Applications are currently being accepted for the Columbia Global Emerging Scholars Fellowship Program 2026. Interested applicants are encouraged to click here to learn more about this opportunity and apply for it.
About Columbia Global Emerging Scholars Fellowship Program
Columbia Global established the Columbia Global Emerging Scholars Fellowship Program in 2024, thanks to the generosity of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Through the program, year-long fellowships are awarded to support emerging displaced scholars working in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. The goal is to create opportunities for scholars to reintegrate into academia and resume their academic pursuits.
Benefits of Columbia Global Emerging Scholars Fellowship Program
Fellows will receive a stipend calibrated to the market of the particular Global Center. The gross amount, before local taxes and insurance deductions, is:
- $30,000/year for Amman and Santiago
- $25,000/year for Nairobi
Note:
- Airfare to and from the city where the Global Center is located will be covered as part of the program.
- Fellows are responsible for their housing, local transportation, and other living expenses incurred during the fellowship.
- A supplemental family stipend of $5,000 may be offered, on a discretionary basis, for candidates with children.
- Fellows are expected to be free of their regular commitments (including employment and other posts) so that they may devote themselves to the work outlined in their proposal.
- Fellows are allowed 15 business days of paid annual leave during the 12-month fellowship.
- Fellows must have health insurance coverage for the duration of the fellowship; they may opt into and pay for health insurance locally, with guidance from the relevant Columbia Global Center.
Each fellow will be based at the Columbia Global Center in Amman, Nairobi, or Santiago and will be provided with:
- Office space with internet connectivity
- Access to meeting rooms and conference facilities
- A laptop to use for the duration of the fellowship
- Access to a printer and IT technical assistance (as needed)
- Access to Columbia University’s online library resources, as well as online courses on specialized research skills
- Support from a Columbia University faculty mentor member who will guide them throughout the fellowship year
- Travel and visa assistance (where possible)
Columbia Global Emerging Scholars Fellowship Program Requirements
This Columbia Global Emerging Scholars Fellowship Program is intended for displaced scholars. To be considered for the program, applicants:
- Must have a Ph.D. in the humanities; i.e., any discipline that studies the human experience, such as literature, linguistics, philosophy, archaeology, cultural heritage and historical preservation, museum studies, religious studies, musicology, history, and criticism and theory of the arts. Social sciences that have humanistic content and employ humanistic methods—such as anthropology, sociology, gender, and ethnic studies—will also be considered.
○ Note: In some cases, we will support candidates who have a non-terminal M.A. and/or were on track to get a Ph.D. in the humanities when their education was disrupted.
- Must have received their highest academic degree within the last 12 years. Exceptions to this timeline will be considered to accommodate career-specific trajectories or other circumstances.
- Must already be based in the region of the Global Center to which they intend to apply. In other words, if applying to the Global Center in:
○ Amman, must currently reside or have resided in the Middle East or North Africa ○ Nairobi, must currently reside in Sub-Saharan Africa and possess either a passport or Conventional Travel Document
○ Santiago, must currently reside in Latin America or the Caribbean
- Must demonstrate at least an intermediate level of English language proficiency.
- Researchers working on interdisciplinary research projects are welcome to apply.
Application Date and Process
- A curriculum vitae that includes academic credentials and professional experience
- A personal statement (500 words maximum) that describes the applicant’s motivation for applying to this program, intellectual trajectory and career goals, and the reason for and impact of displacement on the applicant’s career
- A proposal (600 words maximum) describing the applicant’s field of interest; a detailed plan that describes the academic work (by month or quarter) that will be undertaken during the 12-month fellowship; and the broader potential significance of the applicant’s work
- One writing sample/publication
- Letter of recommendation from an academic colleague who is familiar with the applicant’s previous work o Please note that this letter must be submitted by the recommender via the Submittable platform.
- Copies of academic transcripts
Application Deadline
19 March, 2026
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