Deadline
The deadline to apply for the 2026 Amelia Earhart Fellowships is closed. Please check back in August 2026.
Amelia Earhart Fellowship description
Globally, women make up around 25 percent of the workforce in the aerospace industry. In an effort to carry out its mission that women have access to all resources and are represented in decision-making positions on an equal basis with men, Zonta International offers the Amelia Earhart Fellowship.
The Amelia Earhart Fellowship was established in 1938 in honor of famed pilot and Zontian, Amelia Earhart. The US$10,000 Fellowship is awarded annually to up to 30 women pursuing Ph.D./doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences. It may be used at any university or college offering accredited post-graduate courses and degrees in these fields.
Since the program’s inception in 1938, Zonta has awarded 1,794 Amelia Earhart Fellowships, totaling more than US$12.2 million, to 1,365 women from 80 countries.
Our Fellows have gone on to become astronauts, aerospace engineers, astronomers, professors, geologists, business owners, heads of companies, even Secretary of the US Air Force.
SHARON LANGENBECK AMELIA EARHART FELLOW
In 2025, Past International President and two-time Amelia Earhart Fellow (1977 and 1978) Sharon Langenbeck, Ph.D., showed her dedication to the fellowship with an extraordinary donation to the Amelia Earhart Endowment Fund. In recognition of this incredible gift and Sharon's unwavering impact to the Amelia Earhart Fellowship Program, one fellow will be officially recognized as the "Sharon Langenbeck Amelia Earhart Fellow" every year. The Sharon Langenbeck Amelia Earhart Fellow is designated from the 30 Fellows already selected by the Zonta International Amelia Earhart Committee each year based on pre-established criteria.
Eligibility
Women of any nationality pursuing a Ph.D./doctoral degree who demonstrate a superior academic record conducting research applied to aerospace engineering or space sciences are eligible. It is imperative that students be registered in a full-time Ph.D./doctoral program and have completed at least one year of that program or have received a master’s degree in an aerospace-applied field at the time the application is submitted. Applicants must not graduate from their Ph.D. or doctoral program before April 2027. Please note that post-doctoral research programs are not eligible for the Fellowship.
Club members and individuals with direct membership with Zonta International and employees of Zonta International and Zonta Foundation for Women are not eligible to apply for the Awards. Committee or jury members or any member involved in the selection process should follow the Zonta International Conflict of Interest Policy in the selection of awardees.
Note that previous Amelia Earhart Fellows are not eligible to apply to renew the Fellowship for a second year.
Application process
The Zonta International Amelia Earhart Fellowship Committee reviews the applications and recommends recipients to the Zonta International Board. All applicants are evaluated on the criteria stated in the requirements section of the application. All details of the evaluations are kept confidential; evaluations are not disclosed to applicants. All applicants will be notified of their status by the end of April.
Funding
Amelia Earhart Fellowships are made possible by generous contributions to the Zonta Foundation for Women Amelia Earhart Fellowship Fund.
Fellows
2025 Amelia Earhart Fellows | PDF
2025 Amelia Earhart Fellows' Bios |PDF
Marina Barahona, Spain
Myrella Cabral, Brazil
Greta Cappello, Italy
Jasmine Chang, USA
Hephzibah Christopher, India
Rachel Cueva, USA
Samantha Gilbert-Janizek USA
Maryam Haytham Esmat, Egypt
Sage Herz, USA
Giuliana Caramella Hofheins, USA
Erin Holdorf, Australia
Nicole Khusid, USA
Leah Kiner, USA
Joanna Krynski, Canada and Poland
Émilie Laflèche, Canada
Taylor Lonner, USA
Elena Lopez-Contreras-Gonzalez, Spain
McKayla Meier, USA
Lisette Melendez, USA
Valerie Mrotzek, Germany
Preethi Mysore, USA
Margaret Nunn, USA
Palak Patel, USA
Carolyn Pethrick, Canada
Kirtee Ramo, Mauritius
Martina Rusconi, Italy
Anna Taylor, USA, 2025 Sharon Langenbeck Amelia Earhart Fellow | Video
Melissa Yeung, USA
Soha Yusuf, Pakistan
Fatima Zaidouni, Morocco
Questions
If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
2026 Amelia Earhart Month Statement