Update (December 2023): Due to a lapse in funding from NSF, we are heartbroken to report that we cannot offer the DAWN-IRES program in the summer of 2023, and now also 2024. The IRES application deadline (to request to renew the program) was delayed from Fall 2023 to Spring 2024, which has pushed back the timeline too late to be able to run the application process for Summer of 2024. We sincerely apologize, as we are disappointed at this second delay ourselves, but this was out of our control. We hope to restart the program in 2025.

We anticipate accepting applications for the 2025 DAWN-IRES Scholars Program, with the application system opening in December of 2024. The next deadline will be February 1, 2025, and first offers will be extended on March 1, 2025.

Check out some memories from our 2022 cohort!

Please check our Scholars Blog and the Alumni page to learn more about DAWN-IRES Scholars and Alumni.

When and where does the program run?  The 2025 DAWN Scholars Program is planned to run for 11 weeks at the Cosmic Dawn Center of Excellence in Copenhagen Denmark, nominally June through mid August 2025. One week is built in for students to take a vacation, to be coordinated in advance and to overlap with the research mentor’s vacation if possible.  The start and end-dates of the program are subject to change, to be evaluated to accommodate conflicting US university academic calendars.

What is covered?  DAWN Scholars will receive a $6500 stipend to cover the cost of living in Copenhagen.  In addition, the cost of housing accommodations, travel funds to/from Copenhagen, and the winter American Astronomical Society meeting will be covered, with travel arrangements to be made through the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

How do I apply?  Applications should be completed through the online form, requiring two references and a single PDF document containing an unofficial academic transcript, curriculum vitae, a 1-page maximum personal statement (undergraduate students) or research statement (graduate students), and an optional answer to a challenge question (see below).

• Please include a summary of your computer programming skills (if any) in your curriculum vitae.

• Undergraduates will submit a personal statement that should describe your background and interests, including details about the unique talents and characteristics you will bring to the internship program. Please include your long-term personal and professional goals. You are welcome to include any other relevant information; this may include discussing a challenge you have faced and how you overcame it.

• A note for graduate student applicants: in lieu of the personal statement, please instead submit a research statement about your ongoing thesis work that would continue with new or continuing collaborations with DAWN members. Graduate students must contact a post-doctoral fellow or faculty member local at DAWN to sponsor your application (see the list here), and the name of your sponsor must be indicated at the top of your research statement. Graduate students will be considered ‘Senior Scholars’ within the DAWN-IRES Scholars program, and will be given leadership opportunities within the structure of the program. Please contact the Program Director, Kate Whitaker, for more information regarding graduate applications.

• There is an option to include your response to one of two challenge questions (to be listed on the online application and also linked here). There are no clear correct answers to these questions, just like many research problems you may encounter throughout your career. Rather, you are encouraged to describe how you come up with your answer, as we are mostly interested in the thought process that you use when attacking an unfamiliar problem. We encourage you to include your answer to one of these challenge questions with your application.

How are letters of recommendation submitted?  You will need to provide the names and email addresses for (at least) two references who have agreed to write letters of recommendation.  You will provide the names and email addresses of your letter writers for tracking purposes, but the applicant is responsible for requesting these letters directly. We strongly recommend you give your letter writers notice no later than a week prior to the deadline to enable ample time for submission.  Please forward the following link (or www.tinyurl.com/dawn-ires-letters) to your letter writers so that they can upload their letters of support.

Do I need a visa?  As DAWN-IRES Scholars, you would not be employees at the University of Copenhagen and therefore do not require a visa to visit Denmark as US citizens. Rather, you would be considered tourists, which are subject to a maximum visit of 90 days in any 180-day period to Denmark and other Schengen countries. DAWN-IRES Scholars can therefore plan for an extra 12-14 days, either before or after the summer program begins, but no longer.

What is the deadline?  Applications will close for the 2025 DAWN-IRES Scholars Program on February 1, 2025.  To receive full consideration, all application materials and letters of recommendation must be received on this date. We recommend checking in with your letter writers as this deadline approaches. You will receive an email as the letters are submitted.

When will offers be made?  We expect to make initial offers on March 1, 2025 (and about mid-March for students on the wait list). Travel arrangements must be made for DAWN-IRES Scholars no later than mid April and the summer program is scheduled to run from early June through mid-August, subject to determination of exact dates in late March.

Other Questions?  Please email kwhitaker@astro.umass.edu with the subject line “DAWN-IRES Scholars Program Inquiry”