Center for the Humanities Faculty Research Fellowship

This opportunity is open to Oregon State University faculty actively engaged in humanities research as stipulated by their position description.

Faculty can receive funding from the Opportunity Fund or Center for the Humanities Summer programs and a Fellowship or Residency if the awards support different projects or different stages of the same project. For example:  

• You received a PRAx Collaborative Faculty Fellowship two years ago. You could apply for Opportunity Fund support to host a symposium based on your research or for costs related to publication.  

• You received a Summer Writing Workshop focused on writing a manuscript. You could apply the next year for a Site-based Residency to focus on research for a new project.  

• You received a Center for the Humanities Faculty Research Fellowship to begin preliminary research on a new book project. One or two years later, you could apply for the Summer Writing Workshop to write a chapter of the same project. 

• Engage with a substantial research project involving humanistic methods with intent toward publication. 
• Participate in fellows’ cohort activities during the academic year including quarterly meetings and at least one public presentation.
• Present work in progress to a public audience once during the academic year. Staff will work with fellows to determine the most useful format for presentation (e.g., a talk, workshop, etc.). 
• Within 4 weeks of the end of the academic year, fellows will submit a 1–2-page letter describing what they accomplished during the fellowship and how their experience benefitted the project.
• Fellows are invited to acknowledge Center for the Humanities support in published work connected with the fellowship project. 

Determined in consultation with school directors, each fellow will receive: 

• A one– or two–course reallocation during the academic year following application. 
• Opportunities to discuss work in progress with a supportive community of scholars and with a general public audience.

• November 1, 2025: Application window opens. 

• January 5, 2026: Applications due via Submittable. 

• By March 1, 2026: Applicants notified of status.  

• Academic year 2026-27: Fellows engage in research and writing, attend cohort meetings, and share work in progress. 

All applications are due January 5, 2026, via Submittable. Interested faculty should first consult with their school director on the feasibility of course reallocation during the fellowship year. 

Applications consist of the Submittable form, a project abstract (300 words), a narrative proposal (up to 5 pages double-spaced), and a current CV. 

The narrative proposal should include an overview of the research project that speaks to the review criteria outlined in the section below, as well as a brief timeline of work to be accomplished during the fellowship term. 

Applications will be evaluated by a diverse review committee composed of faculty with experience working in humanities-based disciplines and methodologies. Proposals are evaluated based on need, scholarly merit, clarity of thought and purpose, and potential for making an original and significant contribution to humanistic understanding/creative production. 

Reviewers will consider:

• The significance of the proposed project’s intervention in the specific field and its value to the humanities and/or a broader public.
• The feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed plan of work, including the soundness of expected outcomes, publication format, and potential venues of dissemination.
• The probability that the fellowship will enable the applicant to achieve the expected outcomes.  
• Quality of the conception, definition, organization, and description of the project, as well as the clarity of expression.
• The review committee will prioritize applications that have not received support from PRAx or Center for the Humanities within the past three years. Please see the Eligibility section above for additional information.

Faculty research fellowships are sponsored by the Center for the Humanities working in partnership with schools in the College of Liberal Arts.