Harvard Society of Fellows

The purpose of the Society is to give scholars at an early stage of their scholarly careers an opportunity to pursue their studies in any department of the University, free from formal requirements.

To be eligible for a Junior Fellowship, a candidate must be at an early stage of their scholarly career. People of any nationality and interested in any field of study are accepted. Most Junior Fellows receive the Ph.D. just prior to the start of the fellowship. If still pursuing the Ph.D., Junior Fellows should be at the dissertation stage of their theses and be prepared to finish their degrees within a year of becoming fellows. If already a recipient of the degree, they should ideally not be much more than a year past the Ph.D. at the time the fellowship commences. Candidates may be renominated.

The stipend for Junior Fellows in their first year will be $97,000. The facilities of most branches of the University, both for instruction and for research, are open to Junior Fellows. Candidates whose research requires substantial laboratory space or extensive equipment should explore arrangements with the appropriate members of the faculty at Harvard for the necessary support. If there is any problem in this regard candidates should inform the Chair.

Candidates are nominated for Junior Fellowships, generally by those under whom they have studied. Applications are not accepted from candidates themselves. A letter of nomination should include an assessment of the candidate’s work and promise i.e. a full letter of recommendation as well as the candidate’s complete contact information, including current residential mailing address and email address, and the names, mailing addresses, and email addresses of three additional people who have agreed to write letters of recommendation by late August. Nominators cannot list themselves as a referee.