Department Fellowships

The James Stacy Coles, Littlefield, and Dana Walker Mayo Summer Research Fellowships are funded departmental fellowships that provide students with an exceptional opportunity for hands-on research. Students submit an application directly to the Chemistry Department. The Dana Walker Mayo fund also provides academic year opportunities.

Student recipients of the fellowships will work closely with a Bowdoin faculty member on a mutually acceptable research project, full time, for eight to ten weeks in the summer. The fellows will receive a $615/week stipend; housing is subsidized for summer research students.

Features

This program features seminars and discussions on topics ranging from applying to graduate schools to careers in the chemical industry. Additionally, the program features many social and informal gatherings over the course of the summer to take advantage of the superb Maine summer climate.

Participating Faculty and Research Areas

The chemistry department holds a research open house every fall. Each participating member of the department will briefly discuss projects available to summer research fellows or as future honors or independent study projects. This will be a good time to find out what members of the department do in all of their "spare time" and get a feel for what you might do during your summer break.

Program Dates and Schedule

The fellows are expected to participate in a program of summer research. The College makes housing available beginning just after commencement continuing through the summer. The program will provide each fellow with a $615/week stipend and money for research supplies. The summer program begins immediately after classes end however, please talk with your faculty mentor about your exact summer research dates as the exact schedule can depend upon your own availability and that of your advisor. The first week will include safety training, and each participant will present their research at one of our weekly lunchtime seminars towards the end of the summer.

Important Fellowship Dates

February 17, 2026 (noon)* Deadline for students to submit completed phase one online application for summer research fellowships
February 24, 2026 (noon)* Deadline for students to submit completed phase two online application for summer research fellowships
April 1, 2026 Summer research fellowship applicants are notified by the Office of Student Fellowships and Research (SFR) as to whether they are beng offered an award or wait-listed
April 6, 2026 (noon)* Deadline for applicants who are offered a summer research fellowship to submit their signed award letter (or e-mail confirmation for students who are studying away) to SFR indicating intent to accept the offered summer research fellowship
April 13, 2026 Students previously wait-listed for summer research fellowships are contacted by SFR and notified that they are either being offered a fellowship as part of the second round of awards or that they are no longer under consideration
April 15, 2026 Deadline for students who were awarded fellowships as part of the second round of awards to submit their signed award letter (or e-mail confirmation for students who are studying away) to SFR indicating intent to accept the offered summer research fellowship
April 30, 2026 ADCs submit signed award letters and award/housing vouchers to SFR for each departmental and student faculty research grant fellowship
May 25, 2026 Summer fellows receive first award payment
July 7, 2026 Summer fellows receive second (and final) award payment
August 15, 2026 Deadline for fellows to submit final one-page report to the Office of Student Fellowships and Research. (Details can be found here.)

*Late applications/signed award letters will not be accepted; students should plan accordingly.

Application

Chemistry departmental fellowship applications for Summer 2025 are due by noon on February 27, 2026. The fellowships are open to any Bowdoin student, with a preference given to current or prospective chemistry and biochemistry majors. The department encourages all interested students to talk with several of the faculty members listed above so that they might have a clear sense of the wide array of the projects available to them.

2026 Coles/Littlefield/Mayo Application