Fellows/Scholars

Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program
This program sends young Biomedical Engineers, anywhere outside the U.S. or Canada for one or more of the following activities:

  • Conducting academic or scientific research in a university or laboratory or
  • Pursuing coursework at an academic institution or
  • Interning at a policy institute, or in an industrial or  non-profit setting
  • Other options are possible

Eligibility
Whitaker Fellows (pre-doctoral) must meet the basic eligibility requirements and must

  • hold a Bachelor’s degree by the beginning date of the grant or
  • Be in or have recently completed a Master’s degree or
  • Be in a PhD program or
  • Be currently employed, with the most recent degree no higher than an MS


Fellows go abroad for one academic year (9-12 months)

Whitaker Scholars (post-doctoral) must meet the the basic eligibility requirements and must:

  • Currently have a PhD (within the past 3 years) or will be awarded the PhD before beginning  a Whitaker grant.

Scholars go abroad for one semester or up two two academic years (24 months)

Award Benefits
The Whitaker International Fellows and Scholars Program offers a stipend commensurate with the recipient’s experience and expected expenses in the host country.

  • Round-trip international airfare
  • A monthly living stipend commensurate with the recipient’s exp
  • Health & Accident insurance
  • Travel Enhancement Fund
  • Enrichment Seminar in Europe
  • Fellows Only: Tuition (and bench fees) reimbursement, capped at US$35,000 (regardless of country of exchange or exchange rate). Individual reimbursement amounts are determined by the Whitaker Program at the time of grant award (see details).

Grant Start Date
Awards typically begin between August 1st and October 1st, but may begin as early as July 1 of the competition year (2013), and as late as June 30 of the following year (2014).  Grantees cannot be in their host country or host instituion for more than 6 months prior to starting the grant (i.e. if you plan to start your grant in the UK July 1, 2014 and you have already been living their in 2013, you are ineligible).


Application 
All applicants should review the detailed instructions on application procedure before beginning the online application.

Applications must be completed and submitted electronically by the third Monday in January. This is the "received by" and not the postmarked deadline.  All components of the applications (application, recommendations, host letter and transcripts MUST be RECEIVED by the deadline).

The online application will generate a PDF document automatically, which you will be able to preview. To see what your auto-generated document will look like, click to see a sample PDF (283 KB).  Note: you will need Adobe Reader or a similar program to view PDF documents .

Supplemental Forms
The below forms are required components of a complete application, and must be submitted online, except as noted.  

  • Nomination by the Dean of a School or Chair of Biomedical Engineering   Note: if your major is not BME, the Chair of your department can provide the Nomination.
  • Three Letters of Reference  in addition to the nomination
  • Foreign Language Report (if applicable)
  • Host Institution Letter of Support*
    A complete application requires a Letter of Support from an in-country host institution or supervisor. This should be submitted on institutional letterhead. However, in the event that you are applying for a degree program where it is not possible to obtain a letter of acceptance by the Whitaker Program’s deadline, then a letter of support from a faculty member within the relevant department at the proposed institution is recommended.
  • Official Transcripts from all degree institutions for both Fellows and Scholars*

*Must be submitted in hard copy.  We can accept these components together or separately.  The letter must be in a sealed envelope, signed across the flap by the author; each transcript should be forwarded in the envelope in which it was received from the submitting institution.  Mail by the deadline to:

Whitaker International Program
Institute of International Education
809 United Nations Plaza
New York   NY 10017