Since 2018, Open Lunar has been at the forefront of lunar research. We believe a peaceful and cooperative lunar future can be achieved by thoughtfully addressing key issues like resource stewardship, environmental impact, governance, transparency, and collaborative frameworks. We do this by setting intentional precedents today that will echo across the lunar landscape tomorrow.
Our Research Fellowships: Where Ideas Take Flight
One of the ways we drive our mission and our vision is through our research fellowship program. We invest in talent from a diverse interdisciplinary community to develop original research that advances the pursuit of a sustainable and peaceful lunar presence. Since its inception, our fellowship program has supported 30+ individuals to progress several research scopes. We assemble a select group of brilliant minds each year to explore emerging ideas. These fellows play a pivotal role in our innovation process, tasked with exploring the development of nascent ideas or “hunches” into more solid concepts. By nurturing these ideas from their early stages, our fellows advance key topics that are fundamental to realizing a peaceful presence on the Moon.
About our Fellowship Program
Fellows are selected to drive forward specific research scopes, which are community-decided, evaluated, and scoped to be relevant, timely, and important. When we take in a new cohort of fellows, we have a rigorous process where we consider who will succeed in this environment, aim for a balance of different skills, and ensure that we are well-equipped to support their research. Generally, fellows are contracted for 8 hours a week at a rate of USD 35 per hour. The program typically lasts 6-8 months. While fellows are responsible for planning and executing their research scope, Open Lunar staff and its extensive network provide input and support throughout their journey.
Successful applicants join a diverse cohort of fellows, with regular sessions organized to share ideas, test solutions and learn from one another. In addition, fellows will join an established network and have access to leading experts within the space and lunar community. In line with the fellowship, fellows are expected to:
Participate in weekly fellowship calls to discuss research progress outputs with peers and Open Lunar staff;
Develop preliminary blogs or articles during the research process;
Summarize their research and recommendations through a published piece in the form of a report or a white paper.
Present their research to the community at our research showcase at the end of the fellowship period.
Be a part of something bigger
We see the Moon as part of a developing Earth-Moon system. Our goal is to ensure that when we look up at the Moon, we all see something we’re proud of. By joining the fellowship, you will:
Develop a lunar research project with an organization championing sustainability and cooperation for a peaceful lunar future;
Contribute to critical research about key lunar topics and novel challenges;
Utilize mentoring opportunities for personal and professional growth;
Connect with an extensive network of like-minded individuals passionate about a sustainable and cooperative future for lunar exploration.
Build technical knowledge, confidence and research skills;
The Minds Behind the Mission: Fellowship Profiles
Open Lunar’s fellowship programme is global and completely remote, so location is not a constraint. While academic credentials are valued, we're equally interested in your passion and unique perspective. Lunar development is a holistic endeavour and requires all disciplines to come together to design and develop the approach. We invite fellows from non-space backgrounds to bring their experience to the table to aid in developing this vision. If you're driven to make the Moon accessible and sustainable for all, we want to hear from you.
The skills and experience we are looking for include:
Entrepreneurial: Strong visionary who can forecast needs and has the ability to lead from the outset.
Creativity: We are working on novel approaches to lunar presence. This means coming with creativity and non-traditional thinking.
Research: Ability to plan and conduct research, inclusive of writing papers and articles, as well as presenting findings to a multidisciplinary audience.
Problem-solving: Critical thinker, who is able to identify complex problems and develop unique solutions to address these challenges.
Collaborative: Good communicators who are able to work collaboratively amongst a diverse group of stakeholders.
We seek individuals passionate about shaping a peaceful, sustainable lunar future. At the heart of Open Lunar are our core values:
Collaboration and Openness: Willingness to think together, look at challenges with new approaches, gather and value others’ inputs, and integrate them where possible, ensuring decisions are built on consensus.
Experimentation and Iteration: We champion a trial-and-error approach. Our fellows are encouraged to think outside the box and test unconventional solutions.
Cooperation: We are community-oriented and rely on the support of a broad network of like-minded individuals.
Equitability: Ensuring equal opportunities and fair access. Developing frameworks for responsible resource management, promoting inclusive decision-making processes, and advocating for policies that prevent the monopolization of lunar assets.
Please note, that as the fellowship is a paid position, applicants must be able to facilitate the minimum commitment, inclusive of all deliverables.
Apply to our program
Our selection process for Fellows typically runs from September - November, with new cohorts starting in January of the following year. If you are interested in applying to the Open Lunar Fellowship please complete our expression of interest form, and you will be informed when the recruitment for the 2025 Fellowship is officially open.
For further information and enquiries, please email: contact@openlunar.org