FAQ

Is there any eligibility restriction for students from specific institutions, countries, or with specific citizenships?

No, there are no such restrictions.

Do the Enrico Fermi Fellowships provide a degree or have their own graduate program?

No, the fellowships do not provide a degree or have their own graduate program. They are intended to support your project in a hosting institution where you are enrolled in a graduate program.

How do I choose a project for the application?

You need to propose your own research project. The project title should reflect the research you plan to undertake as part of the fellowship and should emphasize your cross-training in theoretical and experimental physics.

Do my supervisors need to be from the same institution?

No, your supervisors do not necessarily need to be from the same institution. They should be faculty members or researchers who have agreed to oversee your project.

I'm a theoretician. Does the experimental part of my proposal need to be related to my research?

No, it doesn’t. As a theoretician, if you want to gain experience in experimental work on a different and unrelated topic from your standard research, you can apply. This scenario is one of the use cases we envisioned for the EFF. For example, you can apply for a 12-month full experimental research project (just to make up a topic) that is disconnected from your theoretical research. However, if the experimental component of the project is merely an excuse to apply, your chances of obtaining an EFF are slim. For example, if your proposal consists of a 12-month project with 9-months of theoretical work on your current research and 3-months of internship on an unrelated experimental project, it is unlikely to be selected by the scientific panel.

Can postdocs also apply or are the fellowships intended only for Ph.D. students?

The fellowship is meant for Ph.D. students. While we allow the EFF to extend for a short period after the student’s graduation, it is not a Post-doctoral fellowship. If you already hold a Ph.D., the EFF is not for you.

Do I need to have a Ph.D. postion to apply?

No, the students are not required to have a PhD position in order to apply. However, the application must include a formal statement from a university that commits to supporting the students. A statement such as, ‘If the fellowship is awarded, we commit to offering them the position,’ would be acceptable, provided it is binding. This requirement is necessary because the fellowship funds must be disbursed to an institution rather than directly to the student.

Do both supervisors need to have permanent positions or university contracts that last for the entire duration of the fellowship?

At least one supervisor should be the official supervisor authorized by the degree-granting institution (your current supervisor). Exceptions can be made if there is a formal co-supervisor arrangement where the actual supervision is done by someone else, such as a research group leader or similar (who may be a postdoc). The second supervisor can be quite flexible, but generally, we expect both supervisors to be sufficiently senior to know the research field and have worked with several students to give a realistic estimate of the student’s ability. In most cases, this implies that both supervisors have 3-5 years of post-PhD research experience and usually hold a rank higher than a regular postdoc (such as a research group leader, senior postdoc, assistant professor, etc.). However, the situation should be clearly explained in the relevant supporting letters and will be evaluated by the selection committee.