NWRI Fellowship Program 2025-26

National Water Research Institute (NWRI) is pleased to open the fellowship application period for 2025-26. NWRI awards funding to support graduate student research related to water science and technology. NWRI Fellowship applications are due by 11:59 PM, April 16, 2025.

To be eligible, students must be enrolled full-time in an accredited graduate program in the United States. Funds are provided by the NWRI Fellowship Funding Partners and NWRI Member Agencies. The 2025-26 fellowships will support student research on:

The application of membrane technology to create safe water and to treat wastewater for beneficial reuse.
The development of effective, economical technologies to remove salt from water suppies.

NWRI joins the American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA) and Southern California Salinity Coalition (SCSC) to award the following fellowships:

NWRI-AMTA Graduate Fellowships for Membrane Technology: $10,000

Research must be related to the advancement of membrane technology in the water, wastewater, or water reuse industries, and must be consistent with AMTA’s mission to solve water supply and quality issues using membrane technology. Research topics may include membrane bioreactors, fouling and scaling control, efficiency (removal and recovery energy use), pretreatment processes, and membrane materials. AMTA fellowship recipients are required to use part of the proceeds from the fellowship award to attend the 2026 AMTA/AWWA Membrane Technology Conference (date and location to be announced).

NWRI-Southern California Salinity Coalition Graduate Fellowship: $10,000

The student must be enrolled at an accredited college or university in Southern California. Research must address the critical need to remove or reduce salts from water supplies and to preserve water resources in Southern California. Research topics may include concentrate management, institutional and regulatory/policy issues, economic analysis, and innovative treatment technologies.

The NWRI fellowship program awards funds to graduate students who are conducting water research in the United States. The deadline to submit applications for 2025 fellowships is April 16, 2025, at 11:59 PM.

NWRI Fellowship Funding Partners

American Membrane Technology Association (AMTA)

The mission of AMTA is to promote and advance the application of membrane technology to create safe, affordable, and reliable water supplies, and to treat municipal, industrial, and agricultural wastewater for beneficial reuse. Click here to learn more about AMTA.

Southern California Salinity Coalition (SCSC)

SCSC is a coalition of water and wastewater agencies in Southern California dedicated to managing salinity in our water supplies. They support research to address the critical need to remove salt from water supplies and preserve water resources. Click here to learn more.

For more information, please reach out to the fellowship coordinator.

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