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Stanford University Provostial Fellows

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The Stanford Provostial Fellows program brings early-career scholars to Stanford University. The program launched with an inaugural cohort in the fall of 2021, with five fellows appointed by the provost in subsequent years to three-year terms. Fellows in any university school engage in research about the societal impacts through a disciplinary lens, teach one course per year, and participate in the intellectual life of their departments and programs across the university. Beginning with an inaugural conference in the fall of 2022, fellows are involved in milestone projects with scholars within their academic discipline. 

About the Program

Stanford Provostial Fellows 

Stanford announced in June 2020 a new program to bring early-career scholars of race and ethnicity to the university. This ambitious program, part of the broader Stanford IDEAL initiative, aims to support the work of early-career researchers who will lead the next generation of scholarship in various academic disciplines. 

Cohorts of four to five recent PhD recipients who are among the most promising emerging scholars in their respective disciplines are selected each year by a committee of Stanford faculty and appointed by the provost to a three-year term. Fellowships may be in any university school. Fellows are assigned to departments and schools where they work with a faculty mentor and colleagues, teach one course per year, and expand their research. Fellows also engage with the intellectual life of the program and the broader university community.   

Fellows bring new ideas, methodologies, and perspectives that enrich the community of scholars at Stanford, and they organize an annual conference that engages scholars at the forefront of scholarship in the study of race and ethnicity. 

How to Apply

2025-2026 Stanford Provostial Fellowship Program Application Information

The application period for the academic year starting Fall 2025 closed on November 1, 2024. 

 The Stanford Provostial fellowships may be in any of the seven schools in the University: Business, Doerr School of Sustainability, Education, Engineering, Humanities & Sciences, Law, and Medicine. The selected Fellows will work with a dedicated faculty mentor in their home department to advance their research agenda. Additionally, fellows are encouraged to participate in the intellectual programming offered by the Department of African and African-American Studies, the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity, the Martin Luther King Research and Education Institute, and the Institute for Advancing Just Societies. The fellows will teach a course individually or with a faculty member once a year within their home department each year. 

The Stanford Fellows will meet regularly as a cohort for professional development activities, networking opportunities, and social engagement. They will also design and participate in a capstone research event. The three-year fellowships start on September 1, 2025, and end on August 31, 2027. To be eligible for a Stanford Provostial Fellowship, a candidate must receive their terminal degree by September 1, 2025. Applications are accepted if the degree has been conferred within three years of the start date. 

Direct program inquiries to facultydevelopment@stanford.edu. Please include “Stanford Provostial Fellows” in the subject line.  For additional program details https://facultydevelopment.stanford.edu/ideal-provostial-fellows/about-program

Eligibility 

  • The Stanford Fellows program provides fellowships in any university school.
  • All candidates for the fellowship must be within three years of their terminal degree at the time of appointment. 
  • Selection criteria include the originality and quality of the research, as well as demonstrated potential for intellectual achievement. Candidates should have a demonstrated capacity for independent work.

Application Process

  • The application period is from July or August through October each year. 
  • Applications are submitted via Academic Jobs Online by November 1st of each year.  
  • Stanford Fellows are selected in consultation with collaborating schools and departments. Applications are vetted by the school or department where they will reside, selected by a committee of Stanford faculty, and appointed by the provost.
  • Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the fellowship competition in the spring.
  • If you accept another position or postdoctoral fellowship, please withdraw your application by emailing facultydevelopment@stanford.edu.
  • Applications must be submitted by November 1, 2024, via the AJO posting. Late or emailed applications will not be reviewed.

Application Content

  • An application should include the material that generally accompanies an application for an assistant professor position at the university. Specifically:
    • A cover letter (detailing the candidate’s interest in the position, how the fellowship would advance the interests, needs for laboratory access or special equipment, etc.)
    • Curriculum vitae
    • A statement of research interests
    • A statement of teaching interests
    • Samples of written work
    • Three letters of recommendation 
  • All application material should be received by the posted deadline.

Fellowship Requirements

  • The term of a fellowship may be up to three years.
  • Fellows are assigned to the schools and departments corresponding to their doctorate fields. Each fellow is provided a faculty mentor selected from among Stanford’s Academic Council faculty. 
  • Fellows spend substantial time pursuing research, teach one course per year, and participate in the intellectual life of the program and the broader university community.
  • Fellows are involved in organizing a major Stanford conference that will bring together scholars who are at the forefront of the study of race and ethnicity.

Benefits and Resources

  • Fellows will receive  compensation, a benefits package, and a one-time research fund. They are appointed as academic staff in their department. 
  • Each fellow's home department arranges their teaching and physical space.
  • The facilities of the university are available to the fellows. This includes instructional assistance such as that available from the Center for Teaching and Learning, research resources such as Stanford Libraries and affiliation with various institutes and centers. Fellows also have access to other amenities such as university gyms and recreational facilities.
  • Candidates whose research requires substantial laboratory space or extensive equipment should indicate these needs in their applications to ensure their availability. The Office of Faculty Development, Diversity, and Engagement will facilitate these arrangements.

Inquiries about this program can be directed to facultydevelopment@stanford.edu. Please include “Stanford Provostial Fellows” in the subject line.

Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. What are the fields of study eligible for consideration?
  2. Are fellows expected to be on-campus?
  3. Is a scholar eligible for consideration if they will finish their PhD at some point after the application deadline?
  4. Should applicants apply to departments/programs or apply with broad interests, and if selected, allow the committee to assign them to a specific department?
  5. What types of written samples are acceptable?
  6. Is there a page limit for the requested statements of teaching and research interests? 

1. What are the fields of study eligible for consideration?

Scholars interested in any field of study are accepted. Early career fellows should have received their terminal degree (PhD, JD, MFA, EdD, DSW, etc.) before the start of the fellowship.

2. Are fellows expected to be on-campus?

Fellows are required to live in the Bay Area for the duration of their appointments. Fellows are also expected to be active participants in the cohort of fellows including attending regular meetings and events, to engage in the intellectual life of their department, and to connect with other relevant centers, institutes, and programs throughout the Stanford community.

3. Is a scholar eligible for consideration if they will finish their PhD at some point after the application deadline?

Eligibility for the IDEAL Fellowship requires that you have completed your terminal degree when the fellowship begins and that you are within three years of having received your degree at the start of the fellowship.

4. Should applicants apply to departments/programs or apply with broad interests, and if selected, allow the committee to assign them to a specific department?

Applicants should indicate an area of interest. The online application form does allow applicants to include multiple departments of interest.

5. What types of written samples are acceptable?

Please use the following guidelines for the written samples provided:

  • Authorship: Second or third co-author of an article, dissertation or book is acceptable for this process. First or sole-authored works are preferred.
  • Books and/or manuscripts: first and last chapters
  • Articles (published/unpublished): entirety

6. Is there a page limit for the requested statements of teaching and research interests? 

No, but you are welcome to allocate 3–5 pages for each statement.

Meet the Fellows