K. Lisa Yang Wildlife Health Fellows Program; Health Closing date

Organisation:
Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health

Sector:
Health

Location:

Ithaca, New York, USA

Closing date: 5 October 2026

The Cornell K. Lisa Yang Center for Wildlife Health (CYCWH) strives to sustain a healthier world by developing and implementing proactive, science-based solutions to challenges at the interface of wildlife health, domestic animal health, human health and livelihoods, and the environment that supports us all. With an emphasis on the types of interdisciplinary collaboration often required to foster real progress along the science to policy and action continuum, we work with a diverse range of stakeholders including governments, local communities, nongovernmental organizations, and students in the U.S. and around the world to promote environmental stewardship, build capacity for sustainable change through training and education, and undertake collaborative research and discovery that leads to real‑world conservation and related health outcomes.

Humanity has brought changes to Earth’s natural systems at a pace and scale that are difficult to overstate – our domination of land and sea has no precedent. If we are to successfully address the challenges of conserving wildlife on an increasingly human dominated planet, with species extinctions now one thousand times faster than before our rise, we must recognize that our own health, and that of the global economy, are inextricably linked to our stewardship of the natural world.

We are committed to training the next generation of wildlife conservation and One Health leaders with an emphasis on applying sound science to influence real world policy and practice, from local to global, through the support of postdoctoral fellowships focused on wildlife health and related One Health challenges over the next decade. For this 2026‑2027 request for proposals, applicants with at least a DVM or equivalent veterinary degree who have been out of veterinary school for at least one year at the time of application will be given preference.

Interested applicants without a veterinary degree but with a PhD conferred prior to the fellowship start date are also encouraged to apply. Each fellowship is for a three‑year term. Fellows will be part of a vibrant, collaborative, multidisciplinary, and inclusive community of faculty, staff, and students working towards improving the health and well‑being of animals, people, and the environment that supports us all.

Fellows will be selected for their commitment to generating solid science and ‘decision maker‑friendly’ policy guidance to catalyze sustainable conservation impact through a health lens, with an emphasis on progress through partnerships. We value diverse approaches to addressing integrated human, animal, and environmental health challenges. Potential topics are not predefined. Example themes could include impacts on wildlife health at a range of scales due to: degradation or loss of terrestrial or marine habitats;

degradation or depletion of freshwater resources; pollution; climate or other biophysical change; infectious disease; current food systems and/or other issues at the wildlife/domestic animal interface.

During their fellowship, Fellows will gain experience in generating science‑based, action‑oriented results to solve real‑world problems, as well as in grant‑writing, and will be well‑prepared for wildlife conservation, One Health, and Planetary Health leadership roles. Fellows will also help us expand our impact in different geographic regions and programmatic areas.

We seek applicants interested in engaging at the nexus of rigorous applied research and real impact in the realms of wildlife health and related One Health endeavors. Fellowship applicants need to propose to work with both: