Mellon Doctoral Dissertation Fellows 2019-20

Application deadline: February 15, 2019

The initiative in Humanities, Urbanism, and Design (H+U+D) at the University of Pennsylvania is a ten-year project funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to foster critical and integrative consideration of the relationship between the humanities and the design professions in the analysis and shaping of the built environment. Under the renewed grant (beginning in 2108), the initiative takes “The Inclusive City” as its theme, focusing on issues of inclusivity and diversity. The program has a number of component parts, including a bi-weekly Faculty Colloquium, the sponsorship of graduate and undergraduate courses, student research funding, an Undergraduate Colloquium, special lectures, participation in conferences, a Doctoral Dissertation (ABD) Fellowship program, and a Junior (postdoc) Fellowship program. For more information on the initiative see: https://live-penn-iur-hud.pantheonsite.io/

Applications are now invited for two one-year Doctoral Dissertation Fellowships to be held in 2019-20. One fellow will be selected from humanities and humanistic social science graduate groups in the School of Arts and Sciences, and one will be selected from the School of Design.

Mellon Doctoral Dissertation Fellows will be selected on the basis of the excellence of their work and their ability to contribute to the mission of the initiative. Preference will be given to projects related to the “Inclusive City” theme.

Eligibility

Applications are invited from doctoral students in good standing at the University of Pennsylvania in all humanistic and design disciplines whose work deals with the built environment of cities, landscapes, and architecture and who wish to expand its inter-, trans-, and multidisciplinary character. Applicants must have completed three years of study and attained “ABD” (all-but-dissertation) status by May 31, 2019. Awards made prior to the attainment of ABD status are contingent on that attainment.

The University of Pennsylvania values diversity and seeks talented students, faculty and staff from diverse backgrounds. The University of Pennsylvania does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, citizenship status, age, disability, veteran status or any other legally protected class status in the administration of its admissions, financial aid, educational or athletic programs, or other University-administered programs or in its employment practices.

Terms of appointment

The fellowship stipend is $30,300. Enrollment in the university’s graduate student health insurance program will be provided for the fellow, but not for family and dependents. Tuition and fees will be paid by the fellow’s school.

During the academic year of the award (August 15–May 31), fellows are required to be in residence in Philadelphia and work fulltime on their dissertation project. They must participate in the bi-weekly H+U+D Faculty Colloquium and present their research at one of its sessions.

Application Guidelines

Applications and letters of reference must be received by 11:59 P.M. EST on February 15, 2019. All materials should be sent to Ms. Alisa Chiles, H+U+D Program Manager (mellon-hud- initiative@groups.sas.upenn.edu).

Applications should be assembled as one PDF comprising

1. cover sheet (HUD Doctoral Fellow application cover sheet)

2. curriculum vitae

3. unofficial Penn transcript
4. short dissertation proposal (1000 words maximum)

Your PDF and the email that conveys it should be titled <Your last name> HUD application; e.g., Applicantname HUD application

Also arrange for

5. a letter of endorsement from the chair of your Graduate Group, certifying your ABD status 6. a letter of reference from your dissertation advisor, discussing your research proposal

These must be sent directly to Ms. Chiles (mellon-hud-initiative@groups.sas.upenn.edu). The letters should be in the form of PDFs, and the PDFs and the emails that conveys them should be titled <applicant’s last name>_<Reference writer’s last name> HUD reference;
e.g., Applicantname_Advisorname HUD reference

Awards will be announced by March 15, 2019.

Address questions to

Professor David B. Brownlee dbrownle@sas.upenn.eduand Professor Eugenie L. Birch elbirch@design.upenn.edu