NYU Food Impact Program

Food Impact Fellowship

The Food Impact Program is recruiting its inaugural cohort of student fellows for the 2026–2027 academic year.

The Food Impact Fellowship is a nine-month program for NYU graduate and undergraduate students who want to engage seriously with food systems—the animal welfare, public health, environmental, and policy dimensions of how food is produced, distributed, and consumed. Fellows join a cohort of peers from across the university for monthly discussion sessions and activities, gain access to FIP’s programming and visiting speakers, and have priority consideration for compensated research and outreach work tied to FIP projects.

Who should apply

We welcome applications from NYU students at any level—undergraduates, graduate students, and professional school students across any NYU school or department—who are curious about food systems and motivated to engage with the field over the course of an academic year.

You do not need prior coursework or experience in food systems. We are equally interested in students who already work in this space and students who are arriving at it from an adjacent interest in animal welfare, public health, the environment, ethics, law and policy, media, the arts, business, or other fields.

What fellows do

All fellows participate in monthly cohort discussion sessions. These sessions are organized around readings, speakers, site visits, or other formats chosen by graduate fellows in consultation with the FIP team on a rotating basis. Sessions will take place on the third Friday of each month, from 12pm to 2pm.

Beyond these shared sessions, fellows participate in one or both of two contribution tracks:

• Research track: This track is for students interested in contributing to FIP’s research agenda—literature reviews, data analysis, policy analysis, and editorial support. Research-track fellows attend one fall and one spring session on research skills led by a faculty member or others with relevant expertise, and receive priority consideration for compensated research assistant positions on FIP and CEAP projects.
  
• Outreach track: This track is for students interested in FIP’s outreach agenda—talks, panels, film screenings, community engagement, educational programming, and more. Outreach-track fellows attend one fall and one spring session on event organizing and creative project work led by a faculty member or others with relevant expertise, and receive priority consideration for compensated local outreach work.

Tracks are porous: a research track fellow may help organize an event, and an outreach track fellow may contribute to a research output. Applicants may indicate interest in both.

Stipends & compensation

All accepted fellows receive an initial stipend at the start of the fellowship year:

• Graduate fellows: $5,000
• Undergraduate fellows: $2,500

These stipends are structured as advance payments for fellowship activities, calculated at NYU’s standard graduate and undergraduate hourly rates.

Beyond the stipend, fellows may have the opportunity to do  additional paid work (research assistantships, event staffing, local outreach) on a case-by-case basis. These opportunities will be paid hourly; separately from the stipend.

Time commitment

• Monthly cohort discussion sessions (required for all fellows)
• Organizing and facilitating one cohort session per year (graduate fellows only)
• At least one track-specific session per semester (research and/or outreach skills)
• Closed sessions with FIP visiting speakers and other select events (optional for all fellows)

We expect that fellows will spend approximately 40 hours per semester on fellowship activities.

Fellows are also welcome to propose self-directed projects during the fellowship year. FIP staff will provide guidance and support on approved projects.

Application details

The application will entail:

All applicants

• A general statement (graduate students: 500 words / undergraduate students: 300 words) describing your background, your interest in food systems, and what you hope to get out of the fellowship.
• Updated CV or resume.
• Track selection: indicate whether you are applying to the research track, the outreach track, or both.

If applying to the research track

• A statement (graduate students: 500 words / undergraduate students: 300 words) on your research background, relevant skills, and goals.
• One short writing sample. A class paper or similar is fine; this does not need to be on a topic related to food systems.

If applying to the outreach track

• A statement (graduate students: 500 words / undergraduate students: 300 words) on your experience with organizing, volunteering, event work, or creative projects.
• One relevant attachment—a flyer, a project writeup, a short description of an event, or similar.

If applying to both tracks

Please include the supplementary materials for both.

Key dates

• May 15: Applications open.
• June 15: Application deadline.
• By August 1: Decisions communicated to applicants.
• September 18: Fellowship begins.

Questions

Questions about the fellowship or the application process can be directed to foodimpact@nyu.edu.