Grants & Fellowships
The Institute offers several competitively awarded grants and fellowships:
- An annual Mellon Fellowship in medieval studies that allows a junior faculty member to spend a year at Notre Dame working on his or her own research
- An annual Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Byzantine Studies Postdoctoral Research Associate Fellowship
- An annual Abbot Astrik L. Gabriel Postdoctoral Research Associate Fellowship in the History of Universities and Education
- Stipends to consult the Institute’s Ambrosiana microfilm or photographic collection
- Niarchos Byzantine Travel Bursaries
Our lists of current research visitors, past Mellon Fellows, and past Byzantine Fellows note some of the scholars who have enriched the Institute by their presence.
Should the MI not offer a fellowship that meets your interests or needs, we invite you to consider fellowships offered by Notre Dame's Institute for Ethics and the Common Good.
A. W. Mellon Junior Faculty Fellowship in Medieval Studies
The Medieval Institute offers a fellowship for a junior faculty scholar in Medieval Studies, made possible through the generous response of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to a challenge grant awarded to Notre Dame by the National Endowment for the Humanities. This Fellowship is designed for junior faculty who currently hold a position in a United States university as an assistant professor. It is open to qualified applicants in all fields of Medieval Studies. The fellowship holder will pursue research in residence at Notre Dame's famed Medieval Institute during the academic year (this is a nine-month position that begins mid-August).
The intent of this Fellowship is to enable its holders to complete research and writing on a book manuscript in advance of tenure. The Fellowship carries no teaching responsibilities, but holders are expected to participate in the multidisciplinary intellectual life of the Institute and to reside in South Bend. The Fellow will be provided with a private carrel in the Medieval Institute, enjoy full library and computer privileges, and have access to all the Institute’s research tools.
In addition, towards the conclusion of their residency the Fellow’s work will be at the center of a half-day conference. Three senior scholars, chosen in cooperation with the Medieval Institute, will be invited to campus for a half-day public seminar treating the subject matter of the Fellow’s research. The senior scholars will also read and discuss a draft version of the Fellow’s work in an extended private session, a one-to-one conversation following a close reading of the draft, with a view to improving the manuscript before its submission to a press.
Eligibility: Mellon scholars must hold a tenure-track appointment at a U.S. institution, obviously with a completed Ph.D., and should not be more than six years beyond receiving their Ph.D. at the time of the application.
Stipend: $60,000 (paid directly to the Fellow’s home institution)
Application deadline: February 1, for the upcoming academic year. Applications are accepted, and the button below active, from November 1 through February 1.
Application procedure: Upload a letter of application, a project proposal of no more than 2500 words, a current CV, and three letters of recommendation. If you encounter issues with Interfolio, please contact their customer support.
Address questions to Professor CJ Jones, Robert M. Conway Director of the Medieval Institute, at cjones23@nd.edu.
See the list of our past fellows
Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF) Byzantine Studies Postdoctoral Research Associate Fellowship
Following substantial investment in the area of Byzantine Studies at the University of Notre Dame, including the acquisition of the Milton V. Anastos Library of Byzantine Civilization and generous support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, the Mellon Foundation, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame is delighted to invite applicants for a nine-month postdoctoral fellowship in Byzantine Studies. This fellowship is designed for junior scholars with a completed doctorate whose research deals with some aspect of the Byzantine world. The successful applicant will be appointed as a Postdoctoral Research Associate and will be expected to pursue promising research towards scholarly publication and/or the development of new subject areas. This fellowship is open to qualified applicants in all fields and sub-disciplines of Byzantine Studies, such as history (including its auxiliary disciplines), archaeology, art history, literature, theology, and liturgical studies, as well as the study of Byzantium’s interactions with neighboring cultures. The fellowship holder will pursue research in residence at the University of Notre Dame’s famed Medieval Institute during the academic year.
The intent of this fellowship is to enable its holder to do innovative research drawing on the rich resources held in the Milton V. Anastos Collection, the Medieval Institute, and the Hesburgh Library more broadly. This may include the completion of book manuscripts and articles, work on text editions, or the development of new trajectories of research in one of the aforementioned fields. The fellowship carries no teaching responsibilities, but the Postdoctoral Research Associate will have the opportunity to participate in the multidisciplinary activities of Notre Dame faculty related to Byzantium, Eastern Christianity, and the history of the Levant. The Postdoctoral Research Associate will be provided with a private workspace in the Medieval Institute, enjoy full library privileges, and have access to all the Institute’s research tools.
In addition, towards the conclusion of the fellowship period the Postdoctoral Research Associate's work will be at the center of a workshop organized within the framework of the Byzantine Studies Seminar. Senior scholars, chosen in cooperation with the Medieval Institute, will be invited for this event treating the Postdoctoral Research Associate's subject matter. The senior scholars will discuss draft versions of the Postdoctoral Research Associate's book manuscript or articles or discuss the further development of ongoing research projects.
Eligibility: Byzantine Studies fellows must hold a Ph.D. from an internationally recognized institution. The Ph.D. must be in hand by the beginning of the fellowship term. The Ph.D. cannot have been awarded more than five years before the start date of the fellowship appointment (from the date of the conferral of the degree).
Stipend: the corresponding NIH postdoctoral rate (following the policy established by the University of Notre Dame), plus benefits. At the time of posting, that stipend rate is $47,610 for the 9-month term of this fellowship.
Application deadline: February 1, for the upcoming academic year. Applications are accepted, and the button below active, from November 1 through February 1.
Application procedure: Upload a letter of application, a project proposal of no more than 2500 words, a current CV, and three letters of recommendation. If you encounter issues with Interfolio, please contact their customer support.
Address questions to Professor Alexis Torrance, Chair of the Byzantine Studies Committee, at atorran1@nd.edu, or Professor Alex Beihammer at abeihamm@nd.edu.
See the list of our past fellows
The Abbot Astrik L. Gabriel Postdoctoral Research Associate Fellowship in the History of Universities and Education
The Medieval Institute at the University of Notre Dame is pleased to invite applicants for a nine-month fellowship as the Abbot Astrik L. Gabriel Postdoctoral Research Associate in the History of Universities and Education. The fellowship is made possible by the generous bequest of Abbot Astrik L. Gabriel, O. Praem., who served as Director of the Medieval Institute from 1952 until his retirement in 1975 and left a strong legacy for Medieval Studies and the libraries’ collections. This fellowship supports junior scholars with a completed doctorate whose research focuses on the history of medieval education, especially universities, and who make use of the Astrik L. Gabriel History of Universities Collection housed in the University of Notre Dame’s Hesburgh Libraries. In addition to scholarly books and journals, this collection contains Abbot Gabriel's own notes on medieval colleges (especially those in Paris), his prosopographical file of data on students of Hungarian origin and on students attending Hungarian universities, and microfilms of about two thousand medieval manuscripts with cartularies, statutes, matriculation lists, expense accounts, and other documents directly related to the study of medieval universities. For more information about the Universities Collection and associated resources, please consult the website or you may contact Dr. Julia Schneider (jschneid@nd.edu).
Drawing on the rich resources of the Universities Collection, the Medieval Institute, and the Hesburgh Libraries, the Postdoctoral Research Associate (the ‘fellow’) is expected to pursue promising research towards scholarly publication. This may include the completion of book manuscripts and articles, work on text editions, or the development of new trajectories of research in the history of education. The fellowship carries no teaching responsibilities, but the fellow is expected to present ongoing or completed research at least once to the Medieval Institute’s community in one of its multidisciplinary fora or events series. The fellow will be provided with a workspace in the Medieval Institute, enjoy full library and computer privileges, and have access to all the Institute’s research tools. The fellow is expected to be in residence at the University of Notre Dame during the full nine months of the fellowship period, which begins in mid-August.
This fellowship is open to qualified applicants in all fields and sub-disciplines of Medieval Studies, such as (but not limited to) history, philosophy, theology, philology, literature, art history, musicology, or liturgical studies.
Eligibility: The Postdoctoral Research Associate must hold a Ph.D. from an internationally recognized institution by the beginning of the fellowship term. The Ph.D. cannot have been awarded more than five years before the start date of the fellowship appointment (from the date of the conferral of the degree).
Stipend: The Postdoctoral Research Associate will receive the corresponding NIH postdoctoral stipend rate (following the policy established by the University of Notre Dame), plus benefits. At the time of posting, that stipend rate is $47,610 for the 9-month term of this fellowship.
Application deadline: February 1, for the upcoming academic year. Applications are accepted, and the button below active, from November 1 through February 1.
Application procedure: Application materials are only accepted in English. Upload a two-page letter of application that contains a brief summary of your project and explains how your previous research and experience has prepared you to undertake it, a project proposal of no more than 2500 words that explains the project’s relevance to the history of education and your intended use of the Universities Collection, a current CV, and three letters of recommendation. If you encounter issues with Interfolio, please contact their customer support.
Address application questions to Professor CJ Jones, Robert M. Conway Director of the Medieval Institute, at cjones23@nd.edu. Address questions about the Universities Collection to Dr. Julia Schneider, Medieval Studies Librarian, at jschneid@nd.edu.
Stipends for Ambrosiana Microfilms Collection Research
The Medieval Institute offers three modest stipends each year in the amount of $750 to scholars who wish to visit Notre Dame and consult its extensive collection of microfilms and other materials that reproduce the holdings of the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan. All grants are made at the discretion of the director of the Medieval Institute and awarded on the basis of the research project description and how consultation of the Ambrosiana Archive will advance the work of the applicant. Stipends may be used to help defray the cost of travel, accommodations, microfilm reproduction, photoduplication, or other expenses associated with research at the Institute.
Eligibility: Advanced graduate students as well as postdoctoral and established scholars are eligible. Scholars may reapply for stipends each year but successful applicants will be awarded a maximum of one stipend per year.
Stipend: $750
Application deadline: Applications are due May 1 for visits during the coming academic year (August 16–May 15) and February 1 for visits in the coming summer (May 16–August 15).
Application procedure:
- Upload a current c.v. as well as a letter of application explaining both the nature of your research project and how use of the Ambrosiana Collection will advance your work. Applicants are asked to review our visitor's page.
- Receive a decision regarding your application.
- If accepted, submit the proposed dates of your visit (via our Submittable form) at least four weeks in advance of your visit.
- Receive a confirmation from us for those dates before traveling here.
Address questions to Dr. Julia Schneider, Medieval Studies Librarian, at jschneid@nd.edu.
Niarchos Byzantine Travel Bursaries
The Medieval Institute is pleased to offer a limited number of Niarchos Byzantine Travel Bursaries to faculty and graduate students at the University of Notre Dame on a rolling basis. Funded through the generosity of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, these bursaries are intended to support Notre Dame faculty and student travel connected to research in the field of Byzantine Studies broadly conceived. Examples of successful proposals would include, but are not limited to, giving a Byzantine-related paper at a national or international conference; examining a Byzantine manuscript at a foreign research library; and participating in relevant research training at another institution that is otherwise unavailable at Notre Dame. Proposals should include a brief description of the purpose of travel, including its relevance to Byzantine Studies (especially where this may not be immediately evident), as well as a simple travel budget. Awards will not normally exceed $2000. Each application will be considered by a small committee of Medieval Institute faculty fellows on a rolling basis. Every attempt should be made to request funding well in advance of the intended travel dates, preferably at least three months before travel.
Eligibility: Faculty and graduate students at the University of Notre Dame.
Stipend: Up to $2,000
Application deadline: At least three months before travel.
Application procedure:
- Proposal that includes a brief description of the purpose of travel, including its relevance to Byzantine Studies (especially where this may not be immediately evident).
- A simple travel budget.
- Submit these materials to the Submittable portal (click the button below).
Address questions to Professor Alexis Torrance, Chair of the Byzantine Studies Committee, at atorran1@nd.edu.