Dissertation Completion Fellowships
The Fox Center's Dissertation Completion Fellowship is a selective program for advanced Emory College graduate students with outstanding potential as researchers. Their work must be far enough advanced that the dissertation can be completed and approved during the fellowship year. Each year, we select a number of Dissertation Completion Fellows whose projects engage our annual theme. Our Dissertation Completion Fellows participate in our weekly Fellows' Seminar, including presenting their own research.
The Fox Center also offers a Humanities Pathways Fellowship offering professional experience to advanced graduate students pursuing careers beyond the tenure-track. Humanities Pathways Fellows do not need to be undertaking research connected to our annual theme and do not participate in the Fellows' Seminar. To learn more about this Fellowship, please scroll to the end of this page.
Applications for our 2026-2027 cohort have now closed.
What Our Program Offers
- Research Funding
- Dissertation Completion Fellows are awarded a 9-month stipend and a full subsidy for the Emory University Student Health Insurance Plan (EUSHIP). They are not permitted to teach or take on additional work during the fellowship year. Dissertation Completion Fellows also receive a $1500 stipend to help cover conference attendance or research expenses.
- Dedicated Writing Space
- Dissertation Completion Fellows receive access to a dedicated workspace in the Fox Center for the duration of the fellowship year.
- A Generative and Supportive Intellectual Environment
- Dissertation Completion Fellows participate in the weekly Fellows' Seminar, engaging in lively interdisciplinary discussions and receiving feedback on their work from scholars at all stages of the career.
2024-25 Dissertation Completion Fellow David Nichols on a Fox Center outing at the High Museum.
Peter Habib, 2024-25 Dissertation Completion Fellow
"This is a wonderful opportunity— one of the best that Emory offers. And as you’re nearing the end of your graduate studies, I can think of no better place on campus to think through the big questions of your dissertation."
Teelin Lucero, 2024-25 Dissertation Completion Fellow
"It's nice to remember that academics are fundamentally people who are interested in a wide array of topics. Usually, that fact gets siloed or professionalized in certain ways, but being able to be curious and excited about each other's work is so valuable. "
David Nichols, 2024-25 Dissertation Completion Fellow
"The interdisciplinary environment in the Fox Center has been extremely useful to me in seeing how people from other disciplines approach similar problems, especially how they negotiate some of the same keywords."
How to Apply
To apply, please complete our online application form in Interfolio.
You will be asked to upload the following documents:
- Dissertation Abstract (200 words maximum)
- Project Description (1000 words maximum)
- Curriculum vitae
- Unofficial Transcript
- E-mail information for three recommenders
It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that all required documents are uploaded to Interfolio and submitted. Incomplete applications cannot be considered after the deadline.
Application Timeline
- September 2025: Online application form goes live.
- December 2025: Applications close. Letters of recommendation must be received before the deadline.
- February 2026: Decisions are announced.
Humanities Pathways Fellowship
The Fox Center's Humanities Pathways Fellowship is intended to provide an advanced graduate student in the humanities or humanistic social sciences a pathway into academic careers beyond the tenure track.
The Humanities Pathways Fellow gains a broad range of professional experience by collaborating with our staff team across a range of areas, including communications, event planning, program management, and research and assessment. The Humanities Pathways Fellow has a dedicated workspace at the Fox Center and a set schedule of in-person work. Occasional evening work (1-2 times per month) is expected as part of supporting the Center’s events program.
This fellowship provides a 9-month stipend along with a 100% subsidy for the Emory University Student Health Insurance Plan (EUSHIP). The fellow is expected to complete their degree during the year of the fellowship award.
Please note: The Humanities Pathways Fellow's dissertation research is not required to engage the Center's annual theme and the Fellow does not participate in the Center's Weekly Seminar.
To be considered for the fellowship, applicants must:
- be full-time students currently enrolled in doctoral degree programs at Emory University's Laney Graduate School;
- in good standing both in the Laney Graduate School and in their program;
- be in candidacy at the time of application;
- be in their 5th, 6th, or 7th year of graduate study at the time of application;
- not have held an Emory completion fellowship previously.
To complete the online application, you will need to provide the following:
- a CV/resume (no more than 2 pages);
- a cover letter (no longer than 2 pages) outlining your interest in this fellowship and explaining how it aligns with your professional goals;
- a timeline for completion of your dissertation (no more than 1 page);
- email information for an Emory faculty member, preferably the dissertation director, who will be asked to submit a confidential letter of recommendation. Their letter should address your schedule for completing the dissertation and how this fellowship would advance your professional goals.
Applications for the 2026-27 Humanities Pathways Fellowship have now closed.
Frequently Asked Questions
For our Dissertation Completion Fellows, engagement with the annual theme is among the most important criteria for selection. An earnest engagement is required but our themes are designed to allow for many angles of engagement and we are open to projects tackling the theme in unexpected or creative ways.
The exception is our Humanities Pathways Fellowship. Pathways Fellows do not need to be undertaking research projects connected to our annual theme.
You may not apply for our Dissertation Completion Fellowships if you cannot attend the weekly fellows' seminars because participation is a mandatory part of the fellowship.
You may apply for the Humanities Pathways Fellowship as Pathways Fellows do not attend the weekly seminars and their schedules are determined collaboratively with the Fox Center staff team.