All graduate students in Brown’s Department of Chemistry receive full financial support, which includes a generous stipend, full tuition coverage, University-paid health insurance, and health service fee. The Department and Brown's Graduate School are committed to supporting all graduate students who make good progress toward their Ph.D. through their fifth year. Read more about the Graduate School's guaranteed support. With this commitment of support, our graduate students are able to fully focus on their studies without having to worry about their financial well-being.

Types of Graduate Student Support

Teaching Assistantships: Teaching is an integral part of the graduate experience at Brown. Typically, doctoral students in chemistry will work as teaching assistants (TA’s) for two semesters during their graduate careers. Teaching responsibilities range from facilitating undergraduate problem-solving sessions, supervising hands-on undergraduate laboratory experiments, exam grading, and holding weekly office hours. A TA’s financial award includes a stipend, tuition, health insurance, and health services fee.

Research Assistantships: Research assistants (RA’s) work with their Ph.D. advisor on independent, original research projects. An RA’s financial award includes a stipend, tuition, health insurance, and health services fee.

Department & University Fellowships

There are a limited number of fellowships that provide for the same level of financial support as TA’s and RA’s. Specifically:

First Year Fellowships: Upon recommendation by the Department, the Graduate School may award a number of fellowships to first year students. First-year fellows receive full tuition, a stipend, health insurance and a health services fee.

Dissertation Fellowships: Each academic year the Graduate School, acting on a recommendation by the Department, may provide select students with a dissertation fellowship. Students in their last year of graduate study are eligible for nomination. The Dissertation Fellowships cover stipend, enrollment fee and health fee for either one semester or a full academic year.

Vince Wernig Fellowship: The Vince Wernig Fellowship is competitively awarded to one senior graduate student per year. The level of support includes stipend, tuition, health insurance, and health services fee for an entire academic year. The recipient will have shown excellence in research as evidenced by publications, conference participation or other research accomplishments.  

GAANN Fellowships: The Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need program provides fellowships to assist graduate students of superior ability who demonstrate financial need. The fellowship covers a high percentage of tuition, stipend, health insurance, and health services fee. Brown Chemistry students are eligible and must complete an application.

External Fellowships

The Graduate School provides incentives to encourage students to compete for funding from institutions, foundations, and governmental agencies. The Department of Chemistry encourages all students to seek these prestigious external fellowships. Assistance is available in completing applications, please contact Rose Barreira, Graduate Program Coordinator.

View a list of fellowships and links to external sources compiled by the Chemistry Department in the Graduate Student Resources shared folder (access restricted to Brown Chemistry grad students).

University Funding for Student Research & Conference Travel

Please see the Graduate School website for detailed information on research travel and conference travel funding.

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Updated 9/16/2022