SSRC International Dissertation Research Fellowship, 2016

Applications are invited for international dissertation research fellowships from graduate students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences—regardless of citizenship-enrolled in PhD programs in the United States. Applicants to the 2016 IDRF competition must complete all PhD requirements except on-site research by the time the fellowship begins or by December 2016, whichever comes first. The IDRF program expects fellows to remain at their research site(s) for the full nine- to twelve-month funding period. Fellowship amounts vary depending on the research plan, with a per-fellowship average of $20,000. The application deadline is November 3rd 2015.
Study Subject(s): Fellowships are awarded in the area of humanities and humanistic social sciences. Proposals that identify the United States as a case for comparative inquiry are welcome; however, proposals which focus predominantly or exclusively on the United States are not eligible
Course Level: Fellowships are available for undertaking research.
Scholarship Provider: The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Social Science Research Council
Scholarship can be taken at: USA and Abroad (Please note that the required minimum research outside the United States is dependent upon student’s discipline. For select humanities disciplines (Art History, Architectural History, Classics, Drama/Theater, Film Studies, Literature, Musicology, Performance Studies, Philosophy, Political Theory, and Religion), that minimum is three months. For all other disciplines (including Anthropology, History, and Political Science), funding for US sites will be considered for short duration.)
Eligibility: The program is open to graduate students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences—regardless of citizenship-enrolled in PhD programs in the United States. Applicants to the 2016 IDRF competition must complete all PhD requirements except on-site research by the time the fellowship begins or by December 2016, whichever comes first. The program invites proposals for dissertation research conducted, in whole or in part, outside the United States, on non-US topics. It will consider applications for dissertation research grounded in a single site, informed by broader cross-regional and interdisciplinary perspectives, as well as applications for multi-sited, comparative, and transregional research. Proposals that identify the United States as a case for comparative inquiry are welcome; however, proposals those focus predominantly or exclusively on the United States are not eligible. Applicants from select disciplines within the humanities (Art History, Architectural History, Classics, Drama/Theater, Film Studies, Literature, Musicology, Performance Studies, Philosophy, Political Theory, and Religion) are welcome to request three or more months of funding for international on-site dissertation research in combination with site-specific research in the United States, for a total of nine to twelve months of funding. All other applicants (for instance, those in Anthropology, Geography, History, Political Science, and Sociology, among others) must request nine to twelve months of on-site, site-specific dissertation research with a minimum of six months of research outside of the United States. Research within the United States must be site-specific (e.g., at a particular archive) and cannot be at the applicant’s home institution unless that institution has necessary site-specific research holdings. Please note that the IDRF program supports research only and may not be used for dissertation write-up. Applicants who have completed significant funded dissertation research in one country by the start of their proposed IDRF research may be ineligible to apply to the IDRF to extend research time in the same country. Eligibility will be at the discretion of the IDRF program, depending on completed research time and funding. The IDRF program expects fellows to remain at their research site(s) for the full nine- to twelve-month funding period. The IDRF program will not support study at foreign universities, conference participation, or dissertation write-up. The program does not accept applications from PhD programs in law, business, medicine, nursing, or journalism, nor does it accept applications in doctoral programs that do not lead to a PhD.
Scholarship Open for International Students: Applicants who are enrolled in PhD programs in the United States, regardless of citizenship are eligible for these fellowships.
Scholarship Description: The Mellon International Dissertation Research Fellowship (IDRF) offers nine to twelve months of support to graduate students in the humanities and humanistic social sciences who are enrolled in PhD programs in the United States and conducting dissertation research on non-US topics. Eighty fellowships are awarded annually. Fellowship amounts vary depending on the research plan, with a per-fellowship average of $20,000. The fellowship includes participation in an SSRC-funded interdisciplinary workshop upon the completion of IDRF-funded research.
Number of award(s): Eighty fellowships are awarded annually.
Duration of award(s): Fellowships provide support for nine to twelve months of on-site, site-specific dissertation research. No awards will be made for proposals requiring less than nine months of research. The IDRF-funded research must take place in a single continuous period within the eighteen months between July 2016 and December 2017.
What does it cover? Fellowship amounts vary depending on the research plan, with a per-fellowship average of $20,000. The IDRF grant will cover fellows’ travel, research, and living expenses for nine to twelve months of dissertation research. The IDRF grant will not cover tuition costs, dependent living expenses, taxes, or dissertation write-up.
Selection Criteria: Applicants are expected to write in clear, intelligible prose for a selection committee that is multidisciplinary and cross-regional. Proposals should display a thorough knowledge of the major concepts, theories, and methods in the applicant’s discipline and in other related fields, as well as a bibliography relevant to the research. Applicants should specify why an extended period of on-site research is critical for successful completion of the proposed doctoral dissertation. The research design of proposals should be realistic in scope, clearly formulated, and responsive to theoretical and methodological concerns. Applicants should provide evidence of having attained an appropriate level of training to undertake the proposed research, including evidence of a degree of language fluency sufficient to complete the project.
Notification: Incomplete and ineligible applicants will be informed of their status by December 2015. All other applicants will be contacted by the program, via email or USPS, about their status in February 2016. Fellows will be notified by May 2016.
How to Apply: The IDRF application must be filled out online and can be accessed through the SSRC Online Application Portal.
Online Application