Now Accepting Applications for the IUPLR/Mellon Fellowship Program for 2018-19

The Inter-University Program for Latino Research is now accepting applications for the IUPLR/Mellon Fellowship Program (academic year 2018-19). The program supports ABD doctoral students in the humanities who are writing dissertations in Latina/o studies. Doctoral students in the social sciences whose research uses humanities methods may also be considered. The fellowship facilitates completion of the dissertation and provides professional development, job market support, and mentoring from Latina/o faculty members. 

With support from the Andrew G. Mellon Foundation, IUPLR will select fellows through six designated research centers. Applicants must be affiliated with the following centers to be eligible:  

  • The Center for Mexican American Studies and the Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at the University of Texas-Austin
  • The Center for Mexican American Studies at the University of Houston
  • The Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA
  • The Dominican Studies Institute at CUNY
  • The Center for Puerto Rican Studies at CUNY
  • The Latin American and Latino Studies Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago

The fellowship includes a $25,000 stipend, participation in an intensive summer institute in Chicago, and professionalization and writing workshops and programs.

Who is eligible?
Applications will only be accepted from PhD candidates at CUNY, UCLA, UH, UIC, and UT-Austin. Applicants will apply through the IUPLR center at their home institution and are required to meet with the director as soon as possible. If you are a student at UCLA, please contact Rebecca Epstein, PhD, at repstein@chicano.ucla.edu

Applicants must have advanced to candidacy (ABD status with defended proposal) and be completing a Latina/o studies dissertation in the humanities or in a humanities-adjacent discipline. Applicants should already have a significant portion of the dissertation drafted and anticipate defending their dissertation by the end of the fellowship year. Finally, applicants should be planning to pursue an academic career in teaching and/or research. 

During the fellowship year, students must be enrolled at their home institution. Fellows will be expected to forego other employment during the year. Selected fellows must be able to attend the IUPLR/Mellon Summer Institute in summer 2019 (dates TBA) in Chicago, participate in fall job market workshops, and take part in a structured writing program.

Application materials 
Submit the following application materials to the online application portal by January 30, 2018.

  • CV
  • Cover Letter that describes your dissertation, progress to completion, and professional goals.
  • One page strategic writing plan that demonstrates ability to finish and defend dissertation during fellowship year.
  • Dissertation Prospectus, including chapter summaries.
  • Completed chapters with compiled in a single PDF. The cover page should be a one page dissertation outline indicating percentages of each chapter completed.

Submit to the Mellon Program Coordinator at jlboles@uic.edu

  • Recommendation letters from the applicant’s dissertation chair and a Latina/o Studies faculty member
  • Email of recognition sent from the Director of the IUPLR center at the applicant’s home institution.

Please see the IUPLR/Mellon website for more information about the program. All queries should be directed to the Mellon coordinator, Dr. Jennifer Boles, jlboles@uic.edu.

For more information, please visit: https://iuplr.uic.edu/iuplr/mellon-fellows-program/call-for-applications. The CSRC is a founding member of the IUPLR.