Department of Energy Selects 36th Class of Computational Science Graduate Fellows

Twenty-nine students working toward achieving doctorates in fields that emphasize the use of computing and mathematics have been selected for the Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (DOE CSGF) program.

The 2026-2027 incoming fellows will attend 18 U.S. universities as they learn to apply high-performance computing (HPC) to research in disciplines including applied mathematics, machine learning, computer science, quantum science and engineering, electrical and mechanical engineering, physics, chemistry and materials science.

The program, established in 1991 and funded by the DOE's Office of Science and the National Nuclear Security Administration, trains top leaders in computational science. As of Sept. 1, the DOE CSGF community will include more than 725 fellows and alumni who have trained at 87 Ph.D. institutions. More than 500 alumni work in fields that enlist HPC to maintain the nation's advantage in energy science and other urgent scientific and technological challenges.

"Over the last 35 years, the Computational Sciences Graduate Fellowship has played an outsized role in ensuring American leadership in supercomputing and in science more broadly. CSGF alumni contribute to the three fastest scientific supercomputers in the world, all run by the U.S. Department of Energy, and to the science and engineering applications that run on them," said Hal Finkel, the Associate Director of DOE's Advanced Scientific Computing Research program. "Alumni also play key roles in the department's Genesis Mission in artificial intelligence and in research that will lead to a revolution in practical quantum computing. The DOE Office of Science is proud to help support this fantastically successful program."

"Computational tools and capabilities are critical for our nation, and the Computational Science Graduate Fellowship has a long history of developing leaders in computing for academia, industry, and government," said Stephen Rinehart, Assistant Deputy Administrator of the National Nuclear Security Administration. "Within the NNSA, CSGF alumni play critical roles in developing leading-edge computing and in using supercomputers to help assure the safety and security of America's nuclear stockpile. NNSA is proud to continue supporting the CSGF program and looks forward to the contributions these students will make in the years and decades to come."

Most DOE CSGF recipients work in traditional scientific disciplines that rely on HPC to address research problems. A second track supports those studying applied mathematics, statistics, computer science or computer engineering, with research interests that advance HPC's use in science. This includes students focused on HPC as a broad enabling technology rather than a particular science or engineering application. Regardless of track affiliation, fellows' research includes elements of artificial intelligence, machine learning and quantum computing, positioning them to contribute to U.S. investments in emerging computing architectures, including the DOE's Genesis Mission.

Fellows receive support that includes a stipend, tuition and fees, and an annual academic allowance. Renewable for up to four years, the fellowship is guided by a comprehensive program of study that requires focused coursework in science and engineering, computer science, applied mathematics and HPC. It also includes a three-month practicum at one of 22 DOE-approved sites across the country, and an annual meeting where fellows present their research in poster and talk formats.

The DOE CSGF has been managed by the Iowa-based nonprofit Krell Institute since 1997. Details for each incoming fellow will be available in September via the program's online fellow directory. Meanwhile, please contact the Krell Institute for further information.