The Deaf Studies Incubator Fellowship provides a unique opportunity for deaf post-BA and post-MA emerging scholars in the deaf related humanities to receive mentorship and training to pursue the postgraduate degrees. Sponsored by the Mellon Foundation, the aim of the Fellowship is to enrich both individual professional trajectories and the broader landscape of interdisciplinary humanities inquiry by engaging an intersectional approach to research and training for deaf people who are interested in pursuing an academic career. 

Deaf Studies Incubator Fellows will be primarily affiliated with the Department of Deaf Studies and its affiliated centers– the Center for Black Deaf Studies and Nuestra Casa–Center for Latine Deaf Studies. In addition, Fellows are encouraged to engage faculty and peers in the School of Arts and Humanities (SAH) which includes Art & Media Design, History, Philosophy & Religion, Theatre & Dance, the TinkerLab, and the Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center. Fellows will also have the opportunity to work with mentors across other schools, programs, and resources at Gallaudet University, including the Center for Democracy in Deaf America and the Gallaudet Innovation and Entrepreneurship Institute.  

Award Package:

• Stipend of $41,700 for post-BA fellows and $48,600 for post-MA fellows
• Office space and access to Gallaudet archives, TinkerLab, library, Gallaudet art collection, and so on.
• Training and mentoring in data collection and analysis, writing, publishing, teaching, digital storytelling, writing applications, and other related professional preparation.
• Housing stipend for nine-months stay on campus or equivalent amount off campus.
  
  

Eligibility and Selection Criteria:

Eligible candidates must have earned a BA or MA degree in the humanities or humanistic social sciences within the last five years and have an interest in continuing towards a terminal degree. They can also be enrolled in a doctoral program.  

Application Process: 

The application should include a 250-word summary, a two to three page statement of interest as outlined below, two letters of recommendation, unofficial transcripts and a concise 2-page curriculum vitae.

The statement of interest should include the following:

1. The applicant’s connection to the humanities and humanities-related fields
2. Research topics and areas of inquiry the Fellow is interested in exploring during the one-year fellowship
3. Research methodologies and dissemination tools the Fellow wants to develop skills in (e.g. ethnography, archival research, discourse analysis, digital storytelling, visual methods)
4. Any community or academic collaborations the fellow is interested in developing. This could include naming of specific faculty mentors, social groups, affiliations with academic centers at Gallaudet such as the Center for Black Deaf Studies, Nuestra Casa, Schuchman Deaf Documentary Center, or the Center for Democracy in Deaf America.

Applications will be evaluated according to criteria that includes the significance of the research topic, the case for how the Deaf Studies Incubator Fellowship will support the candidate’s path towards a terminal degree in the humanities or a humanities-related field, a well-outlined plan for how the fellowship will support the candidate’s progress towards a terminal degree, and the candidate’s ability to achieve their stated objectives.

Any questions or inquiries can be directed towards our contact form.

Deadline for Applications is Feb 1, 2025.