To foster the next generation of life science researchers, 55 of the world’s top emerging scientists from 26 nations received the coveted 2026 Human Frontier Science Program (HFSP) Postdoctoral Fellowships.

“We have awarded fellowships to some of the most creative, curiosity-driven, early-career scientists worldwide to enable their pursuit of novel and innovative research in the life sciences,” said Guntram Bauer, HFSPO Chief Scientific Officer. “Each year, the HFSP Review Committee selects the very best from a large pool of talented applicants, and again this year we are proud to say we have found genius.”

Postdoctoral scientists from the following nations were awarded HFSP Fellowships in 2026:

The 2026 HFSP Fellowship awards reflect the ingenuity and drive for discovery of the next generation of researchers. Highlights include:

• Research on using machine learning approaches across microbial communities, in the context of ecosystem resilience.
• Exploring the evolution of humor in apes
• Evolutionary traces and their implications for longevity and adaptation in corals.
• How microbes adapt to subzero environments.

HFSP reviewed proposals from 746 applicants, and 126 were selected to submit full proposals. From there, 55 projects were awarded. To see who received one of the prestigious awards and their research, view the 2026 HFSP Fellowships Awardees.

HFSP Fellowships are three years in duration and provide support for the cost of living, and a research and travel allowance. Fellows are hosted by scientists in laboratories in a country that is different from where their Ph.D. was conferred.

HFSP Long-Term Fellowships are for applicants with a Ph.D. in a biological discipline who want to embark on a novel frontier project in life sciences. Cross-Disciplinary Fellowships are for applicants who hold a Ph.D. from outside of the life sciences (e.g., physics, chemistry, engineering, or computer science) but want to work on a novel frontier project in biology.

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The Human Frontier Science Program was founded in 1989 by G7 nations and the European Commission to advance international research and training at the frontier of the life sciences. Its aims are to promote intercontinental collaboration and training in cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research focused on the life sciences. HFSP receives financial support from the governments or research councils of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as from the European Commission. Since 1990, more than 8,500 researchers, from more than 70 countries have been supported. Of these, 31 HFSP awardees have gone on to win the Nobel Prize.