Summer Faculty Fellowships

Applications for the 2026 Summer Faculty Fellowship are now open and due Monday, February 2, 2026 at 11:59pm.

The Institute for the Humanities' Summer Fellowship program supports an intellectual community of tenured/tenure-track, lecturer II/III/IV, archivists, curators, and librarian faculty to spend five to six weeks (May 29 - June 29, 2026) in residence in the Institute. Summer fellows will pursue their research and participate in cross-disciplinary seminars facilitated by the Institute's director. We seek applicants working in humanities research areas who demonstrate capacity to contribute to and gain from interdisciplinary exchange through the summer fellows' seminar.

Fellows will receive $8,000 in additional pay or research funds; each fellow will have the use of a private office at the institute and access to the resources of the Institute.

Eligibility

1. Applicants must hold a full-time faculty position on the Ann Arbor campus. Faculty positions are defined as tenured/tenure-track (TT), lecturer II/III/IV positions with a 75% or more averaged appointment during the regular (September – April/May) academic year, assistant/associate/research scientist, or curator, archivist, and librarian titles. Full time for Lecturer II/III/IV faculty is defined in accordance with MOU #3 of the LEO-UM contract which states "Employees whose appointment effort during the fall and winter semesters averages at least 75% in both the fall and winter semesters." Full time for Curators, Archivists, and Librarians is defined in accordance with benefits eligibility per the LEO-GLAM contract Article XIV.A.1 which states "Employees with a minimum 50% appointment..."
2. Incoming, newly-hired faculty are not eligible to apply.
3. Faculty who have already held an Institute for the Humanities Faculty Fellowship are eligible to apply six years after the end of their earlier award.
4. Faculty who will be an Institute for the Humanities Faculty Fellow in the current or following academic year are not eligible to apply.
5. In any given application cycle, faculty may not apply for both the summer fellowship and the year-long fellowship.
6. TT faculty and lecturers may not hold a teaching appointment during spring term of the fellowship if awarded an Institute for the Humanities Summer Fellowship.
7. Prospective TT/lecturer applicants must consult with their chairs or deans about unit policies and expectations regarding leaves and fellowships before applying.
8. Curators, Archivists, and Librarians must be approved for release time from their employing unit/supervisor to attend and participate in the fellows' seminar and related activities before applying.
9. Applicants must notify the head(s) of the unit(s) in which they hold funded appointments of their intention to apply for an Institute for the Humanities Summer Fellowship.
10. Summer Fellows become eligible to apply for an Institute for the Humanities Faculty Fellowship one year after the end of their award (for example, 2026 Summer Fellows are eligible to apply for an IH Faculty Fellowship for the 2027-28 academic year).
    

Selection Criteria

The selection committee looks for applicants and projects that will benefit from and contribute to the interdisciplinary nature of the group of fellows and the work of the fellows' seminar. It seeks to achieve variety and balance in the disciplines represented by the fellows. 

Projects are judged based on (A) promise and significance of the proposed research project; (B) the humanities and arts content of the project; (C) the quality, significance, and breadth of the applicant’s prior work.

Expectations

1. Fellows must be in residence, in person, with the Institute for the Humanities for the complete duration of the summer fellowship timeframe.
2. Fellows must attend and participate in all of the scheduled two-hour fellows’ seminars. Failure to attend all of the seminars may result in a reduction in compensation. 
3. Fellows are required to present their work during at least one fellows’ seminar.
   

Application Process

Required Elements of the Application 

1. Institute for the Humanities Faculty Fellowship Application Cover Sheet (within Interfolio application)
2. Curriculum vitae (long or short form is acceptable)
3. Project description (no more than 1000 words)
4. Personal statement describing career trajectory and how the Institute for the Humanities fellowship will support the proposed research (no more than 250 words)
5. Writing sample (such as articles or chapters of books no more than 6000 words, excluding footnotes and bibliography) or scholarly work sample (creative work such as audio/visual aids or portfolio placed on a website with the URL provided as a file)
6.  Acknowledgement/Application Form signed by the head(s) of the unit(s) in which you hold funded appointments (upload with other application materials)
7. Please note that recommendation letters are no longer required

The selection committee will consider only those applications that are complete and that adhere to the specified word and page limits. 

The application deadline is February 2, 2026 at 11:59pm.

Applicants will be notified in March 2026.