The University of Pennsylvania invites applications for the 2022-2023 Predoctoral Fellowships for Excellence through Diversity. These awards are designed to provide mentorship and access to Penn’s resources for doctoral students in the humanities or social sciences, enrolled in graduate or professional programs at universities other than Penn, as they complete their dissertations. The fellowships are intended to support scholars from a wide range of backgrounds who can contribute to the diversity of Penn and the higher education community.

These residential fellowships support graduate students in the final stages of dissertation research or writing at Penn for an academic year, usually from September through August. They offer an opportunity for scholars who plan an academic career to take advantage of Penn programs and faculty expertise and afford access to libraries and the resources of the Philadelphia region. Each scholar will be selected and hosted by a department or school and assigned a faculty mentor. Recipients will be in the stage of advanced dissertation research or writing.
The fellowship provides a stipend of $40,000, health insurance, library privileges, and a $5,000 research and travel fund. The application deadline is January 14, 2022.

Qualifications

Recipients of this fellowship must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident and enrolled in a PhD program in the humanities or social sciences at an accredited university graduate or professional school other than Penn. Eligible applicants should have passed all doctoral qualifying examinations and be in an advanced stage of research and writing on an approved dissertation topic. Selected applicants will be of exceptional academic merit and advance equity, diversity, and inclusion. Applicants are asked to disclose whether they belong to a group that is underrepresented in higher education, come from a disadvantaged background, have overcome significant personal obstacles, and/or pursue academic research on cultural, societal, or educational problems as they affect disadvantaged or underrepresented sectors of society.

Application

• Applicants should submit:
• Two letters of recommendation, signed and on official letterhead. One must come from the dissertation advisor, commenting on the student’s performance, potential, and expected time to degree. At least one of the letters must address the applicant’s contribution to diversity in higher education.
• Graduate transcript(s).
• Current curriculum vitae.

Applications will be accepted at http://apply.interfolio.com/97878. Questions can be addressed to the Office of the Vice Provost for Faculty at provost-fac@upenn.edu.