Introducing the EF Academic Secretariat 2026 PhD Fellowship

The Ethereum Foundation's Academic Secretariat is launching its first PhD Fellowship Program, designed to support doctoral students whose research intersects institutional design, governance, political economy, decentralized AI, and Ethereum. The initiative aims to expand academically rigorous work that can deepen understanding of Ethereum's social, economic, and technical dimensions.

Key Ideas

Fellowship scope centered on interdisciplinary Ethereum research. The program invites proposals aligned with the Foundation's published RFP topics, encouraging applicants to explore how academic methods can illuminate Ethereum's governance, economic structures, and emerging AI-driven dynamics. Creativity within these themes is explicitly encouraged.
Clear structure for funding and eligibility. The fellowship will award 7-8 positions, each providing a $24,000 USD stipend over one year. Applicants must be enrolled in a PhD program, submit a proposal following the EF template, and commit to producing open-access academic research suitable for conferences or journals. Multiple submissions are allowed if each proposal is distinct.
Defined application process and timeline. Proposals are due April 1st, 2026 (23:59 AoE), with decisions delivered six weeks later. Submissions must include an applicant profile and links to prior work. The program emphasizes transparency, open licensing, and public accessibility of research outputs.

Why It Matters?

The fellowship signals a deliberate effort to strengthen Ethereum's intellectual foundations by cultivating academic talent capable of bridging theory and protocol-level realities. By focusing on governance, institutional design, and decentralized AI, the Foundation is investing in research areas that shape Ethereum's long-term legitimacy and resilience. This creates a pipeline of scholars who can influence both the academic discourse and the ecosystem's future design choices, reinforcing Ethereum's position as a socio-technical system grounded in rigorous inquiry.