Introduction
The Schlumberger Foundation is an independent nonprofit organization that supports women scientists and engineers from developing and emerging economies through advanced education, international collaboration, and leadership development in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
History and Background
The Schlumberger Foundation was established by Schlumberger Limited, now known as SLB, in 1954. It was created as a philanthropic organization dedicated to advancing knowledge and promoting excellence through STEM education. Its establishment reflected the importance of scientific education to the company’s history, development, and culture.
In 2004, the Foundation established its flagship Faculty for the Future program. This initiative concentrated the organization’s resources on helping talented women scientists from emerging economies pursue advanced academic study at leading universities abroad.
A US$50 million endowment established in 2011 has supported the Faculty for the Future program and helped the Foundation develop an international network of women researchers, educators, innovators, entrepreneurs, and scientific leaders.
Mission and Purpose
The Schlumberger Foundation’s mission is to educate and connect women leaders in STEM while advancing education, innovation, and thought leadership for a more balanced planet.
Its principal focus areas are encouraging gender parity in science, connecting women who can become agents of change, and developing practical responses to major sustainable-development challenges. The Foundation regards access to STEM education as essential to empowering women and girls and strengthening communities, institutions, and national research systems.
Its strategy is organized around three priorities: Powering Education by extending the influence of STEM education through its fellows; Powering Innovation by helping fellows move research and original ideas toward practical value; and Powering Thought Leadership by strengthening the global Faculty for the Future network.
Governance and Structure
The Schlumberger Foundation operates through charitable entities established by SLB. These include Schlumberger Foundation Inc. in Houston, United States, and the Schlumberger Stichting Fund Foundation in The Hague, Netherlands. The entities support charitable, scientific, and educational purposes.
The Foundation is overseen by a board of directors and supported by a program team. Its published leadership structure includes a chairman, president, treasurer, board directors, program manager, communications specialist, and program assistant.
Capella Festa serves as president, board director, and treasurer, while Olivier Peyret serves as chairman and board director. The board provides strategic oversight, and the program team administers fellowships, communications, applications, and engagement with the international community of fellows.
Funding and Grants
The Foundation finances program activities primarily through cash contributions from SLB or its affiliates and income associated with its endowment. According to the organization, the most recent contribution to the Schlumberger Foundation endowment fund was made in 2011. The Foundation operates educational-development programs, provides grants to external organizations, and co-funds eligible SLB outreach programs.
Faculty for the Future grants are calculated according to the eligible expenses of individual recipients. Support may cover university tuition and bench fees, accommodation, living costs, medical insurance, books and supplies, transportation, initial travel, visa expenses, childcare contributions, and conference-related costs.
Funding can reach US$50,000 per year for PhD study and US$40,000 per year for postdoctoral research. Awards may be renewed, but renewal is not automatic and depends on academic progress, references, and the Foundation’s assessment.
Eligible applicants must be women from low- or middle-income countries where women are underrepresented in STEM. They must be pursuing PhD study or postdoctoral research at a recognized host institution abroad, possess a strong academic record, and demonstrate an intention to return to their country or region and contribute to its socioeconomic development. Master’s-level study is not funded.
Major Programs and Initiatives
Faculty for the Future is the Schlumberger Foundation’s flagship program. It provides fellowships to women scientists and engineers from developing and emerging economies so they can undertake advanced STEM research at leading universities and research institutions outside their home countries.
Selection considers academic performance, references, the quality of the host institution, the relevance of the proposed research, leadership potential, commitment to returning home, and engagement in teaching, entrepreneurship, policymaking, or STEM outreach. Particular attention is given to fields in which women remain highly underrepresented, including physical sciences, engineering, computer science, and mathematics.
Beyond financial assistance, the program connects fellows through an international scientific and professional network. This community supports collaboration, leadership, mentoring, knowledge exchange, innovation, and the application of research to challenges affecting fellows’ countries and regions.
The Foundation also recognizes fellows whose work translates scientific expertise into wider social value. Its activities highlight women applying STEM knowledge to healthcare, environmental sustainability, education, technology, public policy, entrepreneurship, and community development.
Impact and Examples of Work Funded
In April 2026, the Schlumberger Foundation announced that Faculty for the Future had funded its 1,000th fellow. The 2026–2027 cohort included 163 grants, comprising 54 new fellowships and 109 renewed awards.
A Foundation survey found that 83% of surveyed fellows worked in academia. Collectively, fellows taught more than 185,000 students and supervised nearly 900 graduate students, demonstrating how support for an individual researcher can influence broader scientific-education systems.
Nearly 59% of surveyed fellows reported involvement in policymaking, while 20% identified as entrepreneurs. These figures show that fellows contribute beyond academic publication by participating in government advisory work, establishing institutions, creating businesses, and developing practical scientific solutions.
Examples include neurologists Dr. Deise Catamo and Dr. Helena Buque, whose work supports neurological research and care in Mozambique, and Dr. Shakardokht Jafari, who founded TRUEinvivo to develop precision dosimetry technology for radiotherapy.
Another fellow, Dr. Sadiyo Siad, established Hano Academy, Hano Technical University, the Somali STEM Society, and Hano Connect. These initiatives support STEM education, technical and vocational training, entrepreneurship, women’s leadership, and economic development in Somalia.
Conclusion
The Schlumberger Foundation combines advanced STEM fellowships, leadership development, international networking, and targeted financial support to expand opportunities for women scientists from developing and emerging economies. Through Faculty for the Future, the organization strengthens research capacity, encourages gender equality in science, and enables women researchers to apply their expertise to education, innovation, policy, entrepreneurship, and sustainable development.
For more information, visit here.
