First Solar PhD Fellowship Program at the University of Michigan

The University of Michigan offers the First Solar PhD Fellowship supporting engineering students researching solar cells and photovoltaic materials, funded by First Solar. It covers salary, tuition, and benefits from Winter 2027 to Fall 2028, with renewal options. Applications, submitted by faculty, include CV, research description, funding explanation, and recommendation, due October 16, 2026.

Eligibility: ● PhD students in the College of Engineering are eligible recipients. ● Funded research must advance research on solar cells and photovoltaic (PV) materials and devices and their applications. ● Students must be in good academic standing at time of application, and remain in good academic standing for renewal. Application Details: ● Application deadline: October 16, 2026. ● Applications must be submitted by a student’s primary faculty advisor on behalf of a student. Each faculty member is limited to 1 application per cycle. ● Applications must include: ○ 1-page CV of the nominated student; ○ 1-page description of the research the student will conduct, written by the student (Times New Roman size of 10 or larger, 1” margins); ○ 1 paragraph explaining how the fellowship will enable new student funding rather than replace existing funding; and ○ 1 letter of recommendation from the submitting faculty member. ● Materials should be compiled into a single PDF and submitted to ies-contact@umich.edu.