IRH Fellowships

The IRH awards some 40-45 stipendiary and non-stipendiary fellowships to internal and external applicants each year. The College of Letters & Science and generous gifts to the Institute fund these fellowships, which are open to applicants in any discipline or field whose project has clear significance for the humanities. Most IRH fellowships are not limited by theme or research area, with the exception of the external Solmsen Fellowship for projects on pre-1700 Europe, the external Kingdon Fellowship on Judeo-Christian religious traditions, the Birutė Ciplijauskaitė Fellowship in Peninsular Spanish Literature and Culture, and the internal Race, Ethnicity, and Indigeneity Fellowships.

Fellowships are awarded across the humanities, at all faculty ranks; dissertators at UW–Madison; and to independent scholars, based on the significance of proposed research, the record and potential of applicants, and the promise of interdisciplinary engagement in our intellectual community. The IRH is a member of the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Research University Consortium and can serve as a residency site for ACLS fellows. The IRH also welcomes scholars with other grants or funding to apply for non-stipendiary short-term honorary fellowships.

IRH fellows are required to attend the weekly Monday seminars and, schedule permitting, to give a seminar presentation on their project research. Additional symposia, lectures, conferences, and workshops are available for fellows as time and interest permit. Fellows have access to all UW–Madison libraries and library databases, a wisc.edu email address, office space at IRH (if available), photocopying and scanning, and limited support services.

The UW–Madison Libraries offer a world-class library system with over 7.3 million printed volumes, many distinguished collections, and millions of resources in journals, databases, microfilms, government documents, etc. For more detailed information about the library collections, contact one of the humanities subject librarians at the Memorial Library. The Wisconsin Historical Society is a national repository of books and papers in American history and culture, a major resource for Americanists in the humanities.

Internal Fellowships

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Each year, the Institute for Research in the Humanities (IRH) maintains an average of eight Senior Fellowships funded by the College of Letters & Science. These awards are for tenured faculty members in the College who are engaged in innovative research in the humanities. Seven of these Senior Fellowships are designated for any projects in the humanities, and one Senior Fellowship is awarded for a project on race, ethnicity, and/or indigeneity.

Senior Fellows attend IRH seminars, present their work, sit on selection committees, advise the Director, and are encouraged to organize a Burdick-Vary Symposium or another comparable event.

Senior Fellowships have a four-year term with four semesters of research leave to be taken in residence at the IRH during this term. Flexibility in how leave time is taken during the four years is allowed: e.g., 50% research leave/50% teaching each semester; one semester of research leave/one semester of teaching each year; one year of research leave/one year of full-time teaching; etc. Senior Fellows are required to attend IRH seminars and meetings for the full academic year for the four-year term, regardless of how their teaching leave is distributed and regardless of significant research trips. The start date of the fellowship may not be deferred for any reason, so we urge fellows to arrange their fellowship in ways mutually agreeable to themselves and their departments.

The Senior Fellowship competition planned for 2026–27 (for 3 senior fellows, to begin in 2027–28) has been postponed. Please check back in the summer of 2027 for more information. The IRH and the College of Letters & Science are currently working to ensure that the IRH’s Senior Fellowship program is consistent with the teaching requirements set by Act 15.

The Institute for Research in the Humanities holds an annual competition for up to six one-semester open-topic Resident Fellowships for UW–Madison faculty in the College of Letters & Science who are working on a project of significance for the humanities. These awards will be granted for one semester within the 2027-2028 academic year. Open-topic Resident Fellows receive their regular salary and are released from teaching and service duties for the semester of the fellowship so that they may undertake full-time research and participate in the intellectual community of the IRH. Fellows with additional funding (e.g., sabbatical, other grants) are invited to remain at the IRH for the full academic year. However, the fellowship may not be deferred for any reason. These fellowships are prestigious appointments and represent one of the ways the College of Letters & Science seeks to strengthen the opportunities for concentrated research by faculty in the humanities. UW–Madison faculty budgeted outside the College of Letters & Science may also apply for Resident Fellowships, contingent upon agreement from their deans and department chairs to continue their salary while releasing them from teaching and service during the duration of the fellowship.

Open-topic Resident Fellows are expected to participate in the intellectual life of the IRH by attending the required weekly Monday afternoon seminars (3:30 – 5:00 pm), utilizing their IRH office regularly (if receiving office space), and giving a seminar presentation at the IRH. Fellows are also encouraged to join the weekly afternoon teas and other IRH events as time and interest permit.

Individual faculty members on the tenure-track or tenured at UW–Madison are encouraged to apply. IRH seeks the most exciting research projects from candidates who can contribute to and benefit from the interdisciplinary dialogue in the humanities that IRH fosters.

The application for 2027–2028 fellowships is now closed. The final notification of awards will be sent in mid-January 2027.

Applications must be submitted through the “application form” link to Interfolio above. For help using Interfolio, or with issues with letters of recommendation or other files, please refer to the links below.

The Institute for Research in the Humanities (IRH) at the University of Wisconsin–Madison holds an annual competition for up to two one-semester fellowships for UW–Madison faculty in the College of Letters & Science who are working on projects that focus directly on race, ethnicity, and/or indigeneity in any part of the world and historical period and that foster comparative study of these issues with a clear significance for the humanities. These Race, Ethnicity, and Indigeneity (REI) Resident Fellowships will be granted for semesters within the 2027-2028 academic year. REI Resident Fellows receive their regular salary and are released from teaching and service duties for the semester of the fellowship so that they may undertake full-time research and participate in the intellectual community of the IRH. Fellows with additional funding (e.g., sabbatical, other grants) are invited to remain at the IRH for the full academic year. However, the fellowship may not be deferred for any reason. These fellowships are prestigious appointments and represent one of the ways the College of Letters & Science seeks to strengthen the opportunities for concentrated research by faculty in the humanities. UW–Madison faculty budgeted outside the College of Letters & Science may also apply for REI Resident Fellowships, contingent upon agreement from their deans and department chairs to continue their salary while releasing them from teaching and service during the duration of the fellowship.

REI Resident Fellows are expected to participate in the intellectual life of IRH by attending the required weekly Monday afternoon seminars (3:30 – 5:00 pm), utilizing their IRH office regularly (if receiving office space), and giving a seminar presentation at the IRH. Fellows are also encouraged to join the weekly afternoon teas and other IRH events as time and interest permit.

Individual faculty members on the tenure-track or tenured at UW–Madison are encouraged to apply. IRH seeks the most exciting research projects from candidates who can contribute to and benefit from the interdisciplinary dialogue in the humanities that IRH fosters.

Note: All REI Resident Fellowship applications are automatically duplicated and considered in the Open-topic Resident Fellowship competition without a separate application.

The application for 2027–2028 fellowships is now closed. The final notification of awards will be sent in mid-January 2027.

Applications must be submitted through the “application form” link to Interfolio above. For help using Interfolio, or with issues with letters of recommendation or other files, please refer to the links below.

Each year, the IRH offers 2-6 one-semester dissertation fellowships for UW–Madison graduate students in the humanities. Applications for these fellowships are by departmental nomination only. Most of the funding for these fellowships has been donated by former members of the IRH. The frequency of awards depends upon the availability of funds. Dissertation fellows are required to attend the weekly Monday seminars and may be invited to present their work at one of these meetings. Exchanges, both formal and informal, along with workshop and symposia, provide dissertation fellows with extended opportunities for engagement with faculty fellows across the humanities. Office space, photocopying/scanning, and limited support services are available. Dissertation fellowships may not be deferred.

  • Dana-Allen Dissertation Fellowship in the Humanities. Open to all dissertators in the humanities. This fellowship is made possible through a generous bequest to the University of Wisconsin–Madison from the Chicago artist Eugene F. Dana (B.S. 1936) and named for Mr. Dana and Glenn R. Allen. Typically, 1-2 fellowships are awarded each year as funds become available. The IRH only accepts nominations directly from L&S departments; please contact your department administrator, chair, and/or graduate coordinator for department-specific requirements and deadlines. Departmental nominations are limited to one candidate per department unless the department’s graduate program has more than fifty actively enrolled students pursuing doctoral degrees with humanistically-oriented research projects. In that case, the department may nominate two candidates. The IRH is holding a competition for one Dana-Allen Fellowship for 2027-2028.
  • Birutė Ciplijauskaitė Dissertation Fellowship in Peninsular Spanish Literature and Culture. Made possible by the late Birutė Ciplijauskaitė, John Bascom Professor Emerita in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a Senior Fellow of the IRH, this fellowship is for an outstanding graduate student in an advanced stage of writing a dissertation on Peninsular Spanish literary and cultural studies supervised by a faculty member in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese. Typically, 1 fellowship is awarded each year as funds become available. IRH only accepts nominations directly from the Department of Spanish & Portuguese; please contact them for department-specific requirements and deadlines. The IRH is holding a competition for one Ciplijauskaitė Dissertation Fellowship for 2027–2028.
  • William Coleman Dissertation Fellowship in History of Science. The William Coleman fellowship is made possible by a generous bequest from Louise Coleman in memory of her husband, William Coleman, UW–Madison Professor of the History of Science. One fellowship is usually awarded each year to an outstanding graduate student in an advanced stage of writing a dissertation supervised by a faculty member in the History of Science, Medicine, and Technology degree program (HSMT) in the Department of History at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Typically, 1-2 fellowships are awarded each year as funds become available. The IRH only accepts nominations directly from the HSMT department; please contact them for department-specific requirements and deadlines. IRH is holding a competition for one Coleman Fellowship for 2027–2028.
  • Madeleine Doran Dissertation Fellowship in English. Made possible through a bequest by Professor Madeleine Doran, the fellowship is for an outstanding graduate student in an advanced stage of writing a dissertation supervised by a faculty member in the English Department at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Typically, one fellowship is awarded as funds become available.
    • The IRH will not be offering a Madeleine Doran Dissertation Fellowship for the 2027-2028 academic year. The following information is for reference only. Please contact the English Department for more information.
  • Robert J. Reinhold Dissertation Fellowship in Classics. Made possible by Carl D. Reinhold in honor of his brother, Robert J. Reinhold, the fellowship is for an outstanding graduate student in an advanced stage of writing a dissertation supervised by a faculty member in the Classical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies (CANES) Department at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Typically, one fellowship is awarded as funds become available.

External Fellowships and Residencies

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The Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is pleased to offer four Solmsen Fellowships for the academic year 2027–2028, to be awarded to scholars from outside the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Through a generous bequest from Friedrich and Lieselotte Solmsen, the Solmsen Fellowships sponsor scholars working in the humanities on European history, literature, philosophy, politics, religion, art and culture in the classical, medieval, and/or early modern periods before 1700. Projects on the relationship of pre-1700 Europe to other parts of the world are also welcome. The Solmsen Fellowship does not typically support editions or translations.

The award provides a stipend of $60,000, plus health benefits (if accepting the award through UW–Madison payroll), office space, limited support services, and access to university facilities (libraries). All IRH fellowships are residential. Solmsen Fellows are required to live in Madison, Wisconsin throughout the academic year to ensure their active participation in the intellectual and social life at the IRH. Fellows are also expected to participate in the intellectual life of the IRH by attending the required weekly Monday afternoon seminar, utilizing their IRH office regularly, and giving a seminar presentation. Fellows are also encouraged to join the weekly afternoon teas and other IRH events as time and interest permit. Fellows may extend their residency through the summer on a non-stipendiary basis. However, the fellowship may not be deferred for any reason.

The application for 2027-2028 fellowships is now closed. The final notification of awards will be sent in late February or early March 2027.

Applications must be submitted through the “application form” link to Interfolio above. For help using Interfolio, or with issues with letters of recommendation or other files, please refer to the documents below.

The Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is pleased to offer two Robert M. Kingdon Fellowships for the academic year 2027–2028, to be awarded to scholars from outside the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Through a generous bequest from Robert M. Kingdon, the Kingdon Fellowship sponsors scholars working in the humanities in the historical, literary, artistic, and/or philosophical studies of Christian and/or Jewish religious traditions and their role in society. Projects may focus on any period from antiquity to the present, on any part of the world, and in any field(s) in the humanities. They may explore various forms of the Jewish and/or Christian traditions; the interaction of one or both of these with other religious traditions; and/or the relationship of one or both of these religions to other aspects of society within or outside of Europe. The Kingdon Fellowship does not typically support editions or translations.

The award provides a stipend of $60,000, plus health benefits (if accepting the award through UW–Madison payroll), office space, limited support services, and access to university facilities (libraries). All IRH fellowships are residential. Kingdon Fellows are required to live in Madison, Wisconsin throughout the academic year to ensure their active participation in the intellectual and social life at IRH. Fellows are also expected to participate in the intellectual life of IRH by attending the required weekly Monday afternoon seminar, utilizing their IRH office regularly, and giving a seminar presentation. Fellows are also encouraged to join the weekly afternoon teas and other IRH events as time and interest permit. Fellows may extend their residency through the summer on a non-stipendiary basis. However, the fellowship may not be deferred for any reason.

The application for 2027-2028 fellowships is now closed. The final notification of awards will be sent in late February or early March 2027.

Applications must be submitted through the “application form” link to Interfolio above. For help using Interfolio, or with issues with letters of recommendation or other files, please refer to the documents below.

The Institute for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is pleased to announce that it will offer one Birutė Ciplijauskaitė Fellowship for the 2027-2028 academic year, to be awarded to a scholar from outside the University of Wisconsin–Madison. Thanks to a generous bequest by the late Birutė Ciplijauskaitė, John Bascom Professor Emerita in the Department of Spanish & Portuguese and a Senior Fellow of IRH, the fellowship is available to a scholar with a Ph.D. (at any stage of career), working in Spanish literary and cultural studies of the Iberian Peninsula. We are especially interested in scholars working on peninsular Spanish poetry. The Ciplijauskaitė Fellowship does not typically support editions, anthologies, or translations.

The award provides a stipend of $60,000, plus health benefits (if accepting the award through UW–Madison payroll), office space, limited support services, and access to university facilities (libraries). All IRH fellowships are residential. Ciplijauskaitė Fellows are required to live in Madison, Wisconsin throughout the academic year to ensure their active participation in the intellectual and social life at IRH. Fellows are also expected to participate in the intellectual life of IRH by attending the required weekly Monday afternoon seminar, utilizing their IRH office regularly, and giving a seminar presentation. Fellows are also encouraged to join the weekly afternoon teas and other IRH events as time and interest permit. Fellows may extend their residency through the summer on a non-stipendiary basis. However, the fellowship may not be deferred for any reason.

The application for 2027-2028 fellowships is now closed. The final notification of awards will be sent in late February or early March 2027.

Applications must be submitted through the “application form” link to Interfolio above. For help using Interfolio, or with issues with letters of recommendation or other files, please refer to the documents below.

Each year, the Institute for Research in the Humanities offers up to four fellowships each year to faculty coming from The Universities of Wisconsin campuses (formerly “UW System campuses”), with full release time from teaching and service for 1 semester. Funding comes from a combination of sources: the home institutions, Universities of Wisconsin grant fund allocations of $7,500 to the home institution, and UW–Madison’s contribution of about $5,000 per fellow to each home institution. Universities of Wisconsin Fellows are provided with an IRH office (space permitting), limited support services, and access to certain UW–Madison resources (libraries, databases). Fellows typically live in Madison, Wisconsin, throughout the semester of fellowship to ensure their active participation in the intellectual and social life at IRH. Fellows are expected to participate in the intellectual life of IRH by attending the required weekly Monday seminar (3:30 – 5:00 pm), utilizing their campus office Monday – Friday, and giving a seminar presentation at IRH (if schedule allows). Fellows are also encouraged to join weekly afternoon teas and other IRH events as time and interest permit. Fellows with additional funding (e.g., sabbatical, other grants) are invited to remain at IRH for the full academic year, and may extend their appointments through the summer. However, fellowships may not be deferred.

Information about the 2027–2028 Universities of Wisconsin Fellowship competition will be available by late November, 2026. The following information is for reference purposes only. 

The Institute for Research in the Humanities serves as a residency site for SSHRC postdoctoral fellows who seek a dynamic intellectual community, interdisciplinary dialogue, contact with campus faculty and programs related to their fields and interests, and excellent library resources.

Eligibility is limited to scholars who have received a SSHRC fellowship through the SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellowship program. SSHRC postdoctoral fellows can be in residence at IRH for a semester term, the academic year, and/or the summer. Applications for IRH residency can be made at any point in the year but we must receive a completed application for residency at least two months before your desired start date (3 months if a J1 Visa is required). SSHRC postdoctoral fellows and the host institution negotiate their own arrangements tailored to the needs, interests, and capabilities of both parties.

The residency provides office space, limited support services, and access to certain university resources (libraries and databases). SSHRC residents are required to live in Madison, Wisconsin, throughout the academic year to ensure their active participation in the intellectual and social life at IRH. Residents are expected to participate in the intellectual life of IRH by attending the required weekly Monday seminar (3:30 – 5:00 pm), utilizing their campus office Monday – Friday, and giving a seminar presentation at IRH (if schedule allows). SSHRCC residents are also encouraged to join weekly afternoon teas and other IRH events as time and interest permit.

SSHRC postdoctoral fellows interested in a residency at IRH should contact the director for information before submitting an application below. With the director’s approval, they should then submit the form below, along with a copy of their SSHRC fellowship award letter, their CV, and a copy of their project proposal as submitted to SSHRC to both the Director and Associate Director.

Susan Ridgely, IRH Interim Director for 2026–2027 (susan.ridgely@wisc.edu)

The Institute for Research in the Humanities serves as a residency site for American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) fellows who seek a dynamic intellectual community, interdisciplinary dialogue, contact with campus faculty and programs related to their fields and interests, and excellent library resources.

Eligibility is limited to scholars who have received a fellowship from the ACLS through the Charles A. Ryskamp Research Fellowship, the Mellon/ACLS Recent Doctoral Recipients Fellowship, or other ACLS fellowship programs. ACLS fellows can be in residence at IRH for a semester, the academic year, and/or the summer. Applications for IRH residency can be made at any point in the year but we must receive a completed application for residency at least two months before your desired start date (3 months if a J1 Visa is required).

The residency provides office space, limited support services, and access to certain university resources (libraries and databases). ACLS residents are required to live in Madison, Wisconsin, throughout the academic year to ensure their active participation in the intellectual and social life at IRH. Residents are expected to participate in the intellectual life of IRH by attending the required weekly Monday seminar (3:30 – 5:00 pm), utilizing their campus office Monday – Friday, and giving a seminar presentation at IRH (if schedule allows). Residents are also encouraged to join weekly afternoon teas and other IRH events as time and interest permit.

ACLS fellows interested in a residency at IRH should contact the director for information before submitting an application below. With the director’s approval, they should then submit the form below, along with a copy of their ACLS fellowship award letter, their CV, and a copy of their project proposal as submitted to ACLS to both the IRH director and associate director.

Susan Ridgely, IRH Interim Director for 2026–2027 (susan.ridgely@wisc.edu)

The Institute for Research in the Humanities offers one external, non-stipendiary fellowship each year to a faculty member from Madison Area Technical College with sabbatical or research leave. MATC fellows are expected to attend the required weekly Monday seminar, and (schedule permitting) may be invited to present their work at one of the seminars. Fellows are provided with an IRH office (space permitting), limited support services, and access to certain university resources (libraries and databases). Fellows are expected to live in Madison, Wisconsin, throughout the academic year to ensure their active participation in the intellectual and social life at IRH. Fellows participate in the intellectual life of IRH by attending the required weekly Monday seminar (3:30 – 5:00 pm), utilizing their campus office Monday – Friday, and giving a seminar presentation at IRH (if schedule allows). Fellows are also encouraged to join weekly afternoon teas and other IRH events as time and interest permit.

Scholars interested in MATC fellowships at IRH should contact the Director for more information and then submit the application form below, along with their CV, a project proposal, and a recommendation letter.

Susan Ridgely, IRH Interim Director for 2026–2027 (susan.ridgely@wisc.edu)

The Institute for Research in the Humanities provides, by invitation of the director, a limited number of non-stipendiary honorary fellowships to scholars with a completed PhD who have other sources of support and plan to do research at the University of Wisconsin–Madison. The tenure of an honorary fellowship may be anywhere from six weeks to one year. Fellows are provided with an IRH office (space permitting), limited support services, and access to certain university resources (libraries and databases). All IRH fellowships are residential. Honorary fellows are expected to live in Madison, Wisconsin throughout the period of their fellowship to ensure their active participation in the intellectual and social life at IRH. Honorary fellows participate in the intellectual life of IRH by attending the required weekly Monday seminar (3:30 – 5:00 pm), utilizing their campus office Monday – Friday, and giving a seminar presentation at IRH (if schedule allows). Fellows are also encouraged to join weekly afternoon teas and other IRH events as time and interest permit

Scholars interested in honorary fellowships at IRH should contact the Director for more information at least one semester before they would like to serve as a fellow and then submit the application form below along with their CV, a project proposal, and a recommendation letter. The proposal must state how a residency at the University of Wisconsin–Madison is essential for pursuit of the project, and in particular what resources at the university need to be accessed. Application deadlines are as follows: fall semester or academic year fellowships=May 15th deadline; spring semester fellowships=October 1st deadline; summer semester or full calendar year fellowships=March 1st deadline.

Susan Ridgely, IRH Interim Director for 2026–2027 (susan.ridgely@wisc.edu)

Note: We are only able to accept applications for honorary fellowships from scholars who either (a) are U.S. citizens or permanent residents, or (b) already have an active and transferrable J-1 visa in hand.

External fellow awardees may elect to have their award stipends transferred to their home university’s payroll system if the institution is located in the United States. None of this stipend is to be used for indirect costs but is to be used only to continue the fellow’s salary and benefits for the academic year of the award. If the stipend is transferred, the home institution will be responsible for ensuring any institutional payroll taxes or other encumbrances due on the award amount are paid and for continuing the fellow’s fringe benefits for the academic year. If the fellow leaves their 9-month fellowship early, the home institution may be responsible for refunding a corresponding portion of the award to the IRH.