Margaret S. Vining and Barton C. Hacker Fellowship in Women's Military History

Background

The Division of Military & Society at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH) is pleased to accept applications for the 2025-26 Margaret S. Vining and Barton C. Hacker Fellowship in Women’s Military History.

The theme for this year’s fellowship is “Volunteers: Military and Beyond.” The successful candidate will carry out a research project exploring women’s contributions to and experiences of service related to national defense up to 1945. Research plans should be anchored in the Division’s collections but may involve comparative study in other collections in the museum, across the Smithsonian, and at archives in the immediate Washington, DC area.

The Vining and Hacker Fellowship offers access to a range of resources, including Smithsonian staff, NMAH’s military history collections and research files, access to collections across the Smithsonian, and office space in NMAH.

The Fellowship offers up to $22,000 to pre-doctoral candidates and up to $30,000 to post-doctoral or professional candidates who pursue independent research projects that substantially use Military & Society collections at NMAH. The six-month fellowship tenure is flexible, allowing for a single residency period or distribution of the equivalent number of hours over a 9- or 10-month term, including the possibility for multiple shorter residency periods. Fellows are encouraged to present their research to colleagues at NMAH.

For a comprehensive catalog of objects, manuscripts, images, and research materials available at the NMAH (and other Smithsonian units), see the Smithsonian's Collections Search Center.

Fellowship Stipends

All stipends are subject to tax; non-US applicants should inquire about visa status and tax implications. Stipends are based on the understanding that the Fellow may choose to complete their work during a single 6-month residency working primarily at the museum, or to distribute the equivalent number of hours over a 9 or 10-month term.

• Pre-doctoral candidates: $22,000
• Post-doctoral or professional candidates: $30,000

Eligibility

_You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website._

• The Fellow is expected to reside in the Washington, DC area and work at least three days per week in the museum or a related collection during their Fellowship period(s).
• Pre-doctoral graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and other professionals who have completed relevant advanced training are invited to apply.

Ineligibility

• Undergraduates and Smithsonian staff are not eligible.