Pappalardo Fellowships in Physics

The mission of the MIT Pappalardo Fellowships in Physics is to sustain a distinguished, on-campus postdoctoral fellowship program for the Department that identifies, recruits and supports the most talented and promising young physicists at an early stage of their careers. This initiative was made possible by the encouragement and generosity of Mr. A. Neil Pappalardo (EE ’64), an MIT alumnus with a long history of generosity to both the Institute and the Department of Physics.

The program traditionally appoints three new Fellows per academic year for a three-year fellowship term each. Fellows are selected by means of an annual competition for which candidates cannot apply directly, but must be nominated by a faculty member or senior researcher within the international community of physics, astronomy or related fields.

All MIT Pappalardo Fellows in Physics are provided with:

• complete independence in selection and focus of research direction within the MIT Department of Physics throughout their three-year fellowship term;
• active faculty mentoring fostered by weekly luncheons and monthly dinners with faculty and guests during the academic year, which promotes scientific exchange and professional growth for the Fellows;
• a competitive annual stipend with an annual cost-of-living increase, combined with $15,000 per year in discretionary research funds; and
• MIT Health Affiliate health insurance coverage for Fellows and their dependents.

Program Administration

The Physics Department Head appoints the members of the program’s Executive Committee, which includes a rotating faculty membership responsible for the review, evaluation, and selection of candidates, and one staff Administrator who directly administers the program.

The Pappalardo Fellows themselves are responsible for the selection, pursuit, and development of research within physics, astronomy or related fields, as well as active participation in the scientific and social activities of the program and MIT physics community.

These goals are largely accomplished by on-campus collaboration with a particular physics faculty member and his/her research group, physics colloquia attendance, and regular participation in the Fellows’ weekly luncheons and monthly dinners, which take place at MIT during the academic year.

List of Pappalardo Fellows

Executive Committee

2025-2026 Academic Year

Deepto Chakrabarty
Professor of Physics
Department Head, Ex Officio
Astrophysics Observation, Instrumentation and Experiment

Isaac Chuang
Professor of Physics; Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Quantum Information Science

Nikta Fakhri
Thomas D. & Virginia W. Cabot Career Development Associate Professor of Physics
Biophysics

Daniel Harlow (Committee Chair)
Jerrold R. Zacharias Career Development Associate Professor of Physics
Theoretical Particle Physics 

Long Ju
Lawrence and Sarah W. Biedenharn Career Development Assistant Professor of Physics
Condensed Matter Experiment

Erin Kara
Class of 1958 Career Development Assistant Professor of Physics
Astrophysics Observation, Instrumentation and Experiment

Max Metlitski
Associate Professor of Physics
Condensed Matter Theory

Phiala Shanahan
Class of 1957 Career Development Associate Professor of Physics
Theoretical Particle Physics 

Salvatore Vitale
Associate Professor of Physics
Astrophysics Observation, Instrumentation, and Experiment, Astrophysics Theory

Michael Williams
Associate Professor of Physics
Experimental Particle Physics 

Carol Breen
Communications and Pappalardo Fellowships Program Administrator

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Annual Pappalardo Fellowships Competition

Pappalardo Fellowships Symposia