An opportunity for approximately 10 continuing MIT graduate students to engage in MAD’s activities and propose a research-oriented or personal design project throughout the academic year (9 months), while receiving full tuition support, a stipend, and health insurance.

MAD welcomes current Master’s or PhD candidates from any MIT department or school, as we strive to generate an interdisciplinary environment of knowledge interchange.

Design is the use of creativity in the formulation of an object or system that directly considers human and social impacts. We encourage applicants to reflect on the use of design in their work or research, as well as its potential for social, and/or environmental impacts or implications for the process of designing itself. Answering the question “Who will benefit from my work, and how?” should be a central aspect of your application.

Through an ongoing collaboration with the MIT Climate & Sustainability Consortium, a portion of the Fellowships will be designated for graduate students working at the intersection of design and sustainability.

In addition to the financial award of stipend and tuition, Fellows may choose to benefit from the advice and experience of invited designers, researchers, MIT faculty members, and MAD’s program of public activities. Fellows attend a weekly Design Seminar, intended to enrich and expand their work.

As the community of Design Fellows grows, a network of people and projects is expected to nurture additional initiatives.

Design Fellows are active participants in MAD’s activities. Every week, they join a for-credit lunch seminar aimed at supporting design projects and facilitating the sharing of ideas, while building community around design across MIT.

The work of MAD Fellows will remain available in MAD’s archive as a resource to others, as the Fellows move on to become the next generation of design leaders.

To be eligible, applicants must be in residence at MIT during the 2023-24 academic year and currently enrolled. Applicants must also be nominated by an MIT faculty member, with each faculty member limited to only one nomination. If we receive more than one nomination from a faculty member, we will ask that they select only one student for Fellowship consideration. Thus, it is important that the applicants and faculty members discuss the nomination.