Website Dumbarton Oaks
Summary
The Fellowship Program at Dumbarton Oaks began in 1940 with a cohort of five junior Byzantinists. Today, it continues to honor and serve the mission determined by founders Mildred Barnes and Robert Woods Bliss to facilitate, disseminate, and advance research in the humanities. Our programs award over 150 appointments annually in the expanded fields of Byzantine, Garden and Landscape, and Pre-Columbian Studies through residential fellowships for an academic year, semester, or summer awarded to scholars from around the world.
Fellowships and junior fellowships are usually awarded for the academic year. During this time, fellows are expected to be in residence at Dumbarton Oaks and to devote full time to their study projects without undertaking any other major activities. Awards may also be made for the fall term or the spring term.
Fellowships are prorated for appointments shorter than the full academic year. Dumbarton Oaks anticipates that sabbatical salary or funds from other sources may supplement awards, particularly for fellows. Fellows may hold other grants with the knowledge and permission of both the grantors and Dumbarton Oaks and provided the terms do not conflict with the commitment of residence at Dumbarton Oaks.
Key Details
Stipend:
- Fellow: $35,000 (academic year); $17,500 (fall or spring term)
- Junior Fellow: $25,000 (academic year); $12,500 (fall or spring term)
Duration:
- Academic Year: September 13, 2027 – May 12, 2028
- Fall Term: September 13, 2027 – January 7, 2028
- Spring Term: January 24 – May 12, 2028
Note: Fellow are expected to be in residence at Dumbarton Oaks and to devote full time to their study projects without undertaking any other major activities. On-site housing is provided.
Deadline: November 1, 2026
Eligibility
Fellowships are for individuals holding appropriate terminal degrees (e.g., PhD, MLA) at the time of the application deadline.
Junior fellowships are for degree candidates who at the time of application have fulfilled all preliminary requirements for a PhD or appropriate final degree and will be working on a dissertation or final project at Dumbarton Oaks under the direction of a faculty member at their own university.
- Graduate students who do not have the PhD in hand by the November 1 application deadline must apply as junior fellows. Successful applicants for junior fellowships who have the PhD in hand by the beginning of the fellowship term may be granted the status and stipend of fellows. For junior fellowships, preference will be given to candidates in the early stages of their dissertation.
Areas of Study: Byzantine Studies, Garden and Landscape Studies, Pre-Columbian Studies (see Dumbarton Oaks website for Additional Guidance regarding Areas of Study).
About
Dumbarton Oaks is a Harvard University research institute, library, museum, and garden located in Washington, DC. The institution is the legacy of Robert and Mildred Bliss, collectors of art and patrons of learning in the humanities. The museum houses world-class collections of Byzantine and Pre-Columbian art, two areas of interest to the Blisses. A third revolves around the historic garden, which Mildred Bliss created in close collaboration with renowned landscape designer Beatrix Farrand. Since 1940, when the Blisses gifted the estate and collections to Harvard University, Dumbarton Oaks has supported research in Byzantine Studies. Later it embraced Pre-Columbian and Garden and Landscape Studies. The support takes the form of fellowships and other awards, scholarly conferences, publications, and digital initiatives. In recent years, Dumbarton Oaks has also developed educational programs focusing on its collections and garden.
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To apply for this job please visit www.doaks.org.