AMELIA EARHART FELLOWSHIP DESCRIPTION
Globally, women make up around 25 percent of the workforce in the aerospace industry. In an effort to carry out its mission that women have access to all resources and are represented in decision-making positions on an equal basis with men, Zonta International offers the Amelia Earhart Fellowship.
The Amelia Earhart Fellowship was established in 1938 in honor of famed pilot and Zontian, Amelia Earhart. The US$10,000 Fellowship is awarded annually to up to 30 women pursuing Ph.D./doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences. It may be used at any university or college offering accredited post-graduate courses and degrees in these fields.
Since the program’s inception in 1938, Zonta has awarded 1,704 Amelia Earhart Fellowships, totaling more than US$11.3 million, to 1,275 women from 76 countries.
Our Fellows have gone on to become astronauts, aerospace engineers, astronomers, professors, geologists, business owners, heads of companies, even Secretary of the US Air Force.
ELIGIBILITY
Women of any nationality pursuing a Ph.D./doctoral degree who demonstrate a superior academic record conducting research applied to aerospace engineering or space sciences are eligible. It is imperative that students be registered in a full-time Ph.D./doctoral program and have completed at least one year of that program or have received a master’s degree in an aerospace-applied field at the time the application is submitted. Applicants must not graduate from their Ph.D. or doctoral program before April 2024. Please note that post-doctoral research programs are not eligible for the Fellowship. Club members and individuals with direct membership with Zonta International and employees of Zonta International and Zonta Foundation for Women, and their family members (ancestors, descendants, adoptees, siblings, nieces or cousins, and those of their spouse or co-habiting partner), are not eligible to apply for the Fellowship. Note that previous Amelia Earhart Fellows are not eligible to apply to renew the Fellowship for a second year.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship Committee reviews the applications and recommends recipients to the Zonta International Board. All applicants are evaluated on the criteria stated in the requirements section of the application. All details of the evaluations are kept confidential; evaluations are not disclosed to applicants. All applicants will be notified of their status by the end of April.
DEADLINE
The 2023 Amelia Earhart Fellowship application is now closed. The 2024 Amelia Earhart application will open in July 2023.
FUNDING
Amelia Earhart Fellowships are made possible by generous contributions to the Zonta Foundation for Women Amelia Earhart Fellowship Fund.
FELLOWS
2022 Amelia Earhart Fellows | PDF
2022 Amelia Earhart Fellows’ Bios | PDF
Eleonora Andreis, Italy
Vanessa Awate, Senegal and United States
Madison Borrelli, United States
Jordan Bretzfelder, United States
Dorota Budzyń, Poland
Anivid Pedrós Faura, Spain
Marie Fayolle, France
Abigail Flom, United States
Mariachiara Gallia, Italy
Maaninee Gupta, India
Maren Hülsmann, Germany
Jeimmy Nataly Buitrago Leiva, Colombia
Yana Lishkova Bulgaria
Sara Miller, United States
Adriana Mitchell, United States and Brazil
Maya Nasr, Lebanon
Benita Nortmann, Germany and Switzerland
Funmilola Oluwafemi, Nigeria
Katherine Opacich, United States
Eleni Ravanis, United Kingdom and Greece
Archana Tikayat Ray, India
Malina Reitemeyer, Germany
Lidia Carós Roca, Spain
Madeleine Schroeder, United States
Emileigh Shoemaker, United States
Caroline Hamilton Smith, Australia
Emma Stevenson, United Kingdom
Leanne Su, United States
Pa Chia Thao, United States
Mahsa Taheran Vernoosfaderanik, Iran
QUESTIONS OR FURTHER NEWS
If you have any questions, please email programs@zonta.org or visit the link: Amelia Earhart Fellowship
