C.S. Mott Fellowship

PLEASE NOTE: Application requirements have changed in order to meet MSU applicant privacy standards. Application deadline has been extended to Friday, February 13 at 5pm. 

We invite MSU faculty to nominate incoming PhD students for the C.S. Mott Pre-doctoral Fellowships in Sustainable Agriculture for the 2026-2027 academic year. These fellowships are intended for students beginning a Ph.D. program in the 2026-2027 academic year and engaging in research relevant to sustainable agriculture and food systems, broadly defined.

There will be two to three fellowships of $39,000 each awarded this year. The amount is parallel to the cost of a 9-month assistantship, but the fellowship can be utilized any time during their graduate study, pending completion of a satisfactory annual report by July 1 of each year (for example, $39,000 in one year, or $13,000 each year for 3 years).

A fellowship provides financial support to graduate students to pursue their graduate studies without associated teaching or research responsibilities.  Mott Fellows are required to participate in the MSU Graduate Specialization in Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS).

To nominate a student, the faculty member should send:

  1. a copy of the student’s CV or resume
  2. a short essay from the prospective student outlining their interest in studying sustainable agriculture and food systems and joining the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems program (SAFS)
  3. a recommendation letter from the faculty advisor concerning: 1) the applicant’s probable dissertation area and relevance to sustainable agriculture, and 2) summary of the applicant’s academic and professional achievements including honors and awards.

Please send all nominations electronically in one PDF to the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems program (SAFS) email safs@msu.edu.


Nominations are due on February 13, 2026.  Awards will be offered in March 2026.


Sincerely, 


Jason Rowntree, PhD                                              Katherine Alaimo, PhD
CS Mott Chair of Sustainable Agriculture               Director, SAFS
Professor, Animal Science                                       Associate Professor, FSHN