skip to main content

Postdoctoral Fellowship Application Instructions

Application Materials for 2008-2011 Postdoctoral Fellowships
Application Deadline: postmark October 1, 2007

The following are application materials for the postdoctoral fellowships offered by the Michigan Society of Fellows, with support from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. These fellowships are meant to provide financial and intellectual support for outstanding scholars at the beginning of their professional careers. Candidates must have received the Ph.D. or comparable professional or artistic final degree between June 1, 2005, and September 1, 2008.

If you are interested in applying for a fellowship after reading the Terms of Appointment, please complete the application materials as early as possible and mail to the address given above. Applications must be postmarked by October 1, 2007. There are no exceptions or extensions to this deadline. Please note that an application fee of $30.00 is required. Owing to the uncertainties of international mail, oversees applicants should try to post their applications by September 24.

The Society's evaluation of your application will be based on the quality of your proposed research or artistic plan, on your representative work samples, and on your letters of recommendation. We are especially interested in candidates who have an interest in and capacity for interdisciplinary work of a high quality.

The final selection of seven fellows will be made in late-January 2008; all candidates will be informed subsequently about the selection decisions. If you accept another position before our decision has been made, we would be most grateful to be notified of this change in your circumstances.

Please call the Society of Fellows office or send email to if you have questions.

Sincerely yours,

Donald S. Lopez, Jr.
Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies
Department of Asian Languages and Cultures
Chair, Society of Fellows

Terms of Appointment

Requirement: The Ph.D. or comparable professional or artistic degree must have been received between June 1, 2005 and September 1, 2008.

Stipend and prerequisites: The annual stipend for Fellows will be $50,000. The annual appointment period is an academic calendar year, September l - May 3l. You will be eligible for participation in the University health and life insurance options and, after one year, programs for dental insurance.

Each Fellow will have a three-year appointment as Assistant Professor in an affiliated department of the University and a three-year appointment as Postdoctoral Scholar in the Society of Fellows. The department will provide one-third of the total stipend, the Society the remaining two-thirds. Each Fellow is expected to teach the equivalent of one academic year, i.e., a total of two terms during the fellowship tenure. This appointment is not tenure-track and is equivalent to one year of service. Any subsequent appointment of a Fellow to a position at the University of Michigan would be subject to the rules governing new appointments.

Non-US citizens may apply. If you are awarded the fellowship and are not a United States citizen, the University of Michigan International Center will work with you to obtain a visa to permit employment at the University of Michigan for the three-year fellowship. Owing to the uncertainties of international mail, overseas applicants should try to post their applications by Sept 24.

Applications from degree candidates and recipients of the Ph.D. from the University of Michigan will not be considered.

Miscellaneous conditions: Residence. Fellows are expected to be in residence in Ann Arbor for the academic years of appointment (September - May) and to participate in the activities of the Society of Fellows. Off-campus research leave during academic terms will be permitted only in rare cases, only for brief periods of time, and only upon written application to the Chair of the Society well in advance of the proposed leave. Any leave granted will count as part of the fellowship tenure.

Publications. Fellows are asked to cite their affiliation with the Society of Fellows in any publications that result from work done during their tenure and to provide the Society with copies of such published work.

Report on scholarship. At the end of each fellowship year, Fellows are asked to submit a written report on their activities and accomplishments during the year.

Activities. The Society of Fellows is an interdisciplinary intellectual community in which the postdoctoral Fellows are joined by Senior Fellows to share their work in progress. Fellows are expected to participate in monthly colloquia, attend dinners of the Society, and to engage in conversation with other members about their intellectual concerns. They participate in the annual evaluation of new applicants for the Fellowship, serve as evaluators for the Distinguished Dissertations Awards sponsored by the Rackham Graduate School, and act as mentors for graduate students completing their dissertations.

Research assistance: The departments of appointment have primary responsibility for providing office and laboratory or studio space for Fellows, as well as access to other research needs or equipment. The Society will help to assure the cooperation of departments in providing the requisite milieu for the scholarly and creative work of each Fellow. Each Fellow may draw on the Society's funds for research or travel on approval from the Chair and with proper receipts, up to a total of $1500 per year. Fellows are encouraged to seek support from external agencies if it appears that their scholarly and creative work will be enhanced by such grants.

Application Materials

Candidates must arrange to have their application materials postmarked no later than October 1, 2007. If you choose to hand deliver your materials, please contact the office first for the drop-off location. The following materials should be mailed to the Society of Fellows office at the address above. Please collate in order as follows:

  1. Application Form. For the DEPARTMENT(S) entry, please designate the academic department(s) you would expect to be affiliated with at the University of Michigan. This is usually the department of your Ph.D. and department(s) in which you are qualified to teach. Candidates who request review of their applications by more than one department are asked to submit collated second copies of the cover form, the CV, the one-page description, the research proposal, and the work samples. Work samples of slides, compositions, tapes, videos, or published books do not need to be submitted in duplicate.
  2. Application Fee. The $30 fee may be paid by check, credit card, or wire transfer. All checks must include a routing number, must be made payable in US dollars to The University of Michigan, and must be drawn on a US bank. Foreign checks will not be accepted.
  3. Curriculum Vitae. Please include the following information: name and location of colleges, graduate and professional schools attended, as well as dates of attendance and degrees earned; relevant business or professional experience; academic honors; languages read, spoken, and written.
  4. Personal Statement. A short (no more than one page, single spaced) description of your background, teaching interests, and a brief summary of your proposed research. If you are currently a doctoral candidate, please indicate the anticipated schedule of completion of your thesis. The Ph.D. or comparable professional or artistic degree is a requisite for appointment to the University.
  5. Research Proposal. This proposal should outline the methods and aims of research beyond your thesis or other work on the subject. Please keep in mind that your project proposal will be read by non-specialists, as well as by specialists in your field. Proposals that involve more than one discipline are especially welcome. Most previous proposals have been from 1-6 pages in length.
  6. Work Samples. Include the completed work sample form and selected work samples such as offprints, tape recordings, or collection of slides. Because reviewers have limited time for reading each application, candidates must limit the number of work samples (two or three) and length of papers. Please send 2-sided copies of work samples that are longer than 10 pages. Do not send a copy of your dissertation, but you may send the introduction or short chapter within the length limits.
  7. Recommendation Receipt List.
  8. Letters of Recommendation. FOUR letters of recommendation are required from members of the academy who are able to describe from personal knowledge your qualifications for teaching undergraduates and conducting postdoctoral research. These letters must be received by the applicant and forwarded to the Society together with the other application materials. All letters of recommendation must be in sealed envelopes, signed by the recommender across the seal, and included with the application. Dossiers from a career placement office are accepted.

If you wish acknowledgement of receipt of application materials, please send a stamped, self-addressed post card.

If you wish to have your work samples returned in February, please include a self-addressed envelope.

Postdoctoral Fellowship Application Forms

Application Materials for 2008-2011 Postdoctoral Fellowships

Application Deadline: postmark October 1, 2007

Application Forms in Downloadable Formats

Microsoft Word

Adobe Acrobat PDF

Note: To open the above file requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. To download this free software go to the Adobe Web Site.