We are now accepting applications for the 2026 DAWN-IRES Scholars Program. The application deadline is February 1, 2026 and first offers will be extended via email on March 1, 2026.

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 2026 DAWN Scholars Program is planned to run for 11 weeks at the Cosmic Dawn Center of Excellence in Copenhagen Denmark, nominally June 1st through mid August 2026. 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 stipend to cover the cost of living in Copenhagen ($7000 for undergraduates, $8500 for graduate students).  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 (or use https://tinyurl.com/dawn-ires-application), requiring two references and a single PDF document containing an unofficial academic transcript, curriculum vitae, a personal statement (undergraduate students) or research statement (graduate students), both with a 500 word limit, 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 postdoctoral 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 two references who have agreed to write letters of recommendation (with an optional third letter writer).  This information is for tracking purposes only, the applicant is responsible for requesting these letters directly. We strongly recommend you give your letter writers at least two weeks notice prior to the deadline to submit their letters.  Please forward a link to the following reference letter submission portal (or use https://tinyurl.com/dawn-ires-letters-of-support) 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 2026 DAWN-IRES Scholars Program on February 1, 2026.  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, 2026 (and about mid-March for students on the wait list). Upon acceptance, undergraduate students will be matched with a named mentor for a summer research project (with three mentors based at DAWN/NBI and two based at DAWN/DTU). Graduate students will continue their existing research projects, ideally in collaboration with DAWN staff, and will also have the opportunity to take on leadership roles by facilitating professional-development workshops during the summer program. 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”