Mellon Fellowships for Dissertation Research in Original Sources

This fellowship is for dissertation research in the humanities or related social sciences using original sources. The purposes of this fellowship program is to:

• Help junior scholars in the humanities and related social sciences gain skill and creativity in developing knowledge from original sources.
• Enable dissertation writers to do research wherever relevant sources may be, rather than just where financial support is available.
• Encourage more extensive and innovative uses of original sources in libraries, archives, museums, historical societies, and related repositories in the U.S. and abroad.
  
• Capture insights into how scholarly resources can be developed for access most helpfully in the future.

December

• An applicant may be of any nationality but must be enrolled in a doctoral program in a U.S. graduate school and be studying in the U.S., not on a campus abroad, even if operated by a U.S. institution (master’s thesis research is not eligible).
• Complete all doctoral requirements except the dissertation and be ready to start research as early as June 1 and no later than Sept. 1, 2020, with approval of the dissertation proposal no later than March 31, 2020;
• Plan to do dissertation research primarily in original source material in the holdings of archives, libraries, historical societies, museums, related repositories or a combination.
• Plan to write the dissertation and receive the PhD degree in a field of the humanities or in a related element of the social sciences (candidates for the EdD, JD, or DD degrees are not eligible).
• Proposed research may be conducted at a single or multiple sites abroad, in the U.S., or both. Any relevant repository may be used, including government archives and private collections accessible to the applicant. Preference is given to applicants who will be studying away from their home institution.
• Those who are conducting original source research using online sources in novel or innovative ways are eligible to apply for this fellowship.

Apply on the Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) website.

Email mellon@clir.org with further questions.