The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Dissertation Fellowships in Buddhist Studies

The ten-month fellowship period may be used for fieldwork, archival research, analysis of findings, or for writing after research is complete. There are two types of support:

• research fellowships for fieldwork or archival investigations
• writing fellowships for use after research is complete to write the dissertation.

All topics, periods, and approaches in Buddhist Studies are welcome.

The Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation Program in Buddhist Studies, administered by American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS), is committed to inclusion, equity, and diversity as integral components of merit that enhance the scholarly enterprise. It is a priority of this program that cohorts of fellows and grantees be broadly inclusive of different backgrounds, cultures, and any aspects that make one unique.

Specification of Research or Writing Fellowships

• Applicants must apply for one of these two categories of support. The application essay should state clearly how much work on the dissertation has already been accomplished and in what specific ways progress would be advanced by a fellowship.
• Applications for research fellowships should identify the research question(s), the sources to be investigated, criteria by which relevant information will be selected, the location of the project in the disciplinary literature, the methodology and approach to the subject matter, and tentative conclusions.
• Applications for writing fellowships should state the main thesis or claim, review the sources investigated and secondary literature consulted, and indicate, if possible, an outline of chapters. The proposal should also state what materials have been collected, how research questions might have been answered or modified, and the direction that analysis will take once writing has begun.
• ACLS selection committees understand the problem posed by timing – often, applications for writing are composed in the midst of fieldwork or archival research, at a time when all relevant materials have not yet been collected and the dissertation’s argument might be still inchoate. Applicants should address this problem directly in the proposal, describing as accurately as possible what they have accomplished as of the application deadline and how they envision their dissertations taking shape during the period of the writing fellowship.

Funding Information

• Stipend: $30,000
• Tenure: 10 consecutive months, starting by September 30, 2024, devoting full time to the dissertation. No other employment is permitted during the fellowship period.
• The total award should be used for expenses associated with the fellowship work, not for tuition or other university fees. Home universities are requested to waive fees for fellows while allowing access to university facilities during the fellowship year. If university policy or regulations prevent the university from following this procedure, the university should be willing to negotiate with ACLS some other mutually acceptable formula that will avoid the necessity for the fellow to use the fellowship stipend for university fees. This fellowship cannot be held concurrently with any other fellowship or grant.

Eligibility Criteria

• Pursuit of the PhD degree at an accredited university anywhere in the world.
• Confirmation of ABD (All But Dissertation) status or equivalent from a university official by April 15, 2024. ABD status indicates completion of all doctorate coursework requirements and comprehensive exams for a PhD degree. Upon reaching ABD status, PhD students become PhD candidates and focus on research and writing of a dissertation and defending a doctoral thesis.
• The application must be written in English by the applicant.
• There are no restrictions on the location of work proposed or the citizenship/residence of applicants.
• Work proposed must be in the humanities or interpretive social sciences.

Evaluation Criteria

• Significance of the topic and its potential contribution to Buddhist Studies.
• Coherence and cogency of presentation.
• Feasibility of the plan of work.
• Potential of the applicant for a career that will make full use of Buddhist Studies expertise.

For more information, visit American Council of Learned Societies.