Planetary Research Jobs

Chateaubriand Fellowship Program

The Chateaubriand Fellowship is a grant offered by the Embassy of France in the United States. It supports outstanding PhD students from U.S institutions who wish to conduct part of their doctoral research in France for a period ranging from 4 to 9 months. Chateaubriand fellows are selected through a merit-based competition, with expert evaluation in France and in the United States.

Science, Technology, Engineering, Math & Health

The Chateaubriand fellowship is a Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics & Biology-Health (STEM) for doctoral students aims to reinforce collaboration partnership or joint projects between French and American research teams. This fellowship is offered by the Office for Science & Technology (OST) of the Embassy of France in partnership with American universities and French research organizations such as Inserm and Inria. It is a partner of the National Science Foundation’s GROW program.

Eligibility & Guidelines

Eligibility

1. You must be currently working on your PhD
2. You must be registered in an American university (US citizenship is not required; however, French citizens are not eligible)
3. All STEM and Health research topics are eligible
4. Research should be performed in a French laboratory (university, engineering school, public research laboratory…)
5. Your US and French advisors must agree to co-supervise part of your thesis
6. Knowledge of French is not mandatory and is left to the discretion of the host institution
7. Co-sponsorship by a candidate’s American university or French host institution is encouraged

Calendar for the 2026-2027 academic year

1. Application deadline: January 18, 2027 at 11:59 pm EST
2. Award Notification: May 2027
3. The fellowship in France for the 2027-2028 academic year must start between September 1, 2027 and April 30, 2028
4. The call for applications for the 2027-2028 academic year will open on October 5th 2026

Benefits

1. Monthly allowance (up to 1850 euros/month, depending on other sources of funding)
2. Support for round-trip airfare to France
3. Support for health insurance abroad

Required information/documents for the online application

1. Contact Information
2. List of degrees received and copies of transcripts. Unofficial transcripts are accepted.
3. List of publications
4. List of past fellowships received
5. List of other fellowships for which you are applying
6. Summary of your thesis research in the US
7. Summary of research to be performed in France
8. Detailed description of your thesis research in the US including your project in France (3 pages)
9. Letter of agreement from your US thesis advisor agreeing that part of your thesis will be co-supervised by a French colleague. This letter should also highlight your work, explain how a stay in France would be useful to both the lab and your project and how it will strengthen the existing or planned collaboration between your home and host laboratories
10. Letter of invitation from your project advisor in France agreeing to co-supervise part of your thesis. This letter should also describe the existing or planned collaboration between the home and host laboratories and include information about what your stay in France will bring to the host lab and your project
11. At least one letter of recommendation from a professor who knows your work but who is not your US or French advisor
12. Contact information of host laboratory in France
13. If your application is linked to an existing French-American collaboration, please be ready to provide information on this collaboration

Selection criteria

1. Academic relevance of the research project
2. Student’s command of the subject
3. Benefits of a research trip to France for the future of the collaboration
4. Background of the research collaboration
5. Contribution of the project to France/US academic exchange

Identifying a host laboratory

It is the applicant’s responsibility to identify and contact a French laboratory that would like to collaborate with your university, laboratory or thesis advisor.