Call for Applications for the 2027 Delbert Highlands Travel Fellowship for Alumni: Now Offered Annually
Carter Nelson (B.Arch '17), recipient of the 2022 Delbert Highlands Travel Fellowship, documents a dovecote on the Greek island of Tinos.
Carnegie Mellon Architecture is pleased to announce that applications are now open for the 2027 Delbert Highlands Travel Fellowship. Formerly offered on a biennial basis, the fellowship is now offered every year. We are excited to bring the fellowship into an annual offering along with our other awards and the opportunity this will offer to support more alumni research in the coming years. Applications are due Friday, October 30, 2026, at 11:59pm ET.
The fellowship supports Carnegie Mellon Architecture alumni in the study of collections belonging to locales to promote the professional development of awardees and contribute to the richness of our surroundings.
2027 Award Amount: $12,000
2027 Jury: Doug Cooper (faculty and muralist); Daniel Garber, FAIA, B.Arch '79 (practicing architect); Sheldon Goettel, B.Arch '79 (retired practitioner); Can Tiryaki, B.Arch '98 (practitioner and former Highlands awardee); Heather Young (practicing architect); CM–A faculty
Application Deadline: Friday, October 30, 2026, at 11:59pm ET
Winner Announced: January 2027
Eligibility
The fellowship is open to all Carnegie Mellon Architecture alumni. Students in the final year of their program may apply if they graduate by the time they receive the fellowship. Recipients cannot be enrolled in an educational institution during the travel period. Faculty and employees of CMU, former fellowship recipients, and members of the founding committee are not eligible.
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The Delbert Highlands Travel Fellowship supports Carnegie Mellon Architecture alumni in the study of collections belonging to locales to promote the professional development of awardees and contribute to the richness of our surroundings. The fellowship is named in honor of Professor Delbert Highlands, who taught courses in architectural design, design theory and architectural history at the school from the 1960s through the first decade of the 21st century. Professor Highlands' teaching emphasized the "individual," the "particular," and the "local." His courses were grounded in authoritative scholarship and meticulously presented fundamentals but always went further by asking students to think of "this time," "this place," and this "occupancy." He has been widely recognized as a seminal teacher whose skill and understanding enriched the educations of generations of students.