Application Information

The competition for 2013-15 fellowships is now closed. Applications were due in full by November 20, 2012. Information for our past search below, for your reference.

Eligibility

• Applicants must be scholars who are not yet tenured and who are no more than five years past receiving their PhD. To be eligible for this competition, degree must be received between August 2008 and August 2013.
• Applicants must hold a PhD in a humanities discipline or in the humanistic social sciences.
• Applicants who do not yet hold a PhD but expect to have one by the time the fellowship begins must provide a letter from their home institution (department chair, head of graduate studies, or advisor) corroborating the degree award schedule.
• Doctoral candidates and those holding PhDs or other doctoral degrees from UW-Madison are ineligible. 
• In an effort to foster disciplinary diversity in our postdoctoral program, we are unlikely to award fellowships to candidates who would be teaching in Anthropology, Communication Arts, or English.
• The fellowship has no nationality requirements. If accepted, international candidates will be responsible for securing their own paperwork, visas, etc. as needed, though the university can provide some support in that process.
• Selected recipients may not hold another fellowship simultaneous with this one.

Award

In 2012-13 the stipend for postdoctoral fellows was $55,157 per academic year, with a $2,000 per year research allowance, $3,000 per year travel allowance, and a one-time $2,500 computer allowance. Fellows are eligible for health insurance; read more.

Application materials

In addition to basic career information, your application must include the following:

• Confidential reference letters from three writers. Reference letters should address the significance and feasibility of the proposed research; quality of the proposal; qualifications for the project; past work; and potential contributions to and benefits from being a Mellon postdoctoral fellow at UW-Madison.
• 100 word abstract of dissertation.
• Proposal of up to 2,000 words. The proposal should outline completed research (including dissertation); work in progress; research that will be conducted as a Mellon Fellow; an explanation of how that research relates to the Mellon theme; a description of professional goals and plans for publication; an indication of the undergraduate courses you might teach; and other relevant information. Include how you believe you would benefit from being at UW-Madison, including the faculty associations you would like to develop.
• Curriculum vitae; include work forthcoming and in progress.
• Writing sample of up to 25 pages.
• Optional: Statement of teaching philosophy and/or sample syllabi or descriptions of courses you have taught or would like to teach.

Application submission

Applications must be submitted via Interfolio. Submit your application here.

• When you begin your application, you will be asked to upload your curriculum vitae, proposal, and writing sample as separate documents.
• If you would like to including teaching information and/or you have a letter corroborating the degree award schedule, upload these as additional documents.
• You must also use Interfolio to submit your three confidential reference letters.
• All materials, including reference letters, must be submitted by November 20, 2012 to ensure full consideration.

Because this fellowship includes teaching, a criminal background check may be required of fellowship recipients.

Questions: Jessica Courtier, Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows Coordinator, or 608-516-8109

Interfolio help documents for letter writers can be found here.
Interfolio help documents for applicants can be found here.