George Burke Maxey Fellowship

The George Burke Maxey Fellowships support Desert Research Institute (DRI) graduate students conducting water-related research for their Master’s thesis or Ph.D. dissertation. Eligible students must be enrolled in the University of Nevada, Reno Graduate Program of Hydrologic Sciences (GPHS) or the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Water Resources Management (WRM) program. The fellowships were established through an endowment from Elizabeth West Stout, a paleontologist and Trustee Emerita of the DRI Research Foundation, who knew George Burke Maxey as a colleague and friend.

The fellowship provides research support during the summer term between the spring and fall semesters. Students may choose to receive the fellowship as either a monthly stipend or a lump-sum payment. The supported summer may not be a student’s first or final summer in the program. Fellowships provide 50–100% full-time equivalent (FTE) support, and multiple awards may be granted depending on available funds and other sources of student support. Priority will be given to students who have served as teaching assistants in recognition of their service. Student standing within the graduate program will be considered in the review process.

Nominations must include two letters of up to 500 words each: one from the student’s faculty advisor and one from the student. The advisor’s letter should describe a mentoring plan, explain how the project fits within the advisor’s research program, and outline plans for the student’s continued funding beyond the fellowship period. It should also confirm that the advisor will participate in UNR’s mentoring sessions, or similar program available via UNLV, during the following semester, if they have not already done so. The student’s letter should describe their motivation, research project, planned summer activities, and timeline for degree completion.

Nominations will be evaluated by DRI faculty participating in the GPHS and WRM programs. Students may receive the fellowship more than once during their degree program, although priority will be given to those who have not previously received the award. Acceptance of the fellowship does not preclude additional research support from any division of the Nevada System of Higher Education during the fellowship period.

The award will be distributed by DRI in the form of a single-payment to the student.

Submission and More Information

Nominations must be submitted electronically in a single PDF document to
Reagan Buller by April 10th, 2026 to:

Reagan Buller
Desert Research Institute
Division of Hydrologic Sciences
2215 Raggio Parkway
Reno, Nevada 89512
Reno: 775-673-7417
Email: Reagan.Buller@dri.edu