Library Company of Philadelphia Post-Doctoral Fellowships for 2020-2021

National Endowment for the Humanities Post-Doctoral Fellowships support research in residence at the Library Company on any subject relevant to its collections, which are capable of supporting research in a variety of fields and disciplines relating to the history of America and the Atlantic world from the 17th through the 19th centuries.  NEH Fellowships are for individuals who have completed their formal professional training. Consequently, degree candidates and individuals seeking support for work in pursuit of a degree are not eligible to hold NEH-supported fellowships. Advanced degree candidates must have completed all requirements, except for the actual conferral of the degree, by the application deadline, November 1, 2019.  Foreign nationals are not eligible to apply unless they have lived in the United States for the three years immediately preceding the application deadline.  NEH fellowships are tenable for four to nine months.  The stipend is $5,000 per month.

Program in Early American Economy and Society (PEAES) Post-Doctoral Fellowships support research in the collections of the Library Company and other nearby institutions into the origins and development of the early American economy, broadly conceived, to roughly 1850. The fellowships provide scholars the opportunity to investigate the history of commerce, finance, technology, manufacturing, agriculture, internal improvements, economic policymaking, and other topics.  Applicants may be citizens of any country, and they must hold a Ph.D. by September 1, 2020.  The stipend is $40,000 for the academic year, or if the award is divided between two scholars, $20,000 per semester.

Senior scholars are particularly encouraged to apply. The Library Company’s Cassatt House fellows’ residence offers rooms at reasonable rates, along with a kitchen, common room, and offices with internet access, available to resident and non-resident fellows at all hours.  All post-doctoral fellowships are tenable from September 1, 2020, through May 31, 2021, and fellows must be in continuously in residence in the Philadelphia area for the duration of their fellowships.

THE DEADLINE FOR RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS IS NOVEMBER 1, 2019 with a decision to be made by December 15.  Make just one application; you will automatically be considered for all the fellowships for which you are eligible. To apply, go to https://librarycompany.org/neh-and-peaes-post-doctoral-fellowships-application to fill out an online coversheet and upload a single PDF containing a brief résumé, a two- to four-page description of your proposed research, and a writing sample of no more than 25 pages. In addition, two confidential letters of recommendation should be submitted online in PDF format using the form provided on the application page.

Candidates are strongly encouraged to inquire about the appropriateness of the proposed topic before applying. For more information about the NEH award, contact James Green via telephone (215) 546-3181 or e-mail jgreen@librarycompany.org. For more information about the PEAES award, email Cathy Matson at cmatson@udel.edu.