About the fellowship

Fuelled by a sense of urgency to protect health in a rapidly changing world – especially in historically marginalised communities – planetary health focuses on developing solutions that simultaneously promote health, environmental stewardship, and social impact.

The Planetary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship cultivates new knowledge and solutions at the intersections of health and the environment. Founded by the Stanford University Center for Innovation in Global Health, the fellowship is run in partnership with the Centre on Climate Change & Planetary Health (CCCPH) at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the Stanford Center for Human and Planetary Health, and the Center for Innovation in Global Health.

Through two-year fellowships, the programme supports early-career researchers in conducting cutting-edge, interdisciplinary research on planetary health challenges and solutions.

The 2026 round will be recruiting two fellows: one to be based at LSHTM, and one to be based at Stanford University, with separate recruitment processes for each. Recruitment for the LSHTM fellowship will open soon.

Applicants interested in the Stanford-based position should apply via the Stanford website (applications open now).

Fellows will have the opportunity to work with faculty mentors at both LSHTM and Stanford, building their careers in the field of planetary health and developing critical new evidence.

The LSHTM-based fellowship is funded by the Peter Piot Fellowship Fund and the CCCPH at LSHTM.

A background to planetary health

The fellowship will focus on planetary health, defined as “the health of human civilisation and the state of the natural systems on which it depends”, as an area in urgent need of investigation.

Throughout human evolution the health of human communities has been tied to local ecosystems. This inter-dependence is increasingly under pressure resulting from unprecedented anthropogenic change that is profoundly damaging planetary systems. Critical threats include biodiversity loss, pollution, climate change, and mismanagement of freshwater resources and ocean systems.

The science of climate change is now well advanced, but we are yet to fully understand the implications of these planetary changes on human health. The ever pressing timeframes and the potential scale of health impacts that range from the direct impact of heat stress, to the ecosystem-mediated impacts of undernutrition from falling agricultural outputs, demand an urgent increase in scientific understanding with a strong focus on actions that can support planetary health.

Introducing The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Stanford University 

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Founded in 1899, the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a globally renowned public health institution, whose mission is to improve health and health equity worldwide, through cutting edge research and postgraduate education. With over 3,500 staff conducting research in over 130 countries around the world, including at our Medical Research Units in The Gambia and Uganda, LSHTM is known for diverse and multidisciplinary research. Find out more.

Centre on Climate Change & Planetary Health

The Centre on Climate Change & Planetary Health (CCCPH) was established in 2019 to respond to the challenge of environmental changes that threaten human health. The Centre conducts research to better understand the links between environmental change and human health, as well as identifying solutions for both mitigation of climate change and adaptation to its effects. Research areas include, but are not limited to, the delivery of sustainable and healthy food systems, sustainable and healthy cities, and understanding and controlling the shifting patterns of infectious disease. In 2021, the Centre became a WHO Collaborating centre on Climate Change, Health and Sustainable Development. 

Stanford University

Since its opening in 1891, Stanford University has been dedicated to finding solutions to big challenges and to preparing students for leadership in a complex world. Stanford’s seven schools on one campus offer students boundless opportunities to pursue their passions and collaborate on solving complex global problems. Two leading bodies at Stanford are collaborating to find solutions to issues related to planetary health (see below).

Center for Innovation in Global Health

The Center for Innovation in Global Health is Stanford University’s hub for global health research, training and leadership. In the pursuit of well-being, worldwide, Stanford Global Health shares knowledge, equips leaders and builds interdisciplinary, multi-sectoral teams to address urgent global health challenges.

Center for Human and Planetary Health

The Center for Human and Planetary Health seeks to accelerate solutions that address the interconnected challenges of global health, climate change, and environmental sustainability. Based at the Stanford Woods Institute for the Environment at the Doerr School of Sustainability, the new center is a joint effort with the Center for Innovation in Global Health (CIGH) at the School of Medicine, and will expand interdisciplinary research, education, and partnerships to improve both human and planetary wellbeing.

Objectives of the fellowship

• Develop evidence on emerging health risks to protect vulnerable populations impacted by environmental change
• Assess the health consequences of environmental inaction to drive new policies & interventions
• Identify strategies to simultaneously advance health, environmental stewardship & community resilience
• Train early-career researchers and provide opportunities to gain skills in new disciplines for human & planetary health impact

Format of the fellowship

This fellowship is supported by both LSHTM and Stanford. Our fellow selected from the next round of applications will be based at LSHTM’s offices in London and receive mentorship and support from faculty and partners at both universities.

Stanford University is also recruiting for a Planetary Health Postdoctoral Fellow to be based at Stanford in the USA. It is envisaged that both fellows will work in parallel but may be working on different topics related to climate change and planetary health.

Throughout the two-year fellowship, fellows will interact with core faculty, work on research papers, and plan research activities. Fellows will identify research projects and have the opportunity to work with world-class LSHTM Faculty from a range of disciplines including epidemiology, health systems, ecology, mathematical modelling, data science, diagnostics, social science, clinical research and more. They will also be able to make connections with Faculty at Stanford and the equivalent Postdoctoral Fellows based there.

Candidates are expected to apply with a specific research agenda in mind. Candidates are invited to select any focus area at the intersections of environment and health – with an emphasis on understanding and addressing upstream drivers and identifying solutions. In their research activities, fellows are encouraged to engage with historically marginalised populations across diverse geographic settings.

Based on the research interests of the fellow and their mentor(s), fellows will select a research focus and research site. Fellows may also select a research site in which they have previously been involved so long as a suitable faculty mentor can be identified.

Areas of potential research include but are not limited to:

• Food security and the environmental impacts of crop and livestock production
• Healthy cities, clean air and water, sustainable transport
• The health implications of extreme weather events
• The impact of climate change and land use on infectious diseases (e.g., vector-borne and zoonotic diseases)
• The impact on health of environmental waste such as micro plastics
• The link between climate change and non-communicable diseases

Priority will be given to research ideas focusing on ways to reduce or reverse environmental degradation (including climate change) or ways to adapt to a changing environment that can have benefits for human health. Fellows will be mentored and supported by designated Faculty at both institutions throughout the full two years of their Fellowship.

Requirements of the fellowship

Fellows will enjoy substantial time to pursue their research interests and will be expected to present their research both internally and at international meetings, as well as publish their research findings in international peer-reviewed journals. Fellows will also have the opportunity to contribute to teaching, for example as teaching assistants or guest lecturers, on relevant courses. Fellows are expected to actively participate in the development of planetary health at both Stanford and LSHTM, including through programme development, participation in events and other activities, and student engagement.

Eligibility

This fellowship program is open to researchers from anywhere in the world who are within three years of successfully completing their doctoral degree. Prior research output in the intersections of health and environmental science is a prerequisite. As instruction and support will be provided in English, high-level proficiency in the English language is a requirement of the fellowship. Candidates from a wide range of disciplines and backgrounds are invited to apply, including global health, health systems, epidemiology, health policy, environmental science, environmental policy, disease ecology, and more.

Compensation

Fellows receive a competitive postdoctoral salary, full benefits, and modest travel and fieldwork budgets. To supplement the research funding available, fellows are invited to transfer existing awarded funding and encouraged to apply for additional research funding during their fellowship.

Application Process

We expect to begin accepting applications for the new Planetary Health Postdoctoral Fellowship to be based at LSHTM soon.

Please keep an eye out on this page for updates on the application timeline.

Applications should be made online via our jobs website once recruitment has started.

Within the application is a supporting statement that should set out how applicants’ qualifications, experience and training meet each of the selection criteria. Based on their research interests, applicants will be asked to submit a short research proposal as part of their response to the essential criteria for the post. Applicants should identify a location for the research and a proposed LSHTM supervisor for this work as well as ideally a Stanford mentor. Project proposals must be feasible in terms of identified supervision, timeframe and budget.

Applications should also include the names and email contacts of 2 referees who can be contacted immediately if appointed. Any queries regarding the application process may be addressed to jobs@lshtm.ac.uk.

Applicants interested in the Stanford-based position should apply via the Stanford website (applications open now).