Smithsonian Institution 2024 Fellowship Program for Researchers

Eligibility Criteria

Determination of the fellowship category for which to apply should be based on the anticipated academic level at the time the fellowship would begin:

• Senior Fellowships – Applicants must have held a Ph.D. or equivalent for at least 7 years. Applicants who have received the Ph.D. or equivalent before June 1, 2018 are eligible to apply for senior fellowships.*
• Postdoctoral Fellowships – for scholars up to seven years beyond the Ph.D.* 
• Predoctoral Fellowships – for doctoral candidates to conduct dissertation research. Students enrolled in a university as candidates for the Ph.D. or equivalent are eligible for predoctoral fellowships. By the time the appointment begins, the university must approve the undertaking of dissertation research at the Smithsonian Institution and certify that requirements for the doctorate, other than the dissertation, have been met.
• Ten-Week Graduate Student Fellowships – for graduate students to conduct independent research usually before having been advanced to candidacy if in a Ph.D. program. When they apply, students must be formally enrolled in a graduate program of study at a degree-granting institution and must have completed at least one full-time semester or its equivalent. 

* If you have taken a “leave of absence” from research and wish to apply under the postdoctoral fellowship application instead of senior fellowship application which makes you 7 or more years out from receiving your Ph.D., please provide a justification in the additional information section at the end of the application.

Offered Benefits

Application Process