Dissertation Fellowship

The Nanovic Institute for European Studies supports graduate students in the completion of their dissertation projects through Dissertation Fellowships. This funding is designed to allow students to devote full attention to completing their dissertation for an entire academic year, and is supported by two named fellowships: the Frank and Dominica Annese Fellowship for European Studies and the Paul G. Tobin Fellowship for European Studies. 

In order to be eligible for this fellowship graduate students must be finishing at least their fourth year at the time of application and must not be enrolled beyond their sixteenth semester. Only students with approved dissertation topics may apply, and applicants must have completed all pre-dissertation requirements (or should be scheduled to complete them by the end of the academic year). Preference is given to dissertation projects that demonstrate relevance for contemporary European Studies. This fellowship provides an academic year stipend and benefits.

Apply for Dissertation Fellowship

Application deadline: April 2, 2024

How to Apply

Students applying for a Dissertation Fellowship must submit the following documents:

• Dissertation prospectus with a bibliography (in doc/docx or pdf format only, not to exceed 15 pages without bibliography, 11 point sans serif font, 1.5 line spacing, no kerning, one-inch margins). The prospectus should both accurately describe the dissertation project and clearly demonstrate its impact on contemporary European Studies.
• Cover letter of application detailing how the project contributes to European studies and what the funding will enable the applicant to accomplish.
• Current CV.
• Letter of qualification from the DGS. This letter should confirm the successful completion of all pre-dissertation requirements, including acceptance of the dissertation prospectus. Applicants who have not completed their pre-dissertation requirements by the deadline may still apply, but they must produce this letter of qualification no later than the final day of the spring term in order to maintain eligibility.
• Two faculty letters of recommendation. One letter must be from the applicant’s principal dissertation advisor and should express the advisor’s support for the proposal and explicitly state that the student is on course to finish the dissertation in a timely manner. The second letter of recommendation should be from a different faculty member who is familiar with the student’s academic work, preferably someone also familiar with the dissertation project.
• Complete list of internal and external funding sought or obtained for the academic year.

Fellowship Expectations & Requirements

Fellowship recipients are expected to accept or decline their award in writing within one month of receiving their award letter. The Nanovic Institute does not defer fellowship funding for future use, but any recipient who declines the funding may reapply for the following year’s awards. The Nanovic Institute may or may not choose—at its discretion—to award declined fellowships to another applicant. Once accepted, fellowship recipients are expected to devote full attention to their dissertation and therefore may not accept other employment on- or off-campus for the fellowship year.

Throughout the year, fellowship recipients must periodically provide the Nanovic Institute with report letters detailing their dissertation work and the progress being made. The Nanovic Institute will forward these reports to the fellowship’s benefactors. Letters are required at the beginning and the end of the fellowship year; full details about this requirement will be communicated at the time of award. Additionally, recipients may be asked to provide high-resolution photos and information for the purposes of publicizing their award and their research.