Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Fellowship Grant

The Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Fellowship offers unique research opportunities for graduate students from member universities. Eligible candidates can conduct research at the Smithsonian in diverse fields such as anthropology, ecology, and history of science. The fellowship provides a stipend of $45,000 per year, with additional research allowances, and supports both U.S. and international students. This initiative fosters collaboration among leading academic institutions to advance knowledge and innovation.

The Big Ten Academic Alliance established in 1958, is a consortium of research universities that collaborate on a wide range of academic and administrative initiatives to advance their academic missions, generate unique opportunities for students and faculty, and serve the common good by sharing expertise, leveraging campus resources, and collaborating on innovative programs.
The current members of the Big Ten Academic Alliance are:
University of IllinoisMichigan State UniversityPennsylvania State UniversityIndiana UniversityUniversity of MinnesotaPurdue UniversityUniversity of IowaUniversity of Nebraska-LincolnRutgers University-New BrunswickUniversity of MarylandNorthwestern University University of Wisconsin MadisonUniversity of MichiganOhio State UniversityUniversity of Chicago (participating in this program as an affiliate).
Big Ten Academic Alliance applicants must propose research that is conducted at the Smithsonian in one of the following areas of research:
Animal behavior, ecology, and environmental science, including an emphasis on the tropicsAnthropology, including archaeology, cultural anthropology, linguistics, and physical anthropologyEarth sciences and paleobiologyEvolutionary & systematic biologyFolklifeHistory of science and technologyHistory of art, especially American, contemporary, African, and Asian art, twentieth-century American crafts, and decorative artsMaterials researchMolecular biologySocial and cultural history of the United States
Award
Term: 3 to 12 monthsStipend: Stipend: $45,000 per yearResearch Allowance: up to $5,000 per yearStipends are prorated for periods of less than twelve months.

Eligibility

Only currently enrolled in one of the Big Ten Academic Alliance member universities are eligible.Students must have completed all course work for their programs, and must have been admitted into doctoral candidacy and satisfied all requirements except completion of the dissertation by the time their appointment begins in order to qualify.The program is open to US citizens and Non-US citizens.Applicants whose native language is not English are expected to have the ability to write and converse fluently in English. All application materials must be presented in English.

Ineligibility

No employee or contractor of the Smithsonian Institution may hold a Smithsonian fellowship during the time of his/her employment or contract, nor may an award be offered to any person who has been employed by or under contract to the Institution in the previous year, without the prior approval of the Office of Academic Appointments and Internships.