Penn Doctoral

TESTIMONIAL | My fellowship with the Wolf Humanities Center has been without a doubt one of the most transformative experiences I have had during my seven years of graduate work! The Center has offered me a truly welcoming space of intellectual and professional community outside of my department. I never thought that I would receive job-market training, dissertation workshopping, and intellectual development all from the same place with such an exciting and welcoming group of people! The expectations of fellows in the seminar have not only prepared me well for the next stage in my academic career, but have given me invaluable experiencing working across disciplines within a humanities space. I have felt nothing but supported and cared for and have developed meaningful intellectual and mentoring relationships along the way.
–Tali Ziv (2020–21)

Penn Doctoral Research Fellowships

The Wolf Humanities Center offers one-year research fellowships to Penn dissertation-level graduate students in the humanities. Students should be conducting dissertation research related to the Center's theme for the year in which the award is granted. Fellows are awarded $3000 stipends and are required to attend the Wolf Humanities Center's Mellon Research Seminar, held Tuesdays from noon–1:30pm* during the academic year (early September – early May). Fellows present their research at one session and respond to a colleague's paper at another session. Seminar members also include postdoctoral fellows, faculty from Penn and regional institutions, and the Center's director and topic director. Doctoral Fellows also assist in the planning of a one-day symposium on the annual topic. 

*NOTE: Interested applicants are advised to check well ahead with their department/s to avoid conflicts in scheduling classes and other obligations.

Call for Applications, 2025–2026 (Closed)

Research Topic: Truth
Application deadline: February 16, 2025

Applications are now being accepted for research on the topic of Truth, the Center's topic for 2025–26. Please apply via the Interfolio application portal.

Applicants are required to submit an up-to-date CV and a single PDF including the following:

  • Project Title
  • Project Abstract (125 words maximum)
  • Project Proposal (approx. 1000 words)

Also required:

  • One confidential letter of recommendation from the applicant's dissertation advisor or graduate chair. Letters must be uploaded to Interfolio no later than the February 16 deadline.

 

Questions? Please email or call Sara Varney (215.745.5940), the Center's Associate Director.

 

TESTIMONIAL | My fellowship with the Wolf Humanities Center has been without a doubt one of the most transformative experiences I have had during my seven years of graduate work! The Center has offered me a truly welcoming space of intellectual and professional community outside of my department. I never thought that I would receive job-market training, dissertation workshopping, and intellectual development all from the same place with such an exciting and welcoming group of people! The expectations of fellows in the seminar have not only prepared me well for the next stage in my academic career, but have given me invaluable experiencing working across disciplines within a humanities space. I have felt nothing but supported and cared for and have developed meaningful intellectual and mentoring relationships along the way.
–Tali Ziv (2020–21)

Penn Doctoral Fellows

The Wolf Humanities Center also offers a Graduate Research Assistant position for a dissertation-level student in the humanities whose work pertains to the Center's annual topic.