Schlumberger Foundation 2026-2027 Faculty for the Future Fellowships

The Schlumberger Foundation announces Faculty for the Future fellowships, nurturing its community of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) from developing and emerging countries. The Schlumberger Foundation selected the most recent Faculty for the Future women in STEM from emerging and developing countries engaged in post-graduate studies at various universities around the world.

The program’s long-term goal is to accelerate gender equality in STEM by creating conditions that enable more women to pursue scientific careers. The program is committed to gender parity in science. SLB recognizes that full access to and participation in a STEM curriculum is essential for the empowerment of women and girls. By accelerating gender equality in STEM, the talent and capacities of these women can be developed for the benefit of their local communities, regions, and the world.

Candidates should have applied to, have been admitted to, or be currently enrolled in a university abroad when submitting their grant application. Candidates must hold an excellent academic record, demonstrate leadership skills, community outreach activities and have a track record in encouraging girls and women into STEM elds. Candidates should also prove their commitment to return to their home countries upon completion of their studies to contribute to the economic, social and technological advancement of their home regions by strengthening the STEM teaching and research faculties of their home institutions as well as through their leadership in science-based entrepreneurship. They are also expected to contribute to the public sector where their newly acquired technical and scienti c skills can help provide evidence-based support for STEM policy making, including topics of gender representation.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible to apply for this Fellowship applicants must meet the following criteria:

You:

• are a female and are a citizen of a developing country or emerging economy where women are underrepresented in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines*. You are not eligible to apply if you hold dual citizenship of which one is citizenship of a developed country. (N.B. If you have been awarded a Faculty for the Future grant and after the award you obtain citizenship of a developed country, the grant will be discontinued as of the date of such additional citizenship);
• are preparing for a PhD degree or post-doctoral research in a STEM discipline. The Faculty for the Future program does not fund Master level studies;
• are enrolled, admitted or have applied to a host university/research institute abroad(applications are no longer accepted where a candidate has not yet applied to a university). If you are applying for a sandwich course the final degree must be awarded by the Host University abroad or jointly (i.e., but not solely from the home country university);
• hold an excellent academic record;
• are willing to go back to your home country or region upon completion of your studies to contribute to its socio-economic development;
• have a proven record of teaching experience in your home country and can demonstrate your commitment to going back home to: i) an academic or research position in a STEM faculty; ii) and/or to using your knowledge to become a STEM entrepreneur to help resolve regional challenges in your local community/region; iii) and/or to demonstrating leadership by contributing to the public sector using your scientific skills to help provide evidence-based support for STEM policy making, including topics of gender representation;

• can demonstrate leadership skills, active community outreach and have a track record in encouraging girls and women into STEM.

If you do not meet the above criteria, please do not apply for a grant, as your application will not be retained in the selection process.

*Faculty for the Future focuses on developing and emerging countries where women are underrepresented in STEM disciplines. Qualifying a country as advanced, developing or emerging, is a complex and often controversial topic.

Faculty for the Future does not draw on one single source or list but constitutes its eligible country list from a number of sources which allows incorporation of development status with regard to science, gender and education for example. The most significant sources drawn upon are the UN Human Development Index (HDI), the UN Gender Inequality Index (GII), the UNESCO institute of Statistics (UIS), Female and Education Ratio (FER) including indicators of female participation in STEM in tertiary education and the UIS STEM enrolment in Tertiary Education.

The Faculty for the Future country list is reviewed every year and as levels of development fluctuate, a country may be on the list one year and not on the list the following year, and vice versa.

Faculty for the Future grants are based on actual expenses to be incurred by the student only. This typically includes tuition and university fees, an estimation of accommodation costs and a living allowance (food, some allowance for books and supplies, medical/insurance coverage, child care, transport costs) in addition to a budget for travel to host country, visa and conference expenses. Grants can be up to USD 50,000 per year for PhD courses and a maximum of USD 40,000 for post-doc programs.

In addition, and at the discretion of the Schlumberger Foundation, an exceptional child care grant may be awarded (per eligible child) to a grantee when certain conditions are met. These conditions are provided in the financial section of the application form.