Internal Graduate Fellowships

Call for Applicants
IUPLR-Mellon Fellowships

The Inter-University Program for Latino Research is now accepting applications for the IUPLR/Mellon Fellowship Program (academic year 2019–20). The program supports ABD doctoral students in the humanities who are writing dissertations in Latina/o studies. Doctoral students in the social sciences whose research uses humanities methods may also be considered. The fellowship facilitates completion of the dissertation and provides professional development, job market support, and mentoring for students who will graduate in Spring 2020.

With support from the Andrew G. Mellon Foundation, IUPLR will select fellows through five designated research centers:

• The Center for Mexican American Studies and Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at the University of Texas at Austin
• The Chicano Studies Research Center at UCLA
• The CUNY Dominican Studies Institute
• Centro de Estudios Puertorriqueños at CUNY
• The Latin American and Latino Studies Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago

The fellowship includes a $25,000 stipend and travel support to attend IUPLR conferences and a required two-week summer institute in Chicago. Matriculation fees and health insurance will be paid by the home institution, provided that the fellow is in residence. 

Who is eligible?

Applications will only be accepted from Ph.D. candidates enrolled at UT Austin, UCLA, CUNY, and UIC. Applicants will be considered by the IUPLR affiliated unit at their home institution (see list above).

Applicants must have advanced to candidacy (ABD status) and be completing a Latina/o Studies dissertation in the humanities or in a humanities-adjacent discipline. Applications will not be accepted from candidates who have not yet defended their dissertation proposal. As this is a dissertation completion fellowship, all applicants should already have a significant portion of the dissertation drafted. Finally, applicants should be planning to pursue a career in teaching or research.

During the fellowship year, students must be enrolled at their home institution. Fellows will be expected to forego other employment during the year.

Application Materials

1. Curriculum Vitae;
2. Dissertation Prospectus, including chapter outlines;
3. Completed chapters (if available);
4. Writing plan that demonstrates ability to defend dissertation during fellowship year; and
5. Recommendation letters from the dissertation chair and a Latina/o Studies faculty member. The letter from the dissertation chair should confirm that the applicant has defended the proposal and will be able to graduate by Spring 2020. Letters must be sent directly to the contact person below by the recommenders, not the applicant.

Deadlines, Important Dates and Submission

• Application materials must arrive by Friday, November 30, 2018.
• Fellows will attend the IUPLR/Mellon Summer Institute in Chicago, June 2019 (mandatory).
• Fellowship stipends will begin June 15, 2019.
• Send all queries and application materials by Friday, November 30, 2018 to Natasha Saldaña (nvs@austin.utexas.edu). Late applications will not be considered.

Please direct UT Austin IUPLR-Mellon Fellowship inquires to:

Dr. Julie A. Minich, Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at The University of Texas at Austin
minichja@utexas.edu 

Natasha Saldaña, Senior Academic Coordinator, Department of Mexican American and Latina/o Studies at The University of Texas at Austin
nvs@austin.utexas.edu