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2024 Applications

Concept papers and faculty advisor endorsements were due: March 1, 2024 (11:59 pm Pacific)

Full Proposals (by invitation only) are due: May 1, 2024 (11:59 pm Pacific)

PhD student applicant, submit your full application here:

Full Application

Primary faculty advisor and other recommenders, submit your letter here:

Letter of Recommendation

Full Proposals (by invitation only) are due: May 1, 2024 (11:59 pm Pacific)
Application instructions are found below

Letters of Recommendation for full proposals are due: May 1, 2024 (11:59 pm Pacific)
Please sign in with your Stanford SUnet ID to access the Google forms. External recommenders will need to log in with a Google/Gmail ID. If you do not have such an account or experience any issues making your submission please contact Danica Sarlya at dsarlya@stanford.edu.

Application Process

Concept Paper and Faculty Endorsement

To apply for this fellowship, the graduate student will need to receive an endorsement from their primary faculty advisor by March 1, 2024 (faculty advisors are limited to endorsing one student per application cycle and hosting one TomKat fellow at a time). Eligible graduate students can then submit a brief concept paper. The concept paper should be submitted by the graduate student and should outline the status of the research and results demonstrated to date, describe the proposed project, and identify potential applications in 500 words or less. That description will allow us to determine if the research falls within the goals of our solicitation and identify the applicants that will be invited to submit full proposals.

Faculty advisors, please submit the name of the student you are endorsing by March 1, 2024. (Submission portal will be above on this page. It will only be visible when submissions are being accepted.)

Graduate student applicant, please submit your Concept Paper by March 1, 2024. (Submission portal will be above on this page. It will only be visible when submissions are being accepted.)

Full Application Submission Instructions

Full applications are accepted by invitation only and are due by May 1, 2024. (Submission portal will be above on this page. It will only be visible when submissions are being accepted.)

Submitted by invited graduate student applicant.

  1. The proposal is subject to a 3-page limit with font size no smaller than 11 point. The page limit includes the text, figures, tables, and references.
    1. The proposal should outline:
      1. The sustainability challenge your project addresses
      2. Your solution
      3. The potential impact of your solution
      4. The current status of the research (what has been demonstrated to date)
      5. Your research plan
      6. A research timeline. Applicants are strongly encouraged to provide target metrics for the project (e.g. performance, scale, material composition, efficiency, etc.) and justify why meeting these targets will enable an impactful application.
      7. What the future trajectory of this work might be beyond the term of the fellowship.
  2. Unofficial Stanford transcript (downloaded from Axess)
  3. 1-page Bio-sketch or 1-page CV (with relevant publications listed)
  4. Budget for up to two years. Download the budget template here. (requested award amount can include graduate student salary/stipend of $13,700/quarter, tuition, fringe, and $5k of research support)

Submitted by the primary faculty advisor and second recommender

  1. Letter of recommendation from primary faculty advisor (PI).
  2. A second letter of recommendation – optional, but encouraged.

Incomplete applications or applications from scholars who do not meet the fellowship guidelines will not be reviewed. Applicants are expected to ensure that they meet all eligibility criteria and follow the application procedures.