The spring General Meeting of the American Philosophical Society is April 25–27. Read the program and live stream the proceedings

Friends of the APS Predoctoral Fellowship

The American Philosophical Society's Library & Museum in Philadelphia seeks applicants for a one-year, 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 12-month fellowship 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

  • 12 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/135145). 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 19, 2024 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time.

Current and Past Recipients

2023-2024

Michael Ortiz-Castro, Harvard University, "American Nature: Life and Political Community in Post-Reconstruction America, 1877-1927"

2022-2023

Julia Menzel, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, "Enigmatic Nature: A Critical History of Theoretical Physics, 1967-2004"

2021-2022

Molly Nebiolo, Northeastern University, “Constructing Health: Concepts of Well-Being in the Creation of Early Atlantic Cities”

2020-2021

Gustave Lester, Harvard University, Mineral Lands, Mineral Empire: Mapping the Raw Materials of U.S. Industrial Capitalism, 1780-1880"

2019-2020

Hannah Anderson, University of Pennsylvania, “Lived Botany: Households, Ecological Adaptation, and the Origins of Settler Colonialism in Early British North America”

2018-2019

Nicole Schroeder, University of Virginia, “Incurable Defects: Welfare, Medicine, and the Disabled Body in Philadelphia, 1790-1840”

2017-2018

Max Matherne, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, “The Jacksonian Character: Patronage and Ideology in the Early Republic”

2016-2017

Katlyn Clark, Princeton University, “Practicing Politics in the Revolutionary Atlantic World: Secrecy, Publicity, and the Making of Modern Democracy”