Amelia Earhart "AE" Women in Aerospace Fellowship

Supports

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. 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