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 system. 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.

Projects that engage with the research interests of the Institute’s Core Faculty (https://rockethics.psu.edu/people/) and the Institute’s current research themes (food and agriculture, gender and sexuality, global issues, health, public life, race, sustainability, and technology) are especially encouraged. Conservation and policy-focused projects that address forests, watersheds, land, and climate-change themes, especially of relevance to Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic region, are also invited. 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 University Park 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. The same applies for faculty in the College of Agricultural Sciences. 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 2026–2027 Rock Ethics Institute Faculty Fellowship including the Goddard Environmental Policy Fellowships, 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 5 pages. All application materials should be submitted in a single PDF file to rockethics@psu.edu no later than November 7, 2025. Successful applicants will be notified by December 12, 2025.

Please direct any questions about the Faculty Fellowships or application process to Ben Jones, btj7@psu.edu, or specific questions on the Goddard Environmental Policy Fellowships to Christopher Scott, cascott@psu.edu.