote moral literacy and leadership across the University. Fellows are expected to participate actively in the Rock Ethics Institute’s intellectual community, to attend and participate in Institute events, and to present and discuss their work at public colloquia.
Areas of specialization are open, but we especially invite projects that engage with the Institute’s research strengths in the ethical dimensions of one or more of the following areas: agriculture and food, artificial intelligence, citizenship and immigration, climate and sustainability, criminal justice and policing, empathy and moral psychology, engineering, gender and sexuality, health, race, and technology. We welcome proposals that engage with community partners, incorporate students as collaborators, or are likely to lead to curricular innovations and leveraged grant-writing.
Eligibility
Penn State faculty at all career levels are eligible to apply. Faculty must apply individually (rather than as a team) and may submit only one proposal per year. While faculty from any Penn State campus are eligible, those not in residence at the University Park campus should explain how they will meet the Institute’s expectations for active involvement in our intellectual community, collaborations with Institute faculty, and attendance at Institute events during the fellowship year. Faculty in the College of the Liberal Arts may only accept one internal fellowship award from the college or its affiliated centers, institutes, or programs in any given academic year. If applicants are selected for more than one fellowship or release, they must select one to accept. Faculty are eligible to reapply for other opportunities in subsequent years. Please note that Rock Ethics Institute core faculty, directors, and Faculty Fellows who received their award within the past five years are ineligible to apply. Though current Sherwin Early Career Professors are not eligible to apply, former Sherwin Early Career Professors are eligible.
Application Process
To apply for a Rock Ethics Institute Faculty Fellowship, please submit an application cover sheet that includes signatures of support from your department head and associate dean (or appropriate administrator), a 100-word abstract, a project description of no more than 2,000 words (single-spaced), and an abbreviated CV of no more than five pages. All application materials should be submitted in a single PDF file to rockethics@psu.edu by the application deadline. Successful applicants will be notified in mid-December.
Current Fellows
Rock Ethics Institute and Maurice K. Goddard Chair
Faculty Fellowships
Past Fellows
