Greetings,

Please share the fellowship opportunities below with all PhD students in relevant humanities and social sciences fields. The Newcombe fellowship may also be of interest more broadly. Students may be in STEM fields, as long as questions of morals, values, ethics, or religion are central to their work.

Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship

Supports doctoral candidates working in areas of religion, ethics, values or morals and in their final year of writing.

Application Deadline: November 1, 2025

Eligibility:

• Must have completed all pre-dissertation requirements by the application deadline, including approval of the dissertation proposal.
• Must be in the writing stage of the dissertation. Usually, this means that fieldwork or other research is complete and writing has begun by the time of the award.
• Expect to complete the dissertation between April 1 and August 31, the year of the tenure of the award.
• Have never held a similar national award for the final year of dissertation writing.

Benefits:

• $31,000 for 12 months of full-time dissertation writing

*This fellowship does not provide a contribution to tuition and fees. Although subject to change, current OGSPS policy requires that either the fellowship, student’s department, or student’s advisor must contribute at least $10,000 towards institutional allowance (medical insurance, fees, tuition) for a student to be eligible for a Graduate Tuition Scholarship. Students should discuss funding feasibility with their advisors before deciding to apply. Contact trainee-funding@purdue.edu with any questions.

For More Information:

• See the attached flyer
• https://newcombefoundation.org/fellowships/
• Newcombe is hosting two virtual information sessions for potential applicants:
• Monday, September 22, 2025 at 11 AM EST; https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86541120257
• Monday, October 6, 2025 at 4 PM EST; https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83041933203
• Contact trainee-funding@purdue.edu at least three weeks before the application deadline to receive feedback on your application materials from a fellowship writing coach

Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship

Supports early-stage doctoral students pursuing innovative approaches to dissertation research in the humanities and interpretative social sciences.

Application Deadline: October 29, 2025

Eligibility:

• PhD students in a humanities or social science department
• Completed at least two years and all required coursework in PhD program by the start of the fellowship term (starting Summer or Fall 2026)
• Not advanced to PhD candidacy/ABD status prior to January 1, 2025
• Not previously applied for this fellowship more than once
• May not accept teaching or research assistantships, other major fellowships, internships, or similar internal or external awards during fellowship tenure

Benefits:

• $42,000 base stipend for one year
• Up to $8,000 for project-related research, training, development, and travel costs
• $2,000 stipend for external mentorship

*This fellowship does not provide a contribution to tuition and fees. Although subject to change, current OGSPS policy requires that either the fellowship, student’s department, or student’s advisor must contribute at least $10,000 towards institutional allowance (medical insurance, fees, tuition) for a student to be eligible for a Graduate Tuition Scholarship. Students should discuss funding feasibility with their advisors before deciding to apply. Contact trainee-funding@purdue.edu with any questions.

For More Information:

• https://www.acls.org/programs/mellon-acls-dissertation-innovation-fellowships/
• Watch the 2025 informational webinar: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZa1_Da_Z8o
• Contact trainee-funding@purdue.edu at least three weeks before the application deadline to receive feedback on your application materials from a fellowship writing coach

Thank you,

Lauren

Lauren Trondsen, PhD

Director of Fellowships

Office of the Vice Provost for Graduate Students and Postdoctoral Scholars

ltrondsen@purdue.edu