University of Wisconsin Institute for Research in the Humanities

Solmsen Post-Doctoral Fellowships

Online applications only. Access application information at the Institute website: http://irh.wisc.edu/fellowships/solmsen

The Institute for Research in the Humanities will offer 4-5 Solmsen Fellowships to be awarded to a scholar from outside the University of Wisconsin-Madison for 2016-2017. Through a generous bequest from Friedrich and Lieselotte Solmsen, the Solmsen Fellowships sponsor scholars working in the humanities on European history and culture in the classical, medieval, and/or early modern periods before 1700.

Solmsen Fellows are expected to be in residence throughout the academic year (except for short research trips, lectures, conferences, etc.) and may extend their residency through the following summer on a non-stipendary basis. The award provides a stipend of $51,000, office space, support services, and access to all university facilities. Solmsen Fellows are also expected to participate in the intellectual life of the Institute by attending the weekly Monday afternoon seminars (3:00-5:00p.m.) and presenting their work at a seminar. Monday seminars are followed by an informal Tuesday lunch discussion (noon-1:15p.m.) based on the seminar for those who are interested in further discussion of the Monday presentation. Fellows are also encouraged to attend other Institute events, as time and interest permit. Please consult the Institute’s website (irh.wisc.edu) for more information about other Institute fellowships and activities.

Notification of awards will be in mid-March 2016.

Qualifications

The Institute accepts applications from senior scholars as well as young scholars with research projects that are well advanced; faculty members at the University of Wisconsin-Madison are not eligible. Independent scholars with the Ph.D. are eligible to apply. Applicants must be in possession of the doctorate at the time of application; we will not accept applications from graduate students expecting to have the doctorate by the beginning of the academic year. Projects to revise the doctoral dissertation should involve substantial expansion, new research, and/or new conceptual frameworks; the proposal should clearly explain how the project relates to the dissertation.

Application Instructions

Application Materials

• Proposal, up to 1,500 words (about 5 double-spaced pages of 12-point font). The proposal should address the significance of the project, how it will be accomplished, and the specific work plan for the period of the grant. Clearly state the intended product of your research. For book projects, an outline of chapters is highly recommended. For revisions of dissertations, substantive change is expected; explain how the book will differ from the dissertation.
• Bibliography, publications (not your own) relevant to the project, up to 2 pages.
• Curriculum Vitae, including work forthcoming and in progress.
• Application Form (available on Interfolio), including title and 100-word abstract of project.
• Three letters of reference that address the significance and feasibility of the proposed research, quality of the proposal, qualifications for the project, and past work.
• Letters should be submitted by letter-writers through Interfolio directly, or emailed by them to info@irh.wisc.edu by Sunday, November 1, 2015. We prefer but do not require the letters to be on letterhead, signed, and scanned.

Deadline

• Application Materials: Sunday, November 1, 2015
• Letters of recommendation: Sunday, November 1, 2015

Inquiries

• For substantive questions about projects and proposals, contact Susan Stanford Friedman, Director ssfriedm@wisc.edu, 608-262-8151)
• For all other questions about this fellowship, contact Ann Harris, Assistant to the Director awharris2@wisc.edu; 608-262-3855)
• For help using Interfolio, please contact Interfolio’s help desk help@interfolio.com; 877-997-8807)