The Smithsonian Institution Fellowship is awarded annually to scholars wishing to conduct independent study or research at one or more of the Smithsonian’s 19 units and research centers. 
Application Deadline: 1st November, 2021
Eligible Countries: All
To be taken at (country): United States of America
About the Award: The Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program offers opportunities for independent research or study related to Smithsonian collections, facilities, and/or research interests of the Institution and its staff. Fellowships are offered to graduate students, predoctoral students, and postdoctoral and senior investigators to conduct independent research and to utilize the resources of the Institution with members of the Smithsonian professional research staff serving as advisors and hosts. These fellowships are offered through the Smithsonian’s Office of Fellowships and Internships, and are administered under the charter of the Institution, 20 U.S. Code section 41 et seq.
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Applicants who wish to conduct research at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory (SAO) should go here as SAO application requirements and deadlines may be different.
The publication, Smithsonian Opportunities for Research and Study, outlines Smithsonian research activities and lists the research staff. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact staff members to help identify potential advisors, determine the feasibility of the proposed research being conducted at the Smithsonian Institution, and the availability of relevant resources such as staff, collections, archives and library materials during the proposed tenure dates.
The Smithsonian Institution Fellowship Program offers fellowships for research and study in the following fields and encourages applications of an interdisciplinary nature:
- Animal behavior, ecology, and environmental science, including an emphasis on the tropics
- Anthropology, including archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistics, and physical anthropology
- Astrophysics and astronomy
- Earth sciences and paleobiology
- Evolutionary & systematic biology
- Folklife
- History of science and technology
- History of art, especially American, contemporary, African, and Asian art, twentieth-century American crafts, and decorative arts
- Materials research
- Molecular biology
- Social and cultural history of the United States
Type: Fellowship
Eligibility:
- The program is open to US citizens and Non-US citizens. Applicants whose native language is not English are expected to have the ability to write and converse fluently in English. All application materials must be presented in English (foreign transcripts may be translated, see below).
- Past or current fellowship recipients are eligible to apply for another award.
Graduate Student Fellowships: When they apply, students must be formally enrolled in a graduate program of study at a degree-granting institution. Before the appointment begins fellows must still be enrolled and must have completed at least one full-time semester or its equivalent, or have completed the graduate program within the past four months. Graduate Student Fellowships are usually intended for students who have not yet been advanced to candidacy if in a doctoral program.
Predoctoral Fellowships: Students enrolled in a university as candidates for the Ph.D. or equivalent are eligible for predoctoral fellowships. By the time the appointment begins, the university must approve the undertaking of dissertation research at the Smithsonian Institution and certify that requirements for the doctorate, other than the dissertation, have been met.
Postdoctoral Fellowships: The doctorate degree must be completed by the time the fellowship begins.
Senior Fellowships: Applicants must have held a Ph.D. or equivalent for at least 7 years. Applicants who have received the Ph.D. or equivalent before November 1, 2014 are eligible to apply for senior fellowships. If you have taken a “leave of absence” from research and wish to apply under the postdoctoral fellowship application instead of senior fellowship application you will need to provide a justification in the additional information section at the end of the application.
Selection Criteria: Applications for Smithsonian Institution Fellowship are evaluated and fellows are selected, by scholars in appropriate fields, on the basis of the proposal’s merit, the applicant’s ability to carry out the proposed research and study, the likelihood that the research could be completed in the requested time, and the extent to which the Smithsonian, through its research staff members and resources, could contribute to the proposed research. The number of appointments made each year is determined by the availability of funds for the program. The Smithsonian Fellowship Program does not discriminate on grounds of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, or disability.
Number of Awardees: Not specified
Value of Fellowship:
SENIOR FELLOWSHIPS -for scholars at least seven years beyond the Ph.D.
Term: 3 to 12 months
Stipend: $55,000 per year
Research Allowance: up to $4,000 per year
POSTDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS – for scholars up to seven years beyond the Ph.D. *
Term: 3 to 12 months**
Stipend: $55,000 per year
Research Allowance: up to $4,000 per year
** Postdoctoral applicants in Science may apply for up to 24 months.
PREDOCTORAL FELLOWSHIPS -for doctoral candidates to conduct dissertation research.
Term: 3 to 12 months
Stipend: $40,000 per year
Research Allowance: up to $4,000 per year
TEN-WEEK GRADUATE STUDENT FELLOWSHIPS -for graduate students to conduct independent research usually before having been advanced to candidacy if in a Ph.D. program.
Term: 10 weeks
Stipend: $8,000
* If you have taken a “leave of absence” from research and wish to apply under the postdoctoral fellowship application instead of senior fellowship application which makes you 7 or more years out from receiving your Ph.D., please provide a justification in the additional information section at the end of the application.
Fellowship tenures must begin between June 1, 2021 and March 1, 2022. It is important that applicants consider the following factors carefully when choosing the dates for the proposed fellowship: their academic schedule; completion dates of their preliminary exams, course work, or dissertation (if applicable); the schedule of their proposed advisor/host and the availability of required resources.
How to Apply: Apply Through the Smithsonian Online Academic Appointment System (SOLAA)
Completed general information in SOLAA
Please ensure you go through the application guidelines in Scholarship Webpage before applying.
Visit Fellowship Webpage for details
