Call for Applications
The Texas A&M Energy Institute, in partnership with Chevron, is pleased to offer the Texas A&M Chevron Energy Graduate Fellows program, which funds outstanding graduate student researchers from across the Texas A&M campus annually with fellowship awards.
Funded by Chevron, the fellows program includes mentoring from faculty experts and opportunities to meet with subject matter experts at Chevron. Applications will be accepted from currently enrolled Texas A&M University graduate students from any school or college whose current and active research efforts focus on energy, including policy, technology, science, and societal impacts.
The Texas A&M Chevron Energy Graduate Fellows program is part of Chevron’s University Partnership Program, which supports universities around the country by providing the necessary funding to better develop the future of the energy business.
Eligibility
- Must be in good academic standing in their graduate program at Texas A&M University and enrolled at the doctoral (G8) level.
- Ideally has a current focus on energy research and this program’s identified topics.
- Ideally in the second or third year of a doctoral program.
- Must have a minimum of 12 months of coursework and/or research remaining prior to completion of their degree program.
- Must have been enrolled for longer than six months in their graduate program as of May 31, 2026.
Application Timeline
- Call for Applications: February 2026
- Applications Due: March 20, 2026 at 11:59 PM CDT
- Fellows Announced: Early May 2026
- Program Dates: September 2026 through August 2027
Application Components
Applications components are listed below, and applications should be submitted at the Application Page.
- Research Statement
- PDF format, up to 2 pages.
- Describing your current research, its alignment to topic(s) below, and your specific activities that you plan to pursue in the next 12 months.
- Research Statements should be jointly conceived by the applicant and the faculty advisor, but written by the applicant.
- Curriculum Vitae/Résumé
- PDF format, up to 2 pages.
- Letter of Recommendation
- Submitted in PDF format directly to tamuenergy@tamu.edu
- Letters must come from an Energy Institute Faculty Affiliate, detail the applicant’s strengths and research potential for the next year, and the alignment of the research with topic(s) below.
Selection Process
- Applications will be reviewed by a committee organized by the Texas A&M Energy Institute that will evaluate candidates based on the strength of the research statement, applicant curriculum vitae/résumé, and recommendation letter.
- A committee of Texas A&M faculty and staff members, industry experts (including Chevron), and other qualified experts will evaluate the candidates.
- The selection process may require a short oral interview with a select group of semi-finalists (to be conducted online).
Terms of the Award
- The awards will be administered as one-year fellowship award to the selected students, contingent on maintaining good academic standing.
- The approximate period of the fellowship is September 2026 through August 2027.
- Fellows will have the opportunity to engage periodically with Chevron subject matter experts and participate in educational and research engagements organized by the Texas A&M Energy Institute throughout the year.
- Fellows may be asked to submit a periodic progress report.
- Students are expected to be making satisfactory academic progress and to be enrolled full-time during the fall/spring semesters.
Topics
Competitive applicants may be researching any topic related to energy, but priority will be given to students whose work focuses on scalable innovation in lower carbon-intensity energy solutions, including:
- Transforming the traditional oil & gas business of today with improved safety, reliability, efficiency, digital transformation, and lower carbon footprint (for the various asset classes such as deepwater, shale & tight, heavy oil, and complex facilities of the future).
- Building the lower-carbon businesses of tomorrow particularly in the areas of carbon utilization (through thermo-/electro-/bio- catalytic pathways), H2 value chain, next-generation renewable fuels including sustainable aviation fuels, and qualification/quantification of carbon offsets.
- Watching for the future energy systems including novel geothermal solutions, energy storage systems, mobility systems, modular nuclear reactors, fusion, etc., focusing on the following aspects:
- Systems integration for high reliability and high efficiency of non-grid connected lower carbon industrial facilities.
- Process intensification (advanced equipment design, novel reaction pathways, and integrated process configurations to deliver transformative improvements in throughput, energy consumption, safety, and environmental impact).
- Digital/automation disruptors that can redefine operational advantage (such as “emergent AI” and advanced computing, advanced robotics and uncrewed systems, quantum computing for optimization & materials).
- Optimization of diverse energy systems in micro-grids.
- Disruptive energy systems that can provide 24/7 large-scale power anywhere including grid-scale energy storage & “heat/molecular storage systems.”
- Autonomous systems for the construction and operation of industrial facilities, particularly in remote locations.
- Sustainable policies that lower the uncertainties and remove bottlenecks for businesses and individuals involved in the energy transition.
- Waste as a resource, particularly waste heat (including data centers), wastewater, and the by-products of new energy forms.
- New sustainable sources of materials, particularly minerals, needed for the energy transition. Advanced materials (including nanoscale and nanostructured materials).