ACT has a limited number of research positions in fields connected to ongoing research by ACT facultyThese positions are not funded by ACT and outside funding must be demonstrated by applicants. Fellows and Affiliates cannot be enrolled as a student at any institution or currently engaged in PhD research.

Research Fellow

Fellows are practitioners and/or educators funded by an external institution or organization who have expertise, stature, and contacts in their field. They visit the program for a limited period of time to engage in research at ACT with ACT faculty. Although this is not a teaching or service role, Fellows are encouraged to interact with students and may visit ACT classes, whether as presenters or reviewers. Office space and other research-related resources might be made available.

Research Affiliate

Affiliates are investigators, educators, and other professionals with an existing relationship with an external organization, small or large. They can connect ACT with new groups and their organization benefits from a connection with ACT. They are not in residence, have appointments that can be of longer duration, and are not funded. Affiliates do not have a teaching or service role, but are encouraged to interact with students and visit ACT classes, whether as presenters or reviewers. An Affiliate does not usually have an office at MIT.

Application Process

Those wishing to be considered for either a Fellow or Affiliate appointment must submit a pre-application. A review of your materials will determine whether or not you will be invited to submit a fuller application.

The pre-application should be submitted as a PDF no longer than 4 pages.  The pre-application has 2 parts:

  • Part One is a two-page summary of your research proposal. We ask that you address the following:
    • The summary should address why you are interested in pursuing research at MIT and at ACT.
    • What do you expect to gain from being at MIT and what will you contribute to the ACT/MIT communities.
    • Provide an explanation of how the research will be funded and the amount and use of the funds.
    • List three to five individuals you hope to contact and/or with whom you can collaborate.
    • Please indicate how you expect to engage the faculty and students while at MIT. We encourage you to reach out to faculty to have a preliminary discussion about ways in which your work is synergistic.
  • Part Two provides information about the applicant — biographical material and/or CV highlights, your institutional affiliations, and any relevant URLs; this should be no more than two pages in length.

Your submission should be emailed to act@mit.eduSubmissions longer than 4 pages will not be considered. Please expect acknowledgement of receipt of your submission within a week. Applications for the fall term (which starts 9/1) should be received by the preceding April 30th; applications for the spring term (which starts 2/1) should be received by August 31st of the prior year.  An interview may be scheduled between the four weeks after the deadline and the decision. A decision on your pre-application will be communicated to you within 4 weeks after the fall or spring deadline. Submission instructions on your full application will be communicated at the time of a positive response to your pre-application.

Receipt of all submissions is acknowledged. If the receipt of your application has not been acknowledged, please re-send it (act@mit.edu) or contact 617-253-5229.