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Published: 30 Jun 2023 2,619 views
Radcliffe fellows are exceptional scientists, writers, scholars, public intellectuals, and artists whose work is making a difference in their professional fields and in the larger world.
Based in Radcliffe Yard—a sanctuary in the heart of Harvard University—fellows join a uniquely interdisciplinary and creative community. A fellowship at Radcliffe is an opportunity to step away from usual routines and dive deeply into a project. With access to Harvard’s unparalleled resources, Radcliffe fellows develop new tools and methods, challenge artistic and scholarly conventions, and illuminate our past and our present.
Harvard Radcliffe Fellows benefit from a uniquely interdisciplinary and creative community that each year spans the sciences, arts, humanities, and professions. This diversity of approaches and expertise sets our program apart from other fellowship opportunities. With access to Harvard's unparalleled resources, Harvard Radcliffe Fellows can dive deeply into their projects, while engaging with scholars, writers, and practitioners with whom they might not otherwise have the opportunity to connect. Along with their cohort, Radcliffe Fellows join an exceptional network of alumni making an impact in their professional fields and in the larger world.
Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, established in 1636 by vote of the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was named after the College’s first benefactor, the young minister John Harvard of Charlestown, who upon his death in 1638 left his library and half his estate to the institution. A statue of John Harvard stands today in front of University Hall in Harvard Yard, and is perhaps the University’s best known landmark. Harvard University has 12 degree-granting Schools in addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advan... continue reading
| Application Deadline | 05 Oct 2023 |
| Country to study | United States |
| School to study | Harvard University |
| Type | Fellowship |
| Sponsor | Harvard University |
| Gender | Men and Women |
Fellows receive a stipend of $78,000 plus an additional $5,000 to cover project expenses.
Please note that if you are a US citizen or permanent resident coming from a home institution based in the US, you can opt to have your stipend paid through your home institution or to you directly.
Additional funding
Harvard Radcliffe Fellows may also be eligible to receive relocation, housing, and childcare funds to aid them in making a smooth transition to Radcliffe. Health care support is made available as needed. If fellows would like to hire Harvard undergraduate students as Research Partners, we will cover their hourly wages.
Although amounts have not been set for fellows in the 2024-2025 class, information on current benefits is available here.
No matter their field, Harvard Radcliffe Fellows demonstrate an extraordinary level of accomplishment.
Applicants in the humanities and social sciences must:
1. Have received their doctorate (or appropriate terminal degree) in the area of their proposed project at least two years prior to their appointment as a fellow (December 2022 for the 2024-25 fellowship year).
2. Have published a monograph or at least two articles in refereed journals or edited collections.
Applicants in science, engineering, and mathematics must:
1. Have received their doctorate in the area of the proposed project at least two years prior to their appointment as a fellow (December 2022 for the 2024-25 fellowship year).
2. Have published at least five articles in refereed journals. Most science, engineering, and math fellows have published dozens of articles.
** This is not intended to serve as a post-doctoral fellowship. Applicants must demonstrate a strong body of independent research and writing.
Applicants in the creative arts must meet discipline-specific eligibility requirements, as outlined below:
Film and Video: Applicants in this discipline must have a body of independent work of significant achievement. Such work will typically have been exhibited in galleries or museums, shown in film or video festivals, or broadcast on television.
Visual Arts: Applicants in this discipline must show strong evidence of achievement, with a record of at least five years of work as a professional artist, including participation in several curated group shows and at least two professional solo exhibitions.
Fiction and Nonfiction: Applicants in these disciplines must have one of the following:
a) one or more published books;
b) a contract for the publication of a book-length manuscript; or
c) at least three shorter works (longer than newspaper articles) published.
Poetry: Applicants in this discipline must have had published at least 20 poems in the last five years or published a book of poetry, and must be in the process of completing a manuscript.
Journalism: Applicants in this discipline are required to have worked professionally as a journalist for at least five years.
Playwriting: Applicants in this discipline must have a significant body of independent work in the form. This will include, most typically, plays produced or under option.
Music Composition: It is desirable, but not required, for applicants in music composition to have a PhD or DMA. Most importantly, the applicant must show strong evidence of achievement as a professional artist, with a record of recent performances.
Former Harvard Radcliffe fellows (1999-present) are ineligible to apply.
+ Can I apply if I am not a US citizen?
Yes. Applicants from throughout the world are encouraged to apply. Harvard University typically sponsors J-1 scholar visas for Harvard Radcliffe Fellows.
+ I am currently enrolled in a PhD/Master's program but will graduate before September–am I eligible to apply?
Applicants cannot be students in doctoral or master's programs at the time of application submission unless the dissertation has been accepted and degree is forthcoming (and field-specific eligibility requirements have been met). Applicants must demonstrate a strong body of independent work that has been published, exhibited, or performed.
+ I am an independent scholar/artist/I am not affiliated with an institution. Am I eligible to apply?
Yes. You do not need to be affiliated with an academic institution to be eligible to apply.
+ Does the Harvard Radcliffe Fellowship Program accept group projects?
Yes, we accept group applications of two or three individuals who propose to work on the same project. As a fellowship group you would spend the year pursuing your group's research interests or project. All group members must meet the eligibility requirements for their fields.
How to apply as a group: Each member of the group must register as a user on the application portal and submit a separate application. At the Individual or Group question on the General Information page of the application, select Group, and list the names of all group members, including yourself, in the available fields.
Each group member should submit an individual CV and writing sample. All group members should upload the same document for your project proposal, making special note in your proposal about the nature of your collaboration.
We encourage applicants within a group to ask for letters from different recommenders. If there is a recommender who is well-suited to speak to your group's proposed project as a whole, or who has worked closely with all group members, they can be listed as a recommender for all group members and may upload the same letter.
The application consists of an application form, curriculum vitae, project proposal (with bibliography when appropriate), a writing or work sample, and the contact information of three references who will be prompted, via email, to upload letters of recommendation in support of your application. All materials must be submitted via our online application portal.
For applicants in the humanities, social sciences, and creative arts: Your complete application, including letters of recommendation, should be submitted by Thursday, September 14, 2023 (11:59 PM EST).
For applicants in science, engineering, and mathematics: Your complete application, including letters of recommendation, should be submitted by Thursday, October 5, 2023 (11:59 PM EST).
Please note: Applications Office staff will be available to assist until 5:00 PM EST on those days.
For more details visit: Harvard Radcliffe Institute website.