Meliora Digital & Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship
In 2013, the University of Rochester received a one-million-dollar grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation aimed at promoting the development of the digital humanities. The grant funds a graduate fellowship program, originally named the Mellon Foundation Graduate Program in the Digital Humanities, that trains humanities students to integrate digital technologies into innovative research programs.
The graduate fellowship provides two years of support to select PhD students from among the departments of English, visual and cultural studies, history, and philosophy, as well as Eastman School of Music departments of music theory, musicology, and composition. For more information on the program’s past activities, visit the MellonGraduate Program website. This website is currently being updated. You can find the current 2024-2025 working syllabus with bios and contact information for current fellows here. Questions may also be directed to program director Joanne Bernardi (joanne.bernardi@rochester.edu)
Call for applicants 2025
This fellowship includes a stipend of $24,000 and up to $7,375 in research funds. This is a mid-program fellowship targeting humanities doctoral candidates in their third year and beyond. Students without experience in digital media theoretical discourse and practice but eager to explore how the affordances of digital methods, tools, and theories can expand research and teaching parameters are welcome to apply. Applicants are expected to propose a personal research project or general area of digital practice and discourse usually related to their doctoral project but their work in the program can be exploratory. They can also opt to collaborate on other collaborative digital humanities projects. All fellows attend a weekly seminar, DMST 501, in the fall and spring semesters. Its curriculum is collaboratively designed to reflect fellows’ needs and interests. Fellows are expected to share their project ideas, concepts, plans, and activities in designated seminar sessions, benefitting from the interdisciplinary perspective and collaborative ethos that characterize digital humanities practice.
DMST 501
This 1.5- to 2-hour graduate seminar meets weekly in the program’s dedicated workroom, Room #211 (Conference Room C) in the Humanities Center, RRL 2nd Floor. Discussion-based sessions geared toward current fellow needs and interests have typically included, e.g.: guest lectures by practicing digital humanists, tutorials on and introductions to tools and methodologies applicable to both research and teaching, WIP presentation opportunities, relevant readings, and workshops (e.g., designing conference proposals).
Eligibility
Any PhD student in good standing in English, History, Philosophy, or Visual and Cultural Studies, or ESM music theory, musicology, or composition is eligible. This fellowship targets mid-program humanities doctoral candidates in or beyond their third year who are working on a significant milestone in their graduate career.
Application Requirements
Applications are due Friday,January17,2025. Applications should be sent as a single PDF file by email to humanities@rochester.edu. A successful application will include:
- A Curriculum Vitae
- A statement of interest
- A writing sample that represents the quality of the applicant’s best work. This can be on any topic, ideally something in the 15–30 page range.
- One letter of recommendation from an advisor (this may be sent separately to the above email address)
Application Review
Applications will be reviewed by a committee formed by the Mel D&I Graduate Fellowship director. Applicants should expect results by Friday, February 21.
Please direct all questions to humanities@rochester.edu