Chemical Heritage Foundation

Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowships

The Chemical Heritage Foundation, an independent research center and library in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA, would like to encourage applications for long-term and short-term fellowships in residence at CHF for the academic year 2012-13. These fellowships are for scholars working in some area of the history or social studies of science, technology, medicine, or industry in all periods and geographical areas. To get a better sense of the kinds of research we support, please visit our website (http://www.chemheritage.org/research/fellowships-and-travel-grants/index.aspx) and review the work being done by our current and past fellows. 

Philadelphia is a particularly dynamic and fruitful area in which to be working in the History of Science.  The Philadelphia Area Center for the History of Science brings together 12 institutions and a host of faculty members scattered throughout the immediate vicinity.  CHF alone brings in approximately 18 fellows per year, making it the largest independent fellowship-granting institution in history of science in the country, and has 8 PhDs in History of Science and related disciplines on staff.

The deadline for applications, which are to be completed online, is February 15, 2012.  Fellows will be selected by an outside committee made up of distinguished scholars in the field.

The research collections at CHF, where the chosen fellows will be in residence throughout their fellowship period, range from the fifteenth century to the present and include approximately 10,000 rare book volumes, significant archival holdings, thousands of images, and a large artifact and fine arts collection, supported by over 100,000 reference volumes, monographs, and journals. Within the collections there are many areas of special strength, including: alchemy, mining & metallurgy, dyeing and bleaching, gunpowder and pyrotechnics, gas-lighting, books of secrets, inorganic and organic chemistry, biochemistry, food chemistry, and pharmaceuticals.  Recipients of all fellowships are expected to participate in and make a contribution to CHF’s intellectual life.

Postdoctoral Fellowships

Open to scholars with a PhD (degree must be in hand by July 2012)

Tenure of fellowship:     9 months

Amount of award:           $45,000 

Dissertation Fellowships

Open to graduate students at the dissertation stage

Tenure of fellowship:     9 months

Amount of award:           $26,000

**please note that fellows are expected to be in residence during the term of their fellowship and to contribute to the intellectual life of the institution by taking part in a weekly talk series and bi-monthly writing group.

Only online applications will be accepted. All applications must include:

(1) A cover letter.

(2) A research proposal of no more than 1,500 words.

(3) A C.V. of no more than four pages in length.

(4) Contact information for two references.

See http://www.chemheritage.org/research/fellowships-and-travel-grants/beckman-center-fellowships/ for more details.

For further information visit www.chemheritage.org, e-mail: fellowships@chemheritage.org, or write to Fellowships Coordinator, Chemical Heritage Foundation, 315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 19106.