Join us

​We are seeking student community fellows at the University of Pennsylvania who will commit to working on this initiative during the 2026-2027 academic year. Student fellows will be trained in environmental sampling and analysis for emerging contaminants during the fall and winter semesters and then conduct a research project relevant to the Philadelphia community in collaboration with workshop leaders. Eligible undergraduate or graduate students may come from a variety of departments on campus including Earth and environmental science, chemistry, public health, engineering, or any other related field. 

 

Student community fellows will be awarded a stipend of $2,000 to support their time commitment and will be expected to (1) participate in monthly training workshops and community meetings, (2) help to complete sampling and environmental analysis of water quality at selected sample locations, and (3) prepare a final report detailing their findings that can be publicly shared. 

 

To apply, please prepare your academic CV and a cover letter describing your interest in the opportunity along with any relevant experience. Applications will be assessed based on academic background, research interests, and alignment with the objectives of the research community. For consideration, please submit your application materials as pdfs via email to sammcb@seas.upenn.edu by midnight on Sep 26th. 

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FAQS

• Is this opportunity only for Penn students?

  • For now, yes. We are actively working on securing funding that would allow students from our partner schools, Temple University and Drexel University, to participate as funded fellows. However, we still encourage participation from students across the area even if funding is not possible

• What is the expected time commitment?

  • During the academic year, we expect you to participate in monthly meetings, conduct your sampling and analysis, and prepare your final results. This will likely add up to approximately 5 hours/week on average

• What will the project be? 

  • As of Aug/Sep 2026, we are still working with community partners to identify a project for fellows to work on. For now we know that it will involve environmental sampling around Philadelphia and will address a question of interest to the broader community.