Call for Chevron Fellows Applicants 2026-2027

The University of Texas at Austin is partnering with Chevron to award eight outstanding graduate student researchers with Energy Graduate Fellows Awards of $10,000 each.

2026-2027 Chevron Energy Graduate Fellows Awards Program Information 

Graduate students from any School or College at UT Austin with a focus on energy systems research are eligible to apply

Research Topics:

Competitive applicants may be carrying out research in any topic related to energy, but priority will be given to students whose work focuses on scalable innovation for transformational design and operation of businesses of today & tomorrow and watching for energy systems of the future:

• 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 and 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 and 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, 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)
  • Techno‑economic studies evaluating how the technologies described above may evolve based on technical inputs, including learning curves, scaling laws, first‑of‑a‑kind versus nth‑of‑a‑kind costs, and technology roadmaps.
  • Techno‑social studies examining technology adoption rates and customer willingness to pay for different performance dimensions—such as availability, carbon intensity, and cost—and how these tradeoffs may change over time.

Applications must include a research statement (not to exceed 2 pages), a resume and a letter of recommendation. Award recipients will be selected based on the strength of these application materials. 

2024-25 UT Chevron Energy Graduate Fellows Awardees are eligible to apply for 2025-26 awards.

Timeline

Learn more about the Chevron Energy Graduate Fellow Awards here