The John Hope Franklin Dissertation Fellowship

Scope
This fellowship, named in honor of a distinguished member of the American Philosophical Society, is designed to support an outstanding doctoral student at an American university who is conducting dissertation research. There are two special features to this fellowship.

First, the objective of the John Hope Franklin Dissertation Fellowship is to help remedy the serious shortage of faculty of color in core fields in the arts and sciences, by supporting the Ph.D. projects of minority students of great promise (particularly African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans and Native Americans) as well as other talented students who have a demonstrated commitment to eradicating racial disparities and enlarging minority representation in academia.

Second, the John Hope Franklin Fellow is expected to spend a significant amount of time in residence at the APS Library and therefore all applicants should be pursuing dissertation topics in which the holdings of the Library are especially strong, such as quantum mechanics, nuclear physics, computer development, the history of genetics and eugenics, the history of medicine, Early American political and cultural history, natural history in the 18th and 19th centuries, the development of cultural anthropology, or American Indian linguistics and culture. The APS Library's extensive collections in these and many other fields are fully described on our website at www.amphilsoc.org/library

Eligibility
Candidates must have completed all course work and examinations preliminary to the doctoral dissertation and be prepared to devote full time for twelve months-with no teaching obligations-to research on their dissertation projects or the writing of their dissertations. The John Hope Franklin Fellow will also be expected to spend a minimum of three months in Philadelphia, in residence at the APS Library with full encouragement to conduct research at other libraries and archives in and around the city. Attractive office space will be provided for the Fellow.

Stipend
The stipend for this fellowship is $25,000 for a twelve-month period, plus $5,000 to support the cost of residency in Philadelphia, for a total award of $30,000. The twelve-month period is flexible: for example, June 1, 2008-May 31, 2009; or September 1, 2008-August 31, 2009; or the calendar year 2009. The John Hope Franklin Fellowship may be held in conjunction with other stipendiary awards but may not be combined with payments for teaching or administration.

Fellowships are taxable income, but the Society is not required to report payments. It is recommended that the recipient discuss reporting obligations with his or her tax advisor.

Deadline and Notification
Applications are due April 1, 2008, with notification in May.