Research Fellowship at the Harry Ransom Center, USA

The Harry Ransom Center annually awards over 50 fellowships to support projects that require substantial on-site use of its collections. The fellowships support research in all areas of the humanities, including literature, photography, film, art, the performing arts, music, and cultural history.  

Applicants must demonstrate the necessity of substantial on-site use of the Center's collections.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: FEBRUARY 1, 2012

FellowshipGuidelines (PDF)

AVAILABLE FELLOWSHIPS INCLUDE

ONE TO THREE MONTH FELLOWSHIPS • 3,000 PER MONTH

One to three month fellowships are available for post-doctorates or independent scholars whose projects require extensive work with the Ransom Center's collections.

TRAVEL STIPENDS • $1,200 (Domestic) • $1,700 (International)

Travel stipends are available for post-doctorates or independent scholars whose projects require less than one month’s work with the Center’s collections. Travel stipends may not be combined with other Ransom Center fellowships.

DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIPS • $1,500

Six fellowships jointly sponsored by the Ransom Center and The University of Texas at Austin Office of Graduate Studies are designated for graduate students who are working on doctoral dissertations.
View a completelist of the supporting endowments and annual donors

APPLICATION PROCEDURES
A complete application consists of two copies of a four-page proposal and two letters of recommendation in sealed, signed envelopes. The applicant should submit all materials together. Dissertation fellowship applicants need submit only one letter of recommendation. Complete applications for 2012–2013 research fellowships must be received by February 1, 2012.

Eligibility. All applicants, with the exception of applicants for dissertation fellowships, must be post-doctorates or independent scholars with a substantial record of publication. If the Ph.D. is in-progress, the proposal and letters of recommendation must clearly indicate a June 1, 2012 completion in order to be eligible for 2012–2013 fellowships. Dissertation fellowship applicants must be doctoral candidates and be at work on the dissertation by the time of application. United States citizens and foreign nationals are eligible to apply. Individuals who have previously received a Ransom Center fellowship are eligible to reapply after two years have passed. All things being equal, however, preference is given to applicants who have not previously held a Ransom Center fellowship.

Note: Previous Harry Ransom Center fellowship recipients should note the change in the time required between applications.

Proposal Page One. List your name; institutional affiliation (if any); preferred mailing address, email address, and telephone number; the category of fellowship requested (one, two, or three months; travel stipend; or dissertation fellowship); and a brief project title. For administrative purposes, please also indicate where you learned about the Ransom Center fellowships (e.g., colleague, advertisement, promotional poster). Previous recipients of Ransom Center fellowships must list the year of the fellowship(s) and any resulting publications, indicating whether copies have been sent to the Center. Current members of the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies (ASECS) must indicate their membership in order to be considered for the ASECS fellowship.

Proposal Page Two. Provide a summary of the proposed research project. Bear in mind that you are writing for a multi-disciplinary faculty committee, so research topics and their significance should be thoroughly explained. Place the project in the context of its larger field of study and describe the anticipated result of the project (journal article, book, edited volume, or other format).

Proposal Page Three. Describe in detail your anticipated use of Ransom Center collections. Please discuss specific collection materials and their relevance to the project.

Proposal Page Four. Provide an abbreviated one-page curriculum vitae stressing relevant publications. No other items should be appended to the proposal, which should not exceed four pages in length.

Letters of Recommendation. Applications for one to three month fellowships and travel stipends must include two confidential letters of recommendation from individuals who are qualified to judge the proposal. Applications for dissertation fellowships must include a single letter of recommendation from the dissertation director or an appropriate member of the dissertation committee. All letters should be sent to the applicant in a sealed and signed envelope, to be submitted to the Center with the proposal. Letters of recommendation should not be submitted to the Center independently. Faxed and emailed letters will not be accepted.

Application Deadline. Complete applications for 2012–2013 fellowships must be received by February 1, 2012. Applications received after this deadline or transmitted by fax or email will not be considered. The Ransom Center will acknowledge the receipt of complete applications if a self-addressed, stamped postcard is sent with the proposal (U.S. postage only). We will return the card upon receipt of the complete application.

Complete applications should be sent to:

Harry Ransom Center
ATTN: Research Fellowships
The University of Texas at Austin
P.O. Drawer 7219
Austin, TX 78713-7219

If sending via FedEx, DHL, UPS, or other courier service requiring a physical address:
Harry Ransom Center
ATTN: Research Fellowships

 The University of Texas at Austin

 300 West 21st Street
Austin, TX

78712

Announcement of Decisions. Decisions will be announced by letter, mailed on or before March 30, 2012. Queries about applications in process cannot be acknowledged. Fellowship recipients and their research projects will be acknowledged in Ransom Center publicity.

Residency. Residencies must be taken up during the period from June 1, 2012 through August 31, 2013, or from September 1, 2012 through August 31, 2013 for dissertation fellowships. Recipients of one month fellowships are expected to be in continuous residence for the duration of their award. Recipients with longer-term fellowships may split the residency, with a minimum stay at any time of one month. There is not a specific required length of residency for travel stipends or dissertation fellowships. During their residency period, fellows are expected to have a significant, consistent presence at the Center. Fellows are invited and encouraged to participate in the intellectual life of the Center and The University of Texas at Austin. Complete information about the policies and expectations may be found in the FellowshipGuidelines.

Final Report. All fellows are required to write a brief research report on their work at the Ransom Center to be submitted after the residency has been completed.

About the Collections. General information about the Center's collections may be found online. The Center's website includes many of the finding aids for manuscript collections. Additional information on the Center's collections may be found in the Guideto the Collections and the Library Chronicle. Most of the Center's books are listed in the online library catalog of The University of Texas at Austin. Specific inquiries about the relevance of the Center's holdings to a research project may be directed to the appropriate curator.  

Please contact only one curator or librarian to avoid unnecessary duplication of effort. If more than one collection is involved, we will see that your message is properly forwarded. Please request information from curators by January 1. After that date, we cannot guarantee a response before the application deadline.

Modern British & American Literature:	Molly Schwartzburg   512-471-4430 schwartzburg@mail.utexas.edu
	Richard Workman   512-471-3374 rworkman@mail.utexas.edu
Pre-1900 English & American Literature:	Richard Oram   512-471-4458 roram@mail.utexas.edu
Photography:	David Coleman   512-471-6795 davidcoleman@mail.utexas.edu
Film:	Steve Wilson   512-471-6352 swilson@mail.utexas.edu
French:	Elizabeth Garver   512-471-6350 elgarver@mail.utexas.edu
Music:	Richard Workman   512-471-3374 rworkman@mail.utexas.edu
Performing Arts:	Helen Baer   512-475-6502 helen.baer@austin.utexas.edu
Art:	Peter Mears   512-471-4663 pmears@mail.utexas.edu
Other Collection Inquiries:	Richard Workman   512-471-3374 rworkman@mail.utexas.edu

Questions about the fellowship program and application instructions should be directed to Bridget Gayle at 512-232-3214 or brigayle@mail.utexas.edu.