2019-2020 Lemelson Center Fellowships and Travel Grants

Fellowships and Travel Grants from the Smithsonian’s Lemelson Center
Apps Due: 1 November 2018

Through its fellowships and travel grants, the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation supports research projects that present creative approaches to the study of invention and innovation in American society. Projects may include (but are not limited to) historical research and documentation projects resulting in dissertations, publications, exhibitions, educational initiatives, documentary films, or other multimedia products.

Our programs provide access to the expertise of the Institution’s research staff and the vast invention and technology collections of the National Museum of American History (NMAH). The NMAH Archives Center documents both individuals and firms across a range of time periods and subject areas. Representative collections include the Western Union Telegraph Company Records, ca. 1840-1994 and the Earl S. Tupper Papers, documenting Tupper, and his invention, Tupperware. In addition, the NMAH Library offers long runs of historical technology serials like Scientific American and American Machinist, and the American Trade Literature collection, which includes 300,000 catalogs, technical manuals, and advertising brochures for some 30,000 firms, primarily from 1880-1945. For a comprehensive catalog of objects, manuscripts, images and research materials available at the NMAH (and other Smithsonian units), see http://www.collections.si.edu/.

The Arthur Molella Distinguished Fellowship supports the work of an experienced author or senior scholar (associate/full/emeritus professor level or equivalent) from the history of technology, science and technology studies, business history, museum studies, STEAM education, or an allied field. The specific arrangement is flexible: the Molella Fellow may use the funds as a sabbatical supplement; for several short-duration visits; for a single residency focused on research and writing; or for a series of lectures leading to a major publication. The stipend is $35,000. Funds may be used flexibly to support travel for several short-term visits, living expenses for longer residences up to six months, and related research expenses; dates are flexible. Applications are due November 1, 2018. For application procedures and additional information, see http://invention.si.edu/arthur-molella-distinguished-fellowship. Applicants may wish to consult with the fellowship coordinator before submitting a proposal; contact historian Eric S. Hintz, PhD at +1 202-633-3734 or hintze@si.edu.

The Lemelson Center Fellowship Program annually awards 2 to 3 fellowships to pre-doctoral graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and other professionals who have completed advanced training. Fellows are expected to reside in the Washington, D.C. area, to participate in the Center’s activities, and to make a presentation of their work to colleagues at the museum. Fellowship tenure is based upon the applicants’ stated needs (and available funding) up to a maximum of ten weeks. Stipends will be $750/week for pre-doctoral fellows and $1,000/week for post-doctoral and professional fellows. Applications are due November 1, 2018. For application procedures and additional information, see http://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-fellowship-program. Researchers may wish to consult with the fellowship coordinator before submitting a proposal; contact historian Eric S. Hintz, PhD at +1 202-633-3734 or hintze@si.edu.

The Lemelson Center Travel to Collections Award Program annually awards 3 to 4 short-term travel grants to encourage the use of its invention-related collections. Awards are $150 per day for a maximum of 10 business days and may be used to cover transportation, living, and reproduction expenses; they are intended only for applicants who reside or attend school beyond commuting distance of the NMAH. Applications are due November 1, 2018. See http://invention.si.edu/lemelson-center-travel-collections-awards for application procedures and additional information. Researchers may wish to consult with the travel award coordinator before submitting a proposal; contact archivist Alison Oswald at +1 202-633-3726 or oswalda@si.edu.

Franklin Research Grants

The Franklin Research Grant program is open to applications in all disciplines. The program is particularly designed to help meet the costs of travel to libraries and archives for research purposes; the purchase of microfilm, photocopies, or equivalent research materials; the costs associated with fieldwork; or laboratory research expenses.

A special program within the Franklin Grant is the APS/British Academy Fellowship for Research in London. In collaboration with the British Academy, the APS offers an exchange postdoctoral fellowship for a minimum of one and a maximum of two months’ research in the archives and libraries of London during 2019. This award includes travel expenses between the United States and the United Kingdom and a monthly subsistence paid by the APS. Candidates should specify that they are asking for the British Academy Fellowship and apply by October 1; applicants not selected for the British Academy Fellowship will be considered for a Franklin Research Grant.

The deadline for applications and two letters of support is October 1, 2018, for a January 2019 decision for work in February 2019 through January 2020.

A special program within the Franklin Grant is the APS/Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities Fellowship for Research in Edinburgh. In collaboration with the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities (IASH) at the University of Edinburgh, the APS offers a visiting fellowship of between two and four months for research in Edinburgh in the calendar year 2019 in any aspect of the humanities and social sciences. Further information about the IASH, including current research themes, is available at http://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/.

Applications are submitted through the IASH. Information and forms are available at https://www.iash.ed.ac.uk/american-philosophical-society-fellowship. Note that there is no need to fill out a separate Franklin application, and candidates not selected for an IASH Fellowship will be considered for a Franklin Research Grant.

The deadline for applications and two letters of support is December 3, 2018, for a January 2019 decision for work in April 2019 through January 2020.

Eligibility
Applicants are expected to have a doctorate or to have published work of doctoral character and quality. Ph.D. candidates are not eligible to apply, but the Society is particularly interested in supporting the work of young scholars who have recently received the doctorate. Independent scholars and faculty members at all four-year and two-year research and non-research institutions are welcome to apply provided that all eligibility guidelines are met. American citizens and residents of the United States may use their Franklin awards at home or abroad. Foreign nationals not affiliated with a U.S. institution must use their Franklin awards for research in the United States. Applicants who have previously received a Franklin grant may reapply after an interval of two years.

Awards
Funding is offered up to a maximum of $6,000. Grants are not retroactive.

Contact Info:
Linda Musumeci
Director of Grants and Fellowships
215-440-3429
Contact Email: lmusumeci@amphilsoc.org
URL: https://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/franklin-research-grants

University of Chicago Library – Robert L. Platzman Memorial Fellowships – Summer 2018

The University of Chicago Library invites applications for the Robert L. Platzman Memorial Fellowships for the summer of 2018.

Any visiting researcher, writer, or artist residing more than 100 miles from Chicago, and whose project requires on-site consultation of University of Chicago Library collections, primarily archives, manuscripts, rare books, or other materials in the Special Collections Research Center, is eligible.

Support for beginning scholars is a priority of the program. Applications in the fields of late nineteenth- or early twentieth-century physics or physical chemistry, or nineteenth-century classical opera, will receive special consideration.

Awards will be made based on the applicant’s ability to complete the proposed on-site research successfully within the timeframe of the fellowship. Applicants should explain why the project cannot be conducted without on-site access to the original materials and the extent to which University of Chicago Library collections are central to the research. Up to $3,000 of support will be awarded to help cover estimated travel, living, and research expenses. Applications from women, minorities, and persons with disabilities are encouraged.

The deadline for applications is March 19, 2018. Notice of awards will be made by April 10, 2018, for use between June 1, 2018, and September 28, 2018.

Applicants must provide the following information:

A cover letter (not to exceed one page) including the project title; a brief summary; estimated dates of on-site research; and a budget for travel, living, and research expenses during the period of on-site research
A research proposal not to exceed three double-spaced pages. Applicants should include references to specific archival finding aids and catalog records of particular relevance to their proposed project whenever possible.
A curriculum vitae of no longer than two pages
Two letters of support from academic or other scholars. References may be sent with the application or separately.

Submit application in one electronic file to: scrcfellowship@lib.uchicago.edu

Letters of reference in electronic form are preferred; print letters of reference can be sent to:

Robert L. Platzman Memorial Fellowships
Special Collections Research Center
The University of Chicago Library
1100 E. 57th Street
Chicago, IL 60637

For additional information contact: Daniel Meyer, Director, Special Collections Research Center.

Call for Applications: 2018-2019 New York Public Library Short-Term Research Fellowships

The New York Public Library is pleased to offer short-term research fellowships to support graduate-level, post-doctoral, and independent researchers. Individuals needing to conduct on-site research in the Library’s special collections to support projects in the humanities, business, and the fine and performing arts are encouraged to apply.

Fellowship stipends are $1,000 per week for a minimum of two and maximum of four weeks. Each fellow is expected to be in residence at the Library for the duration of their fellowship and to write a blog post for nypl.org about their work with the Library’s collections.

The Manuscripts and Archives Division of The New York Public Library holds over 29,000 linear feet of material in over 5,500 collections, with strengths in the papers and records of individuals, families, and organizations, primarily from the New York region. These collections support research in the political, economic, social, and cultural history of New York and the United States.

The Rare Book Collection contains over 350,000 printed volumes, pamphlets, broadsides, and newspapers, in addition to thousands of pieces of ephemera. It is especially rich in fifteenth century printing, Americana, voyages and travels, early Bibles, and literature.

Visit https://www.nypl.org/research-divisions/ for more information about these and other divisions available for fellowship research.

Detailed program information can be found at https://www.nypl.org/help/about-nypl/fellowships-institutes/short-term-research-fellowships, and Library holdings can be explored at catalog.nypl.org and archives.nypl.org.

To apply, submit an online application at https://fellowships.nypl.org/home. Fellowships are open to U.S. citizens, permanent residents, and foreign nationals who have been resident in the United States for the three years as of January 31, 2018. Fellows must reside outside the New York metropolitan area.

Application Deadline: February 15, 2018

Notification Date: March 31, 2018

Fellowship Period: June 1, 2018 – May 30, 2019

Vacancy: Career Development Fellow in Modern History, Jesus College, Oxford

Closing date: Friday, 8 December 2017

Salary: A starting salary of £31,604 p.a., free meals in College, College office equipped with computer and printer, an annual research allowance of £1,000 p.a. and teaching book allowance worth up to £250 p.a. are offered.

Jesus College, Oxford invites applications for a Career Development Fellow in Modern History (19th and/or 20th Century), tenable for four years from 1 October 2018. The CDF is open to those intending to pursue an academic career and applicants should have been awarded their doctorate in the last five years or be nearing submission of their doctoral thesis. Teaching will be in the 19th and/or 20th Century, with a strong preference for applicants with interests in British History from 1830 onwards, notably with expertise in the fields of British imperial, colonial or international history. A starting salary of £31,604 p.a., free meals in College, College office equipped with computer and printer, an annual research allowance of £1,000 p.a. and teaching book allowance worth up to £250 p.a. are offered.

Further information on the CDF including job description, selection criteria, and how to apply are available in the PDF attachment below, or can be obtained from the Principal’s Secretary, Jesus College, Oxford OX1 3DW (principals.secretary@jesus.ox.ac.uk), to whom applications and references should be sent by Friday 8 December 2017. Interviews are likely to be held on 2 February 2018.

Jesus College is an equal opportunities employer.

Further details and particulars here.

Franklin Research Grants (post-doctoral)

Scope
This American Philosophical Society program of small grants to scholars is intended to support the cost of research leading to publication in all areas of knowledge. The Franklin program is particularly designed to help meet the cost of travel to libraries and archives for research purposes; the purchase of microfilm, photocopies or equivalent research materials; the costs associated with fieldwork; or laboratory research expenses.

Eligibility
Applicants are expected to have a doctorate or to have published work of doctoral character and quality. Ph.D. candidates are not eligible to apply, but the Society is especially interested in supporting the work of young scholars who have recently received the doctorate.

Award
From $1,000 to $6,000.

Deadlines
October 2, December 1; notification in January and March.

Contact Info
Linda Musumeci
Director of Grants and Fellowships
American Philosophical Society
LMusumeci@amphilsoc.org
215-440-3429

URL: http://www.amphilsoc.org/grants/franklin

Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships

The GHI (German Historical Institute, Washington DC) awards short-term fellowships to European and North American doctoral students as well as postdoctoral scholars to pursue research projects that draw upon primary sources located in the United States.

We are particularly interested in research projects that fit into the following fields:

German and European history
The history of German-American relations
The role of Germany and the USA in international relations
American history (European doctoral and postdoctoral scholars only)

The proposed research projects should make use of historical methods and engage with the relevant historiography. We especially invite applications from doctoral students and postdoctoral scholars who currently have no funding from their home institutions. The fellowships are usually granted for periods of one to five months but, in exceptional cases and depending on the availability of funds, they can be extended by one month.

The GHI will not provide funding for preliminary research, manuscript composition, or the revision of manuscripts. It will give clear priority to those postdoc projects that are designed for the “second book.” The fellowship is open to both doctoral and postdoctoral scholars based in North America and Europe. The monthly stipend is € 2,000 for doctoral students and € 3,400 for postdoctoral scholars. In addition, fellowship recipients based in Europe will receive reimbursement for their round-trip airfare to the U.S.

The GHI has two deadlines each year for the fellowships: April 1 and October 1. The next deadline for applications is October 1, 2017.

Eligibility Requirements
Applicants should be based at (or recent graduates of) a North American or European university or research institute.
For doctoral students applying, ABD status is required before starting the fellowship.
For postdoctoral scholars applying, the preference is for projects that are designed for the “second book” (Habilitation or equivalent).
The proposed project should require primary research in the United States.

Application Procedure
To apply please send the following materials (as a pdf) to fellowships@ghi-dc.org:

Application form
Brief cover letter
Curriculum vitae
A copy of your most recent diploma or transcripts
Project description (no more than 2,000 words)
At least one letter of reference (sent separately)

Please combine all of your application materials except for the application form into a single PDF and include a word count at the end of your project description. Applicants may write in either English or German; we recommend that they use the language in which they are most proficient. Applicants will be notified about the outcome approximately two months after the deadline.

Further information here.
Questions about applying or for the fellowship program in general should be directed to Bryan Hart (hart@ghi-dc.org).