Amelia Earhart Fellowships
General Information
The Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowships were established in 1938 in honor of Amelia Earhart, famed pilot and Zonta club member. The Fellowships are granted annually to women pursuing graduate Ph.D./doctoral degrees in aerospace-related sciences and aerospace-related engineering.
The Fellowship
The Amelia Earhart Fellowships are awarded annually to women pursuing a Ph.D./doctoral degree in aerospace-related sciences and aerospace-related engineering. The Fellowship of US$10,000 may be used at any university or college offering accredited post-graduate courses and degrees. Students must be registered in a full-time Ph.D./doctoral program when funds are received in September and will not graduate before April 2026. Current fellows may apply to renew the Fellowship for a second year and will undergo the same application and evaluation procedures as first-time applicants.
Who is eligible?
Women of any nationality pursuing a Ph.D./doctoral degree who demonstrate a superior academic record in the field of aerospace-related sciences and aerospace-related engineering are eligible. Students must be registered in a full-time Ph.D./doctoral program when funds are received in September and will not graduate before April 2026. Please note that post-doctoral research programs are not eligible for the Fellowship. Members and employees of Zonta International or the Zonta International Foundation are also not eligible to apply for the Fellowships.
2024 marks the 86th year for the fellowship and we are proud to to have two Amelia Earhart Fellows in District 14!
Carmen Possnig who ist a Ph.D. candidate in space physiologie at the University of Innsbruck. Her research focuses on changes in brain and eye blood flow in microgravity, which she simulates via bed rest studies and parabolic flights. Her research aims to keep astronauts healthy and fit for future spaceflights to the Moon and Mars.
Ria Vijayan who is working with the German Aerospace Center (DLR), Munich, on her Ph.D. research in the field of orbit servicing (OOS), in affiliation with the Technical University of Vienna. Her main interests cover dynamic modeling, nonlinear control and optimization, with particular focus on control methods for OOS missions (e.g. grasping defunct satellites for maintenance and repair).