The 2026 Research Fellows Program

The Eastern States Section of the Combustion Institute (ESSCI) is pleased to announce the inaugural Research Fellows Program. The Program will support collaboration between two ESSCI graduate students or postdoctoral researchers at academic institutions. Each Fellow will spend time at the other institution working on a collaborative research project of mutual interest. The intention is to provide each Fellow with an experience and perspective distinct from their own research, for example, but certainly not limited to

• Collaboration between an experimental Fellow and a computational Fellow;

• Collaboration between a kinetics-focused Fellow and a fluids-focused Fellow; and/or

• Collaboration between a fundamentals-focused Fellow and an applications-focused Fellow.

Grants of up to $5,000 will be awarded to each Fellow pair; grants in excess of this amount will be considered as an exception with sufficient justification. These funds will be used to support the time spent at each institution. Eligible expenses include travel and local living expenses. Salaries and any research expenses should be covered by the respective institutions as appropriate. Up to two awards (so two pairs of Fellows) may be made for this call. Time must be spent at both institutions, but the length of time spent at each institution need not be the same and will depend on the nature of the collaborative research project. The projects must be conducted within one year of being awarded.

While the intention is to support pairs of Fellows, exceptional one-way collaborations where a graduate student or postdoctoral researcher visits a host will also be considered, but given lower preference. The host institution must also be in the ESSCI region.

Proposals are due May 1, 2026, to Prof. Michael E. Mueller, Chair of the Eastern States Section of The Combustion Institute, via email (muellerm@princeton.edu) and include the following elements:

· Two-page technical proposal that includes the background and motivation for the project, technical approaches, research plan, and potential impact;

· Research project timeline, including any activities before or after the Fellowship period;

· Up to two-page personal statement for each Fellow that describes how the proposed research has an element distinct from their own research and how the program will impact their own professional development;

• CV for each Fellow;

• Detailed budget; and

• Letters of support from the student advisors/postdoctoral researcher supervisors (and the host institution for a one-way collaboration), including an explicit commitment to support salaries and any research expenses.

The proposals should be developed by the graduate students or postdoctoral researchers, with the advisors or supervisors only providing high-level guidance and approval of any potential research expenses.

The proposals will be reviewed by a committee consisting of members of the ESSCI Executive Board. Awards will be announced no later than May 31, 2026.

The reporting requirement is a submission to the 2028 ESSCI Meeting, where the project team will deliver a “mini-plenary” lecture on the outcomes. Fellows are highly encouraged to publish their collaborative research in a journal.

To facilitate matching with potential collaborators, a networking event will occur at the 2026 ESSCI Meeting. During registration, a question will solicit your interest in participating in the networking event. Additional information on the format of the event will be provided and information required of participants will be solicited after the close of registration for the 2026 ESSCI Meeting.

For any questions, contact Prof. Michael E. Mueller.