American Philosophical Society Library Resident Research Fellowships

Linda Musumeci Announcement
Subject Fields
American History / Studies, Colonial and Post-Colonial History / Studies, Native American History / Studies

Scope

The American Philosophical Society Library offers short-term residential fellowships for conducting research in its collections. We are a leading international center for research in the history of American science and technology and its European roots, as well as early American history and culture.

The Library houses over 11 million manuscript items, 350,000 volumes of printed materials, thousands of maps and prints, and more than a thousand hours of audio recordings of Native American languages. Collections are renowned for their depth and interdisciplinary strengths in diverse fields, including Early American History and Culture to 1840 • Atlantic History • Intellectual History • Travel, Exploration and Expeditions • History of Science, Technology and Medicine • History of Biochemistry, Physiology and Biophysics including 20th-Century Medical Research • History of Eugenics and Genetics • History of Physics, especially Quantum Physics • History of Natural History in the 18th and 19th Centuries • Anthropology, particularly Native American History, Culture and Languages • Caribbean and Slavery Studies. The Library does not hold materials on philosophy in the modern sense.

Comprehensive, searchable guides and finding aids to our collections are available online at Online Guides

Eligibility

The fellowships, funded by generous benefactors, are open to both U.S. citizens and foreign nationals. Applicants may be:

  • Holders of the Ph.D. or its equivalent
  • Ph.D. candidates who have passed their preliminary examinations and are researching their dissertation
  • Degreed independent scholars (without current academic affiliation)

Applicants in any relevant field of scholarship may apply. Candidates who live 75 or more miles from Philadelphia receive some preference.

Award
A stipend of $3,000 per month is awarded for a minimum of one month and a maximum of three months, paid after arriving in the Library to work on their fellowship. The duration of award is requested by the candidate, but the final decision is made by the Fellowship Committee.

Each year a special two-month fellowship, sponsored by the Jack Miller Center, is also awarded “to advance scholarship in those fields of study that will contribute a deeper understanding of America’s founding principles and history and the wider traditions that influenced its development.” The Committee shall select the awardee for this fellowship, and all applications that are pertinent to these criteria will be considered for it. However, applicants who are especially interested in this two-month fellowship should state this in their application materials.

Fellowships may be taken beginning any day not earlier than 1 June 2017 and must be completed by 31 May 2018. Fellows are required to be in residence at the Library for four to twelve consecutive weeks, depending upon the length of the award.

Awards are taxable income, but the Society is not required to report payments. It is understood that recipients will discuss their reporting obligations with their tax advisors.

Deadline and Notification
1 March 2017; notifications in early May.

Contact Information

American Philosophical Society Library
215-440-3443

Contact Email
libfellows@amphilsoc.org