Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Fellowship

The Big Ten Academic Alliance Smithsonian Fellowship Program is a prestigious opportunity for doctoral candidates from Big Ten Academic Alliance member universities to conduct dissertation research at the Smithsonian Institution. The program is designed for students who have completed all coursework, been admitted into doctoral candidacy, and satisfied all requirements except completion of the dissertation. Fellows work with Smithsonian advisers to conduct research and scholarship that furthers the development of their doctoral theses across a wide range of disciplines including anthropology, history, natural sciences, and cultural studies. The fellowship provides both a stipend and research allowance to support fellows during their residency at the Smithsonian, which can range from 3 to 12 months. Research must be conducted at the Smithsonian and align with its areas of expertise including animal behavior and ecology, evolutionary and systematic biology, earth sciences and paleobiology, history of science and technology, history of art, folklife, materials research, molecular biology, and social and cultural history of the United States. The program is open to both U.S. citizens and non-U.S. citizens enrolled at member institutions, though applicants whose native language is not English must demonstrate fluency in written and conversational English.