Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities

Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities is sponsored by Wolf Humanities Center, University of Pennsylvania (funded by Mellon Foundation). Offers one-year fellowships for early-career scholars in the humanities and humanistic social sciences. For the 2025–2026 academic year, the theme is “Truth.

Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities | Wolf Humanities Center Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Applications must be submitted via Interfolio.

Fill out the three required forms in Interfolio : 2. Equal Employment Opportunity 3. Where did you hear about this position?

Upload the four required documents in Interfolio: 1. Research Plan (1000 words max, not incl. bibliography/citations) 2.

Course Proposal (2 pp. max, to incl. course objectives, selective list of readings, and a sample assignment) 4.

Writing Sample (~20-25 pp. , not incl. bibliography/citations) Submit requests for 3 confidential letters of recommendation in Interfolio.

For full application details, to acccess the required forms, and to upload your materials, please visit the Interfolio portal. All forms, documents, and letters must be uploaded and submitted in Interfolio by end of day November 1, 2026. Note that Interfolio is overwhelmed by large numbers of uploads and submissions in the last minutes before an application deadline; please plan accordingly.

Image: "The Capture of Tenochtitlán" from the Conquest of Mexico series. Author Unknown. Second half of the seventeenth century.

Oil on canvas. Jay I. Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (096.

00. 00). Andrew W.

Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Humanities The Wolf Humanities Center awards five (5) one-year Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships each academic year to scholars in the humanities who are no more than five years out of their doctorate. Preference will be given to candidates not yet in tenure track positions whose proposals are interdisciplinary and would particularly benefit from and contribute to Penn's intellectual life.

The programs of the Wolf Humanities Center are conceived through yearly topics that invite broad interdisciplinary collaboration. For the 2027–2028 academic year, our topic will be Empire .

During their appointment, Wolf Humanities Center's Postdoctoral Fellows teach one course rostered in one or more of the humanities departments or programs in Penn's College of Arts & Sciences and participate in the Center's weekly Mellon Research Seminar (Tuesdays, 12:00–2:00).

Fellows also collaborate on the planning of a public symposium on the Center's annual topic, participate in professional development workshops, and are appointed a faculty mentor.

Call for Applications, 2027–2028 Application Deadline: Sunday, November 1, 2026 The Wolf Humanities Center's 2027–2028 Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship appointment is twelve months (July 1, 2027—June 30, 2028) and carries a minimum stipend of $67,000, a $3000 research fund, and discounted single-coverage health insurance. Scholars who received or will receive their PhD (or DPhil) between May 2022 and December 2026 are eligible to apply.

Scholars who will graduate in 2027 are not eligible. No exceptions will be made. The PhD (and its international equivalent, such as the DPhil) is the only eligible terminal degree.

The degree must be in the humanities or in allied fields, such as anthropology or history of science. Ineligible categories include an MFA or any other doctorate, such as EdD; social scientists; scholars in educational curriculum building; and performing artists (note: scholars of performance are eligible).

Scholars who received or will receive their PhD from the University of Pennsylvania during our noted window of eligibility are welcome to apply. The fellowship is open to all scholars, national and international, who meet eligibility requirements. International scholars outside of North America are appointed under a J-1 visa (Research Scholar status).

The Wolf Humanities Center reserves the right to revoke the offer if the recipient is unable to meet this condition. Fellows are required to be in residence for the term of the fellowship. Decisions will be announced by email in February 2027.

Applications must be submitted via Interfolio. Fill out the three required forms in Interfolio : 2. Equal Employment Opportunity 3.

Where did you hear about this position? Upload the four required documents in Interfolio: 1. Research Plan (1000 words max, not incl.

bibliography/citations) 2. Course Proposal (2 pp. max, to incl.

course objectives, selective list of readings, and a sample assignment) 4. Writing Sample (~20-25 pp. , not incl.

bibliography/citations) Submit requests for 3 confidential letters of recommendation in Interfolio. For full application details, to acccess the required forms, and to upload your materials, please visit the Interfolio portal. All forms, documents, and letters must be uploaded and submitted in Interfolio by end of day November 1, 2026.

Note that Interfolio is overwhelmed by large numbers of uploads and submissions in the last minutes before an application deadline; please plan accordingly. Image: "The Capture of Tenochtitlán" from the Conquest of Mexico series. Author Unknown.

Second half of the seventeenth century. Oil on canvas. Jay I.

Kislak Collection, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress (096. 00. 00).

Questions? Please email Sara Varney , Associate Director, Wolf Humanities Center. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellows