The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation of New York City has generously funded annual postdoctoral Fellowships at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies for nearly a decade. The grant provides for up to four Fellowships each year, to be used for research at the Institute in the medieval field of the holder’s choice. Mellon Fellows will also participate in the interdisciplinary Research Seminar.

The Mellon Fellowships are intended for young medievalists of exceptional promise who have completed their doctoral work, ordinarily within the previous five years, and have defended their thesis successfully before the 1 February application deadline, and may include those who are starting on their professional academic careers at approximately the Assistant Professor level. Fellowships, are valued at approximately Can $35,000.

Admission and Registration
Applicants for the Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellowships at the Pontifical Institute must have completed all requirements of the doctoral degree at a recognized institution by the application deadline. The degree should have been approved (if not formally awarded) normally within the five previous years. Applicants should submit a proposal indicating the nature of the research they would undertake at the Institute and letters of support from two scholars who are familiar with their work, together with a curriculum vitae and an official transcript of their graduate studies. In evaluating such applications, the weight and appropriateness of the research proposal will be considered, along with the candidate’s previous studies. Publications may be submitted as well, if desired. Candidates will be expected to come prepared with the languages needed to deal with original sources in their field of study. English will be the language of instruction and discussion.

Programme of Research
Mellon Fellows will pursue a programme of research approved by the Academic Council of the Institute, and with an Institute advisor. Alternatively, they are invited to take the postdoctoral programme leading to the Licentiate in Medieval Studies.

The object of the programme is to provide optimum opportunity for the development of the candidate’s personal research in the context of the Institute’s library resources and the interdisciplinary nature of the traditional Licence programme at the Pontifical Institute. The candidate should bear this in mind and envisage the development of the proposed project accordingly. This development will be accomplished through the scholarly exchange of the Research Seminar and through personal contact with Fellows of the Institute. The content of the Seminar from year to year will reflect the needs and interests of those participating, but the governing principle will be to incorporate into the established research interests of each visiting fellow the various disciplines and interdisciplinary approaches that have characterized the Institute’s scholarly traditions from its inception.

Application may be made for a Research Fellowship for a period of one year. Exceptionally, the Fellowship may be extended for a second year. In that event, the applicant will be expected to request renewal at an appropriate time and submit a report on work done to date. Assessment will take into account the quality of the candidates’ work and of their regular contribution to the Research Seminar and to the ongoing scholarly discourse of the Institute community.

Facilities and Residential Accommodation
Research Fellows will be provided with a private study and full access to the facilities of the Institute Library. They will enjoy the status of Visiting Scholars in the University of Toronto with the access this implies to the University’s libraries and health plan. The Institute cannot provide residential accommodation. A few suggestions, together with a topical guide of interest to prospective and new fellows, may be found in Orientations, elsewhere on this site.

Applications
Application forms (in PDF) can be downloaded for printing. The form can also be saved and completed as a PDF and sent via email attachment. PLEASE NOTE: Completed applications, as well as all supporting documentation, must be received no later than 1 February every academic year, and must include official confirmation that the PhD has been examined and that its award has been approved by the appropriate authority, by that date. For further information, contact Barbara North, Institute secretary (phone 416 926 7142; fax 416 926 7292).