J-WAFS — MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab

Rasikbhai L. Meswani Fellowship for Water Solutions

Supports annual MIT doctoral fellowship covering one academic semester for outstanding PhD research on water availability quality or solutions based innovation.

The Rasikbhai L. Meswani Fellowship for Water Solutions is an annual MIT-internal doctoral fellowship awarded to one outstanding PhD student for one academic semester of funding support. The fellowship is administered by J-WAFS — the MIT Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab — which was established with Community Jameel as its founding philanthropy. The fellowship itself was endowed by Elina and Nikhil Meswani and their family. The 2026–2027 academic year cycle had a nomination deadline of March 3, 2026, and the next cycle is expected to open for nominations in early 2027.

Eligibility is strictly limited to PhD students in residence at MIT. Candidates must have passed their qualifying examinations by the nomination deadline, hold a cumulative GPA of 4.5 or higher, and be expected to graduate no earlier than May 2027 under the 2026-cycle rules (the corresponding graduation floor for the 2027 cycle will be updated in the next call). Research must address water availability, water quality, water management, or solutions-based water sector innovation. The selection process is faculty-led: faculty members nominate one PhD student each, and self-nomination is not the standard pathway. The stipend amount for one semester was not disclosed on the J-WAFS program page.

Given the faculty-nomination model, prospective candidates should engage early with MIT faculty who hold active water-focused research programs and are familiar with J-WAFS. Nominees benefit from demonstrating clear alignment with J-WAFS thematic priorities — water access, quality treatment, and systemic innovation — rather than only laboratory research. The fellowship sits alongside two sister awards at J-WAFS: the J-WAFS Fellowship for Water Solutions and the J-WAFS Fellowship for Food Solutions, which operate on comparable annual cycles. All program details for the 2027 cycle will be published at jwafs.mit.edu.