Complex Systems Summer School Journalism Fellowship Program

The premise of the fellowship is to offer journalists an opportunity to explore complex systems science more deeply by attending SFI’s iconic four-week Complex Systems Summer School (CSSS). During their residency in Santa Fe, two selected journalists will learn alongside graduate students, postdoctoral scientists, and professionals through an intensive series of lectures and labs taught by world-renowned faculty. The Fellow will have the opportunity to interact with top scientists collaborating across disciplines at the Santa Fe Institute and will be encouraged to contribute to a group project at the Complex Systems Summer School. Armed with a new appreciation for the history of and trends in complex systems science, and the state and limitations of current scientific theory, the Fellows then return to their day-to-day reporting better prepared to convey the interrelatedness of solutions to the complex problems they face.

The Fellowship term is five weeks, which provides an immersive opportunity for the selected fellows to participate in SFI’s Complex Systems Summer School held at the Institute of American Indian Arts in Santa Fe (June 8-July 4, 2025) and to spend an additional week at the Santa Fe Institute after the end of the school.

Funding Information

• A stipend of $6,250 for the five-week program is provided; as students of the Complex Systems Summer School, Fellows will be housed at the Institute of American Indian Arts.
• The stipend may enhance the Fellow’s existing salary, or the journalist’s employer may offset his or her ongoing salary with the stipend.
• Enrollment in SFI’s Complex Systems Summer School is provided free of charge.
• Travel reimbursement is also provided. SFI benefits are not included in this offer.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Fellowship seeks accomplished, actively reporting full-time journalists.
• Applicants are considered whose reporting in the national and international news media demonstrates an interest in science or in problems that interdisciplinary science can help address.
• Each applicant must be able to demonstrate his or her status as a full-time working journalist (any beat) for at least the previous seven years. Freelance journalists must be able to demonstrate routine reporting for the past seven years.
• Applicants may be reporters, writers, editors, producers, or program hosts. They may work in newspapers, magazines, news websites, television, or radio.
• Journalists from all countries will compete equally; top priority will be afforded to journalists working primarily in the English language.
• There are no educational prerequisites.
• Professionals now working primarily in public information, public relations, the trade press, government, or academia without all of the above credentials are not eligible.
• The Santa Fe Institute is an equal opportunity employer. Women and members of underrepresented groups are especially encouraged to apply, as are individuals who have taken unconventional paths in their careers.

Selection Criteria

• Candidate journalists are self-identified or are recommended by Santa Fe Institute faculty, staff, or trustees or by their employers or colleagues.
• Selected top candidates are expected to complete a video interview. Final decisions will be made by the Institute’s leadership.

Conditions

• Selected applicants must agree to the following requirements:
  • To reside full-time in the Santa Fe area for the full term of the fellowship.
  • To refrain from professional reporting during the fellowship (continuity of existing blogging and social media activities are permitted and encouraged).
  • To participate fully in the Complex Systems Summer School.
  • To give at least one flexible-format presentation for the Complex Systems Summer School students and one formal lunchtime seminar at Cowan Campus for SFI researchers during the final week of the fellowship.
  • For international selectees, to obtain required travel credentials including an appropriate visa with a status allowing direct payment and receipt of U.S. payments.

Application Requirements

• Resume or CV.
• Five past examples of professional work that demonstrate substantive coverage of complex systems-related science or science applied to complex systems issues (accepted file formats include pdf, scan, or active url).
• Fellowship proposal letter detailing how the journalist intends to use the fellowship to further their own journalistic experience and perspective.
• Two letters of recommendation from editors or other individuals familiar with the applicant’s work, submitted directly by the authors with both the applicant’s name and “CSSS Journalism Fellowship” in the subject line.

For more information, visit SFI.