Taylor/Blakeslee Graduate Fellowships

The Fellowship

The Council for the Advancement of Science Writing offers fellowships of $6,000 to working journalists and students of outstanding ability who have been accepted for enrollment in graduate-level programs in science writing. One candidate interested in covering the physical sciences—such as physics, astronomy, or chemistry—will receive an enhanced fellowship that also includes mentorship from a senior journalist and additional travel funding for reporting projects.

The annual deadline for applications is mid-March, with the specific date announced in early January. For 2026, the deadline is March 16. For full details, see the Rules and Eligibility page.

After their fellowships, graduates are eligible for a Taylor/Blakeslee Mentored Project Fellowship, designed to enable an independent reporting project, for three years.

About the Funds

The fellowships are underwritten by a grant from The Brinson Foundation, a Chicago-based philanthropic organization devoted to supporting educational, public health and scientific research programs. Additional support comes from donations to CASW’s general fund, including a bequest from the American Tentative Society (ATS), which, for three decades, played an important role in promoting public understanding of science and the scientific process. The fellowships honor the late Rennie Taylor, a science writer for Associated Press, whose estate provided funds for the establishment of ATS, and Alton Blakeslee, former science editor of Associated Press, who served as its longtime president.

Past Taylor/Blakeslee Graduate Fellows

*Physical Sciences Fellow

2025

Bridget Balch, Columbia University, Journalism
Alonso Daboub, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Rachel Duckett, Northwestern, Journalism
Ashley D’Souza, MIT, Science Writing
Ana Georgescu*, MIT, Science Writing
Stella Mayerhoff, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Alex Megerle, MIT, Science Writing

2024

Jenna Ahart*, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Anika Jane Beamer, MIT, Science Writing
Annie Bennett, NYU, Podcasting and Audio Reportage
Collin Blinder, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Jessica Chomik-Morales, MIT, Science Writing
Anna FitzGerald Guth, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Lina Savage, NYU, Science, Health & Environmental Reporting
Lauren Schneider, NYU, Science, Health & Environmental Reporting

2023

Alastair Bitsóí, Columbia University, Journalism
Sarah Hopkins, MIT, Science Writing
Joseph Howlett*, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Mennatalla Ibrahim, University of Maryland, Investigative Journalism
Alix Soliman, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Andrea Tamayo, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Chiara Villanueva, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication

2022

Shannon Banks, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Anna McLoud Gibbs, NYU, Science, Health & Environmental Reporting
Jiayu Liang, Columbia University, Journalism
Luis Melecio-Zambrano, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Marlowe Starling, NYU, Science, Health & Environmental Reporting
Elissa Welle, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication

2021

Iris M. Crawford, MIT, Science Writing
James Dinneen, MIT, Science Writing
Lindsey Leake, Johns Hopkins University, Science Writing
Brittney Miller, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Isabel Ruehl, Columbia University, Journalism
Graycen Wheeler, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication

2020

Niko McCarty, NYU, Science, Health & Environmental Reporting
Freda Kreier, UC Santa Cruz, Science Communication
Winston Choi-Schagrin, Columbia University, Journalism
Kelso Harper, MIT, Science Writing
Saima Sidik, MIT, Science Writing

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