To enable women to return to physics research careers after having had to interrupt those careers. The fellowship consists of a one-year award of up to $45,000. Allowed expenses include dependent care (limited to 50% of the award), salary, travel, equipment, and tuition and fees. Overhead charges by the institution are not allowed.
The award was established from a generous bequest from M. Hildred Blewett, an accelerator physicist who died in 2004. Hildred Blewett was passionate about physics and wanted to help women overcome obstacles by establishing the fellowship.
Applicants must:
If applicants have questions regarding their eligibility, or special circumstances they would like to discuss, they should contact us at blewett@aps.org.
In selecting fellowship recipients, the following criteria will be considered:
The application deadline of June 1, 2023, has closed. Applications were submitted via the online system. (Applications can no longer be edited or changed as the 2023 deadline has passed.)
To access the application
Applicants must also arrange for the following letters
Note: One of the letters, preferably from either the designated mentor or the institutional representative, should address the anticipated impact of the grant support and how it will enable advancement of the applicant’s career. Specifically, the letter should detail the applicant’s planned research roles, mentoring to be provided (if applicable), and how the grant is expected to contribute towards the applicant’s long-term professional goals.
Please also note that the fellowship is designed for assisting women in making a transition back into a professional career, consequently, funds are generally not available for renewal beyond one year of support.
Testimonials
"Getting the scholarship was a great encouragement to me as a first step of bringing in funding, and to do work that excited me. My confidence and my assurance that this indeed was what I wanted to do were largely made possible by the scholarship."
"Having received this nationally competitive scholarship, and having restarted my research program, has made me a more attractive candidate for a tenure-track position... the scholarship has allowed me to start an active, independent research program."
In the Media
"Returning to Science"
Sarah Webb, Science Magazine
Interviews with women who have returned to careers in science after a break, including two Blewett Fellowship winners.
Nominees for and holders of APS Honors (prizes, awards, and fellowship) and official leadership positions are expected to meet standards of professional conduct and integrity as described in the APS Ethics Guidelines. Violations of these standards may disqualify people from consideration or lead to revocation of honors or removal from office.
M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship Recipients
2023
Bushra Bari
Hsiang-Ku Lin
R. Shipra
Erzsi Szilagyi
2022
Hsiang-Ku Lin
Kristie Nault
2021
Gurbinder Kaur
Tarnjit Kaur Johal
2020
Gurbinder Kaur
Hyejin Yoo
2019
Tamar Mentzel
Asma Al-Qasimi
Beth Klein
Yunjin Choi
Satomi Okada
2018
Susmita Pal
Tamar Mentzel
Satomi Okada
Steph Kubala
Asma Al-Qasimi
Wafia Bensalem
2017
Samadrita Roy Chowdhury
Soma Chattopadhyay
Wafia Bensalem
2016
Hilary A. Carteret
Sarah Cuddy-Walsh
Yoko Suzuki
2015
Huey-Wen Lin
Nicole Lloyd-Ronning
Monique Tirion
Ani Tshantshapanyan
2014
Lusaka Bhattacharya
Amy Daradich
Leslie Kerby
Monique Tirion
Ani Tshantshapanyan
2013
Amy Daradich
Leslie Kerby
Sujatha Sampath
2012
Michelle Ntampaka
Sujatha Sampath
2011
Silvia Luescher Folk
Natalia Drichko
2010
Natalia Drichko
Marija Nikolic-Jaric
2009
Klejda Bega
Janice Wynn Guikema
Marija Nikolic-Jaric
2008
Janice Wynn Guikema
Ya Li
Firouzeh Sabri
2007
Archana Dubey
2006
Elizabeth Freeland
2005
Rebecca Forrest