Last Updated on July 4, 2022
Radcliffe fellows are exceptional scientists, writers, scholars, public intellectuals, practitioners, and artists whose work is making a difference in their professional fields and in the larger world.
Based in Radcliffe Yard—a sanctuary in the heart of Harvard University—fellows join a uniquely interdisciplinary and creative community. A fellowship at Radcliffe is an opportunity to step away from usual routines and dive deeply into a project. With access to Harvard’s unparalleled resources, Radcliffe fellows develop new tools and methods, challenge artistic and scholarly conventions, and illuminate our past and our present.
Throughout the year, fellows convene regularly to share their work in progress. Coming from diverse disciplines and perspectives, they challenge each other’s ideas and support each other’s ambitions. Many say that it is the best year of their professional lives.
Funding
- Fellows receive a stipend of $78,000 plus an additional $5,000 to cover project expenses. Note that if you are a US citizen or permanent resident coming from a home institution based in the US, you can opt to have your stipend paid through your home institution or to you directly.
- Harvard Radcliffe Fellows may also be eligible to receive relocation, housing, and childcare funds to aid them in making a smooth transition to Radcliffe. Health care support is made available as needed. If fellows would like to hire Harvard undergraduate students as Research Partners, the organisers will cover their hourly wages.
Eligibility
- Applicants in the humanities and social sciences must:
- Have received their doctorate (or appropriate terminal degree) in the area of their proposed project at least two years prior to their appointment as a fellow (December 2021 for the 2023-24 fellowship year).
- Have published a monograph or at least two articles in refereed journals or edited collections.
- Applicants in science, engineering, and mathematics must:
- Have received their doctorate in the area of the proposed project at least two years prior to their appointment as a fellow (December 2021 for the 2023-24 fellowship year).
- Have published at least five articles in refereed journals. Most science, engineering, and math fellows have published dozens of articles.
- Applicants in the creative arts must meet discipline-specific eligibility requirements, as outlined below:
- Film and Video: Applicants in this discipline must have a body of independent work of significant achievement. Such work will typically have been exhibited in galleries or museums, shown in film or video festivals, or broadcast on television.
- Visual Arts: Applicants in this discipline must show strong evidence of achievement, with a record of at least five years of work as a professional artist, including participation in several curated group shows and at least two professional solo exhibitions.
- Fiction and Nonfiction: Applicants in these disciplines must have one of the following:
- one or more published books;
- a contract for the publication of a book-length manuscript; or
- at least three shorter works (longer than newspaper articles) published.
- Poetry: Applicants in this discipline must have had published at least 20 poems in the last five years or published a book of poetry, and must be in the process of completing a manuscript.
- Journalism: Applicants in this discipline are required to have worked professionally as a journalist for at least five years.
- Playwriting: Applicants in this discipline must have a significant body of independent work in the form. This will include, most typically, plays produced or under option.
- Music Composition: It is desirable, but not required, for applicants in music composition to have a PhD or DMA. Most importantly, the applicant must show strong evidence of achievement as a professional artist, with a record of recent performances.
- Individuals who are applying as practitioners must have held senior leadership positions in non-profits, government, or the private sector. Practitioners should have at least ten years of relevant professional experience and be acknowledged as leaders in their fields.
- Former Harvard Radcliffe fellows (1999-present) are ineligible to apply.
Evaluation Criteria
- Applications are evaluated on the quality and significance of the proposed project and the applicant’s intellectual and creative capacity, as evidenced by a strong record of achievement or extraordinary promise.
- They seek diversity along every dimension, including geography, ethnicity and race, stage in career, and ideological perspective.
- As a uniquely multidisciplinary community, they highly value collegiality and openness to cross-disciplinary conversation.
Application
Application Deadlines
- Humanities, Social Sciences, and Creative Arts: September 8, 2022 (11:59 PM EST)
- Science, Engineering, and Mathematics: September 29, 2022 (11:59 PM EST)
An application consists of:
- Application form
- Curriculum vitae
- Project proposal, with bibliography when appropriate
- Writing or work sample
- Three letters of recommendation
All application materials must be submitted online.
For more information, visit Harvard Radcliffe Fellowship.
Deadline: September 29, 2022