The Schlumberger Foundation announces its Faculty for the Future fellowship award recipients for women from developing and emerging economies to pursue post-graduate studies in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) disciplines at leading institutions around the world. For the academic year 2024–2025, fellowships have been awarded to 53 new recipients and renewed for an additional academic year to 86 grantees, demonstrating the Foundation’s dedication to reducing the gender gap in STEM.

“Our consistent efforts to reach out to prospective candidates from eligible countries where the program is still non- or under-represented, are showing. This year, of the 53 new grantees, 12 come from countries where the Faculty for the Future community has less than five members, of which three are new countries where no award has ever been granted in the past: Niger, Gabon, and Guinea-Bissau,” says Roseline Chapel, President, Schlumberger Foundation.

The top research domains of this year’s awardees are engineering, climate and environmental sciences, biological sciences, and health sciences. The Fellows, committed to returning to their native countries or regions on completion of their overseas studies, are concentrating on topics related to resolving issues faced by their communities back home. Exploring areas aligning with the world’s key priorities set by the United Nations through the Sustainable Development Goals, the research of the Faculty for the Future grantees is to contribute to the global effort to build a more sustainable future for the next generations.

“Our emphasis has remained on selecting candidates who embody highly successful scientists, and robust leaders who will act as change agents in their countries. The high-quality applications received this year went through a rigorous and thorough selection process, confirming the excellence of the new awardees. Witnessing the numerous barriers some candidates had to overcome to pursue their passion is remarkable; by welcoming them into the community, the fellowships alleviate the costs of higher education and help the award recipients reach their full potential as visible role models,’’ Chapel continues.

This new round of awards demonstrates the Schlumberger Foundation’s long-term commitment towards building a community of highly qualified role models who can help narrow the gender gap in STEM disciplines by inspiring more women to study in STEM. Fellowships are awarded based upon an applicant’s academic ability, leadership qualities and engagement in STEM outreach activities in under-served communities in their countries of origin. With support from the Schlumberger Foundation, Fellows have achieved academic excellence throughout their studies, often despite considerable cultural, geopolitical, environmental, or economic challenges.

“As we continue to focus on improving conditions for home return of our grantees, several initiatives have been developed to ensure they will remain tied to their communities of origin while pursuing international studies. This involves improved availability of scientific equipment, easier access to international scientific journals and publications, and a return grant supporting their journey home. More than ever, our commitment to STEM education contributes to solving contemporary challenges for years to come,” Chapel adds.

Learn more about Faculty for the Future and the call for fellowship applications here.

About the Schlumberger Foundation

The Schlumberger Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports science and technology education. Recognizing the link between science, technology, and socio-economic development, as well as the key role of education in realizing individual potential, the Schlumberger Foundation flagship program is Faculty for the Future.

About Faculty for the Future

The program’s long-term goal is to accelerate gender equality in STEM by generating conditions that result in more women pursuing scientific careers through alleviating some of the barriers they encounter when enrolling in STEM disciplines. The program is committed to gender parity in science and recognizes that full access to and participation in a STEM curriculum is essential for the empowerment of women and girls. By accelerating gender equality in STEM, the talent and capacities of these women can be developed for the benefit of their local communities, regions, and nations. The program awards fellowships for advanced research in STEM at leading research institutes abroad. Faculty for the Future Fellows are expected to return to their home countries upon completion of their studies to contribute to the economic, social, and technological advancement of their home regions by strengthening the STEM teaching and research faculties of their home institutions as well as through their leadership in science-based entrepreneurship. They are also expected to contribute to the public sector where their newly acquired technical and scientific skills can help provide evidence-based support for STEM policy making, including topics of gender representation.

This program acts as a catalyst for these women to further tap into their potential. Through heightened motivation, sharpened self-awareness, and a lasting passion for science they in turn capture the imagination of other women and girls around them to regard scientific pursuits as a necessary means towards advancement and growth.

Since its launch in 2004, 915 women from 93 countries have received Faculty for the Future fellowships for PhD and Post-Doctorate STEM research programs. Through interactive online tools and in-person meetings, the program provides a platform for these women to take joint action in identifying and unravelling the impediments that are holding back equal opportunities in STEM education and careers in their local communities and home countries.