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The Julian Chin Ph.D. Fellowship in Critical National Security Technologies

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To honor his memory, the Julian Chin Ph.D. Fellowship in Critical National Security Technologies will enable students to follow in the footsteps of Julian Chin, renowned for solving the most challenging technical problems facing the national security community.  He was called upon over his career to unravel the most difficult problems and vexing issues for the intelligence community, technical collection systems developed and guided by his expertise and troubleshooting skills decades ago are still making a difference today for our nation.  Fellows earning this opportunity will be expected to exhibit traits that Mr. Chin embodied, which was high technical competence, motivation, efficiency, and thoroughness, and above all else strong collaboration and teambuilding skills.

The Julian Chin Ph.D. Fellowship in Critical National Security Technologies is open to U.S. citizens who plan full-time, uninterrupted study toward a Ph.D. at Virginia Tech and under the supervision of faculty at the Virginia Tech National Security Institute.  We encourage applications from students in engineering and the physical, computer, mathematical or life sciences who meet the following eligibility requirements. The fellowship provides four years of support, but must be renewed each summer. The deadline for application is December 15, 2026.

The following criteria will be used to determine the eligibility.  Measured at the time of application, eligibility will be extended to:

  1. Undergraduate seniors
  2. Applicants with no more than B.S. or B.A. degrees who are not enrolled in graduate school
  3. First-year graduate students (M.S. degree or Ph.D. students without an M.S. degree)
  4. Enrolled M.S. degree students beyond their first year provided that they plan to pursue a Ph.D. at Virginia Tech
  5. Other non-traditional Ph.D. students may be eligible, and should contact humecenter@vt.edu for more information

During the fellowship period, fellows are required to conduct research in areas related to critical national security technologies. The summer should be spent conducting full-time research in areas related to critical and emerging national security technologies and priorities, including Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy, Quantum Information Technologies, Hypersonic and Advanced Missile Technologies, Space Technologies, Advanced RF and EW Capabilities, and Cybersecurity.  

This equal opportunity program is open to all qualified persons who are U.S. Citizens, without regard to race, gender, religion, age, physical disability or national origin.

The Julian Chin Fellowship has extremely generous benefits which place it among the most competitive and prestigious Ph.D. fellowships in the United States. It includes:  

  • A yearly stipend of $38,000
  • Payment of full tuition and required fees during the appointment period.
  • $3,000 professional development allowance which can be used for conference travel, and other approved expenditures
  • Up to four years of total support, depending on renewal
  • Opportunities to pursue practicum experience at government and industry partner facilities
  • Opportunities to conduct research with faculty from the National Security Institute

The application period for the Julian Chin Ph.D. Fellowship interest form is now open and will close on December 15, 2026.

Step 1. Fill out the Fellowship Interest Form by December 15, 2026.

 

Step 2. Apply to the Virginia Tech Graduate School. (If you are already a Virginia Tech Graduate student, you may skip this step.)

  • The complete application includes:
    • Virginia Tech Graduate School online application form; nonrefundable application fee.
    • Include a scanned copy of your college transcripts with your online application, then arrange for an official copy to be sent to us after you receive an offer of admission. Please do not submit your official transcript(s) to the Graduate School until you have received an offer of admission from Virginia Tech. 
    • Check to see whether your department requires letters of recommendation from references. If so, you can include the letter writers' email addresses in your online application, or have the people you ask to write those letters send paper copies directly to your program’s department.
    • The Graduate School does not require entrance tests, but check to see whether your department requires you to submit GRE, GMAT, or subject test scores with your application. If so, have the testing agency send official scores to Virginia Tech Graduate School, code 5859.