Each year, Radcliffe selects and welcomes a group of natural scientists and mathematicians to the fellowship program. These scientists undertake a broad range of theoretical and empirical research projects. This year’s class includes fellows in physics, mathematics, computer science, medicine, chemistry, life sciences, and engineering.

Read "A Year as a Science Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard," Anna Nagurney's account of her 2005–2006 fellowship year.

The deadline for applying for 2010–2011 has passed. Applicants will be notified in March, 2010, of their results. Please see "How to Apply for a Fellowship" for additional information.

Science Clusters

Research clusters at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study bring together scholars whose research will benefit significantly from an opportunity to collaborate intensively during a fellowship year. In the sciences, special emphasis is placed on identifying cluster topics that are interdisciplinary, either within science or across science, the social sciences, and the humanities.

In 2009–2010, there will be a thematic cluster in mathematics that will explore dispersive wave phenomena from a nondeterministic viewpoint, comprised of Andrea R. Nahmod and Gigliola Staffilani.

In 2007–2008, a cluster featuring computational scientist Elaine Chew and computer scientist Alexandre François studied the interactive visualization of musical structure.

In 2005–2006, there was an interdisciplinary cluster at Radcliffe comprised of a computer scientist, James Rogers; a linguist, Geoffrey K. Pullum; and a philosopher, Barbara C. Scholz exploring new logical foundations for linguistics.

A science cluster focusing on randomness and computation was in residence during the 2003–2004 academic year. The six scientists participating in the cluster, who applied to the fellowship program as a group, are considered the leading experts in the field. See “Understanding Randomness,” about the 2003–2004 cluster in randomness and computation, in the Spring 2004 issue of the Radcliffe Quarterly.

The 2002–2003 cluster in cosmology and theoretical astrophysics bridged interests of Harvard’s departments of astronomy, physics, and earth and planetary sciences. See "The Universe as They Know It," about the 2002–2003 cluster in cosmology and theoretical astrophysics, in the Spring 2003 issue of the Radcliffe Quarterly.