Friends of the APS Predoctoral Fellowship
The American Philosophical Society's Library & Museum in Philadelphia seeks applicants for a nine-month, residential fellowship for a graduate student working on topics in all fields who show a demonstrated need to use the Library & Museum’s collections for their project. The nine-month fellowship for the 2025-2026 academic year is intended for advanced Ph.D. students working toward the completion of the dissertation. The caliber of the project, and evidence that the project will be completed in a timely manner, are the two most important criteria for selection. The selection committee will also take into consideration the need to be at the APS's Library & Museum and other research institutions in the Philadelphia area. Applicants may be U.S. citizens or foreign nationals.
- Applicants’ research must pertain to topics reflected in the Library & Museum’s collections
- The successful applicant will have the opportunity to participate in programs and other affairs at the American Philosophical Society
Eligibility:
This fellowship is open to those who are not U.S. citizens or residents, but it does not provide visa sponsorship.
Terms
- 9 month residential fellowship
- $25,000 stipend
- $5,000 travel/research fund
Application Instructions:
All application materials will be submitted online via Interfolio (https://apply.interfolio.com/154819). Applicants will submit:
C.V.
An introductory cover letter (no more than two pages)
Two letters of reference in support of the project and applicant.
A project proposal of approximately 2-4 pages (no more than 1,000 words in length). The proposal should include: a) a description of the project; b) a statement explaining the significance of the project; c) an indication of the specific APS collections the applicant wishes to consult.
Deadline: January 17, 2025 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.
Current and Past Recipients
Francis Russo, University of Pennsylvania, "New Moral Worlds: Socialism, Antislavery, and Selfhood in the American Republic, 1820–1860"
Michael Ortiz-Castro, Harvard University, "American Nature: Life and Political Community in Post-Reconstruction America, 1877-1927"
Julia Menzel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "Enigmatic Nature: A Critical History of Theoretical Physics, 1967-2004"
Molly Nebiolo, Northeastern University, “Constructing Health: Concepts of Well-Being in the Creation of Early Atlantic Cities”
Gustave Lester, Harvard University, Mineral Lands, Mineral Empire: Mapping the Raw Materials of U.S. Industrial Capitalism, 1780-1880"
Hannah Anderson, University of Pennsylvania, “Lived Botany: Households, Ecological Adaptation, and the Origins of Settler Colonialism in Early British North America”
Nicole Schroeder, University of Virginia, “Incurable Defects: Welfare, Medicine, and the Disabled Body in Philadelphia, 1790-1840”
Max Matherne, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, “The Jacksonian Character: Patronage and Ideology in the Early Republic”
Katlyn Clark, Princeton University, “Practicing Politics in the Revolutionary Atlantic World: Secrecy, Publicity, and the Making of Modern Democracy”