Wisconsin Energy Impact Scholars

Scientists engage in various activities - presenting a poster, running a hands-on activity for families, and giving a lab tour to youth.

Build your professional skills. Broaden your impact.

Overview

The Energy Impact Scholars program aims to cultivate a vibrant, interdisciplinary community of early-career researchers at the Wisconsin Energy Institute who are trained and prepared to positively impact science and society through their work and careers. The program bridges the gap between energy research, professional development, and societal application, by providing a curated, flexible, modular, and personalized program that combines training and practice. Through the program, Scholars develop versatile professional skills in innovation & industry, mentoring, public engagement, and teaching that broaden the impact of their work. 

Apply Here

Eligibility

Potential Scholars must:

  • Be affiliated with the Wisconsin Energy Institute or the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center.
  • Complete a program application.
  • Be able to attend occasional in-person training on the UW-Madison campus.

Criteria for Selection

  • Selection will be made by the Energy Impact Scholars Committee and based on the submitted program application. 
  • The application will require an explanation of how the scholars program fits into the applicant's professional development plan and that the trainee’s advisor/PI has signed off on participation in the program.

Participation Requirements

  • Scholars will complete a variety of online or in-person training programs and experiential projects, leading to a minimum commitment of 20 hours for the academic year. Scholars are expected to coordinate their participation in these activities with their advisors/PIs. 
  • To complete the program, each Scholar must produce one tangible output (e.g., a published blog post, a pitch deck, a public talk, or a leadership philosophy statement).
  • Scholars present their impact outcome at the WEI Research Showcase in the Spring and/or on the WEI website.

Four Focus Areas

Participants can "major" in one focus area or "sample" across multiple to build a custom portfolio of learning experiences offered by experienced professionals.

  • Innovation & Industry
  • Mentoring
  • Public Engagement
  • Teaching

Dates

Applications will open July 7th and must be submitted by August 7th. The Fellowship will run approximately September 2026 - May 2027.

Apply Here

Questions?

Please email outreach@energy.wisc.edu with any questions.