Postdoctoral Fellowships
Applications for 2024–25 long-term postdoctoral fellowships have closed.
Each year the Library Company awards long-term postdoctoral fellowships that support advanced research in residence in the collections of the Library Company and our Fellowships Program partner, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania. Scholars at any stage of their career are welcome to apply.
Opportunities are described below; the application portal is available here.
National Endowment for the Humanities Postdoctoral Fellowships
National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Postdoctoral Fellowships support advanced humanities research in residence at the Library Company on any subject relevant to its collections, which encompass rare printed, graphic, and manuscript material, art, and artifacts relating to the history of the United States and the Atlantic world from the 17th through the 19th centuries. Applicants may also make clear how the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, our Fellowships Program partner, will support their research.
NEH Postdoctoral Fellowships may be awarded for a period of four to nine months. The stipend is $5,000 per month. Doctoral candidates must have completed all degree requirements, except for the actual conferral of the degree, by the application deadline. Scholars at any stage of their career are welcome to apply. Applicants must be United States citizens or foreign nationals who have lived in the United States for the three years immediately preceding the application deadline.
Program in African American History (PAAH) Mellon Scholars Postdoctoral Research Fellowships
The Mellon Scholars Research Fellowship Program promotes research in the Library Company’s collections to enhance the production of scholarly work in African American history (broadly defined) of the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Applicants may also make clear how the collections of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, our Fellowships Program partner, will support their research.
The stipend is $50,000 for the academic year (September 1 through May 31). Fellows must reside in the Philadelphia area for the duration of their fellowship. Scholars at any stage of their career are welcome to apply. Applicants must hold a PhD by September 1 of the year of residency. While applicants may be citizens of any country, the Library Company is not able to provide visa sponsorship.
Program in Early American Economy and Society (PEAES) Postdoctoral Fellowships
Program in Early American Economy and Society (PEAES) Postdoctoral Fellowships support research in the collections of the Library Company, the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, and other nearby institutions into the origins and development of the early American economy, broadly conceived, to roughly 1850. The fellowships provide scholars the opportunity to investigate such topics as history of commerce, finance, technology, manufacturing, agriculture, internal improvements, and economic policy making.
The stipend is $50,000 for the academic year (September 1 to May 31) or $25,000 for the fall or spring semester. Fellows must reside in the Philadelphia area for the duration of their fellowship. Scholars at any stage of their career are welcome to apply. Applicants must hold a PhD by September 1 of the year of residency. While applicants may be citizens of any country, the Library Company is not able to provide visa sponsorship.
Applications
Applicants may submit a single application to be considered for all long-term postdoctoral fellowships for which their projects are eligible.
For full application instructions, visit this page.
For more information
For assistance in determining how the Library Company’s collections might support a particular project, contact Librarian Emily Guthrie (eguthrie@librarycompany.org).
For general information about fellowships and application procedures, contact Fellowships Manager Christine Nelson (fellowships@librarycompany.org).
For more information about the PEAES award, contact PEAES Program Director Dr. Cathy Matson (cmatson@udel.edu).
For more information about the PAAH award, contact PAAH Assistant Program Director Jasmine Smith (jsmith@librarycompany.org).