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 $10,000 per year in discretionary research funds; and
• MIT Medical 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

2023-2024 Academic Year

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

Liang Fu
Professor of Physics
Theoretical Condensed Matter

Nuh Gedik
Professor of Physics
Experimental Condensed Matter Physics

Jeff Gore (Committee Chair)
Professor of Physics
Biophysics

Daniel Harlow
Jerrold R. Zacharias Career Development Associate Professor of Physics
High Energy and Particle Theory; Quantum Gravity and Field Theory

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

Gunther Roland
Professor of Physics
Experimental Nuclear Physics 

Phiala Shanahan
Class of 1957 Career Development Associate Professor of Physics
Strong Interactions and Nuclear Theory

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