Apply to our 2021-2022 cohort of Digital Humanities Fellows!

The application deadline for fellowships to be held during the 2021-2022 academic year is Monday, February 15th, 2021. More details on how to apply at the end of this page.

If you’re interested in learning more about the fellowship or have questions about anything you read below, please consider attending the information session for the 2021-2022 cohort - January 19th, 2021 from 2:00-3:00 on Zoom. Please register to attend. You are, of course, welcome to write to Brandon Walsh separately and/or sooner for an individual meeting to discuss your application so that you can get working.

The Digital Humanities Fellowship supports advanced doctoral students doing innovative work in the digital humanities at the University of Virginia. The Scholars’ Lab offers Grad Fellows advice and assistance with the creation and analysis of digital content, as well as consultation on intellectual property issues and best practices in digital scholarship and DH software development. The highly competitive Graduate Fellowship in Digital Humanities is designed to advance the humanities and provide emerging digital scholars with an opportunity for growth.

Fellows join our vibrant community, have a voice in intellectual programming for the Scholars’ Lab, make use of our dedicated grad office, and participate in one formal colloquium at the Library per fellowship year. As such, students are expected to be in residence on Grounds for the duration of the fellowship.

The award provides living support in the amount of $20,000 for the academic year, as well as full remission of tuition and University fees and the student health insurance premium for single-person coverage. Living support includes wages for a half-time graduate teaching assistantship in each semester. A graduate instructorship, particularly one with a digital humanities inflection, may be substituted for the GTA appointment based on availability within the fellow’s department. Applicants interested in such an option should indicate as such in their application and discuss the possibility in advance with Brandon Walsh. The call for applicants is issued annually in the fall.

History

Since its beginnings in 2007, the Graduate Fellowship in Digital Humanities has supported a number of students. Past fellowship winners can be found on our People page. In the past, the program itself has been supported by a challenge grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. The fellowship is currently sustained by the Jeffrey C. Walker Library Fund for Technology in the Humanities, and the Matthew & Nancy Walker Library Fund.

Eligibility, Conditions, and Requirements

• Applicants must be ABD, having completed all course requirements and been admitted to candidacy for the doctorate in the humanities, social sciences or the arts at the University of Virginia.
• The fellowship is provided to students who have exhausted the financial support offered to them upon admission. As such, GSAS students will typically apply during their fifth year of study or beyond for a sixth year of support.¹ The funding packages for Architecture School students operate on a different funding cycle. As such, Architecture PhD students should confirm their eligibility with both Brandon Walsh and their program director prior to applying.
• Applicants are expected to have digital humanities experience, though this background could take a variety of forms. Experience can include formal fellowships like the Praxis Program, but it could also include work on a collaborative digital project, comfort with programing and code management, public scholarship, or critical engagement with digital tools.
• Applicants must be enrolled full time in the year for which they are applying.
• A faculty advisor must review and approve the scholarly content of the proposal.

How to Apply

A complete application package will include the following materials:

• a cover letter (roughly 2 pages single-spaced), addressed to the selection committee, containing:
  • a summary of the applicant’s plan for use of digital technologies in his or her dissertation research;
  • a summary of the applicant’s experience with digital projects;
  • a description of Scholars’ Lab staff whose expertise will be relevant and useful to the proposed project;
  • a description of how the fellowship would be transformative for your work and your career;
  • a short review of relevant digital projects and scholarship with which your proposed work for the year will be in dialogue;
  • and, most importantly, a description of what you propose to do with us over the course of the fellowship year. Typically this takes the form of a digital project with an associated research plan or proposed course of study.
• a dissertation abstract (no more than one page);
• 2-3 letters of nomination and support, at least one being from the applicant’s dissertation director who can attest to the project’s scholarly rigor and integration within the dissertation;
• and your availabilities for a 30-minute interview slot, either on Wednesday, February 24th from 9-12 or 3-4 or on Thursday, February 25th from 9-11. This can be communicated by email or in the cover letter. These time slots will be used for finalist interviews. We’re aiming for a quicker process this year by announcing those interview times in advance, though we can work out alternatives if scheduling difficulties arise. If you are unavailable then, please suggest other times on or around those days.

Questions about Grad Fellowships and the application process should be directed to Brandon Walsh. Applicants concerned about their eligibility, for whatever reason, are strongly encouraged to write as well. Completed application materials can be uploaded through the GSAS application portal. Please do consider this application to be part of a process - the beginning of a conversation about how we can work together. We highly encourage students to write to Brandon Walsh to express their interest and (once an application has been submitted) to let us know you have applied. Together we can begin to discuss how the Lab can be a part of your time here, with this fellowship or otherwise.