Opportunity Details

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Program

DPDF Student Fellowship Program
Organization

Social Science Research Council
Opportunity Type

Fellowship
About the Program

The Dissertation Proposal Development Fellowship (DPDF) Program helps early-stage doctoral students in the humanities and social sciences formulate innovative dissertation research proposals through workshops, exploratory summer research, and writing guided by peer review and faculty mentorship. The program seeks young scholars who are interested in strengthening their dissertation research plans through exposure to the theories, literatures, methods, and intellectual traditions of disciplines outside their own. By the end of the fellowship, participating students will complete a draft dissertation research proposal that can be reviewed with academic advisors.

During the DPDF fellowship period, fellows are required to take part in the following activities:

  • Spring workshop (early June): Fellows work together to hone their research questions and design exploratory summer research plans to identify appropriate methods to answer those questions.
  • Summer research (June to August): Fellows conduct a minimum of six weeks of research away from their home institutions to establish contacts, find sources, identify sites, review new literatures, and test the feasibility of their initial research questions, methods of investigation, and analytic approaches.
  • Writing (late August to early September): Fellows draft dissertation research proposals, using an online and interactive DPDF peer-review platform to critique one another’s drafts, in preparation for the fall workshop.
  • Fall workshop (mid-September): Fellows share their progress and challenges, critique one another’s latest research plans, and begin final revisions of their dissertation research proposals.
  • Workshops are led by humanities and social sciences faculty with extensive experience helping doctoral students across diverse disciplines refine research proposals. Participants work primarily with the same faculty and small multidisciplinary groups throughout their fellowship.
Program Start

Spring
Application Deadline

October 15, 2020
Application Website

www.ssrc.org/fellowships/dpdf-fellowship/

Program Benefits

Pay Rate
 Up to $5,000
Payment Method
 To cover research costs
Benefits
  • Housing
  • Travel to/from program location
  • Meals
Additional Benefits

The DPDF program covers all travel, lodging, and meals expenses related to mandatory attendance at both workshops. Applicants may request up to $5,000 to support summer research expenses, including travel, lodging, meals, and some necessary equipment and supplies.

Requirements

Description

All applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Applicants must be currently matriculated in PhD programs at accredited universities in the United States.
  • Applicants may be US citizens or non citizens.
  • Progress within graduate program:
    • Applicants must have completed at least two full years of graduate study (MA and/or PhD) by the end of June 2017.
    • Applicants must be on track to obtain approval of their dissertation proposals after the September 2017 DPDF workshop but before the end of the 2017-2018 academic year.
  • Applicants must commit to attend the spring and fall workshops in their entirety and to conduct at least six weeks of summer research away from their home institutions between the 2017 spring and fall workshops.
  • Students who have already submitted dissertation research proposals to their departments for approval or to funding agencies for support of their dissertation research are not eligible to apply to the DPDF Program.
Open to residents of:
 National - All 50 States
Open to students attending school in:
 National - All 50 States
Additional Geographic Requirements

Felllows must attend both workshops in their entirety. If you know that you will be unable to be present at one or the other, you should not apply to the DPDF Program.

If awarded a fellowship, your necessary expenses to participate in the workshop, such as airfare, hotel, meals, and ground transportation, will be paid for by the DPDF Program.
Degree Programs
  • Doctorate Degree (Ph.D./M.D./D.D.S.)
Enrollment Status
  • Full time
Financial Aid
 Yes
Citizenship
  • Citizenship status not considered
Other Details
  • Merit-based
Keywords
 DPDF Student Fellowship Program Social Science
Contact

dpdf@ssrc.org
Organization Phone
 (212) 377-2700
Last Modified Date
 November 20, 2015