Fellowship and Travel Grant Opportunities

The Othmer Library offers travel grants for periods of up to two weeks for research and scholarly exploration of our primary materials which include rare and modern books, manuscripts, archival collections, oral histories, fine art, artifacts, and instruments. Travel grants are $1,000 per week and are intended to help defray the costs of travel and accommodation. Applicants must currently reside more than 75 miles from Philadelphia to be eligible. Applications and research visits are accepted and approved on a rolling basis.

Please contact travelgrants@sciencehistory.org with any questions.

These two-year positions integrate fellows as members of staff across the Institute, assisting with specific curatorial and interpretive projects (learn more about the focus of the next curatorial fellowship by clicking “Apply Now” below). Curatorial fellows will enjoy multiple career training, portfolio building, networking, and mentorship opportunities in either the library or museum field. Twenty percent of the fellows’ time is reserved for independent research with the aim of producing a publication appropriate for their professional goals. 

These fellowships are intended for individuals with advanced degrees who are seeking professional opportunities outside of academia. Graduate, early career, and career-changing researchers are encouraged to apply. Scholars from any relevant field with a demonstrated interest in the history of science will be considered. Applicants for curatorial fellowships must hold an advanced degree in their field (MA or MS required, but PhD preferred) by July 2024. Applicants to the curatorial fellowship program must be authorized to work in the United States. This is a benefits-eligible staff position with a salary of US$50,000 per year and an annual US$1,000 stipend for travel and professional development. All applicants must submit a cover letter, CV, short writing sample for a non-specialist audience, and contact information for three professional references. 

Our new NEH postdoctoral fellowship is open to researchers who have earned a doctoral degree or who have completed all requirements of the doctoral degree, including the defense, by the application deadline (January 15, 2024). These fellowships are intended to support 12 months of full-time research and writing that will make use of the Institute’s collections. NEH Postdoctoral Fellows will participate in Beckman Center scholarly programs, including the Works in Progress writing group and Fellows’ Talks lecture series. Applicants for the NEH fellowship must be United States citizens or foreign nationals who have lived in the United States for the three years immediately preceding the application deadline. Postdoctoral fellowship stipends are US$60,000, paid in monthly installments, with an annual US$1,000 stipend for travel and professional development and an additional available reimbursement of up to US$2,500 for health insurance. Candidates should apply via the postdoctoral research fellowship application and may opt for their project to be considered within both categories.

Postdoctoral research fellowships are open to researchers who have earned a doctoral degree and graduate students who will have defended their dissertations by the end of July 2024. These fellowships are intended to support 12 months of full-time research and writing in residence that will make use of our collections. Fellows will participate in Beckman Center scholarly programs, including the Works in Progress writing group and Fellows’ Talks lecture series. Applicants may be citizens of any country. Postdoctoral fellowship stipends are US$50,000, paid in monthly installments, with an annual US$1,000 stipend for travel and professional development and an additional available reimbursement of up to US$2,500 for health insurance.

These fellowships are open to graduate students whose PhD dissertation proposals have been accepted by their respective university departments by the application deadline. Dissertation fellowships are intended to support nine months of full-time research and writing that will make use of our collections. Fellows will participate in Beckman Center scholarly programs, including the Works in Progress writing group and Fellows’ Talks lecture series. Applicants may be citizens of any country. The stipend is US$27,500, with an additional available reimbursement of up to US$2,500 for health insurance.

These four-month fellowships are open to established scholars who are able to spend a semester or equivalent period in residence at the Institute. Distinguished Fellows work closely with the Institute’s collections on an independent research project addressing the history of chemical or molecular science, broadly construed. They also participate in Beckman Center scholarly programs and contribute to the fellowship community in a mentorship capacity. For this fellowship, eligibility extends to tenured professors and academics at the rank of senior lecturer or above, established scholars in independent research libraries or museums, and independent scholars with a commensurate record of scholarly achievement. Applicants may be citizens of any country. The stipend is US$20,000, paid in monthly installments. Candidates should apply via the short-term fellowship application and may opt for their project to be considered within both categories.

These fellowships are open to all scholars and researchers, irrespective of career stage or educational credentials, who plan to work closely with the Institute’s collections on an independent research project. Applicants may be citizens of any country. Short-term fellowship stipends are US$3,000 per month, intended to defray the costs of travel, accommodation, and living expenses in Philadelphia.