The Mellon New Directions Fellowships assist faculty members in the humanities, broadly understood to include the arts, history, languages, area studies, and zones of such fields as anthropology and geography that bridge the humanities and social sciences, who seek to acquire systematic training outside their own areas of special interest.  Fellows pursue systematic training and academic competencies outside their own special fields in order to advance a cross-disciplinary research agenda.  Candidates will be exceptional faculty in the humanities who received their doctorates between 2003 and 2009 and whose research interests call for formal training in a discipline other than the one in which they are expert.  Such training may consist of coursework or other programs of organized study.  It may take place either at fellows' home institutions or elsewhere, as appropriate.

Fellows will receive:  (1) the equivalent of one academic year's salary; (2) two summers of additional support, each at the equivalent two-ninths of the previous academic year salary, and (3) tuition or course fees or equivalent direct costs associated with the fellows' training programs.  To permit flexibility in meeting individual scholars' needs, these funds may be expended over a period not to exceed three full academic years.  

Harvard Nomination Process:

Harvard has been invited to submit one proposal to the Mellon Foundation for consideration.  The Office of the Vice Provost for Research (OVPR) will hold an internal competition to select one candidate to submit a full proposal to the foundation.  Harvard pre-proposals must be submitted online here by July 24, 2015 by 5:00pm.

Pre-proposals must include the following materials uploaded as separate documents: 

1. Summary of the proposal (limit two pages. A third page may be used for references and graphics.)
2. Current CV (limit 5 pages)

Full Proposal Submission:

If selected as the Harvard nominee, any FAS nominee is strongly urged to notify FAS Research Administration Services as soon as possible for support in the preparation of the full proposal and budget.

Contacts for the Arts & Humanities Division: Erin Cromack (cromack@fas.harvard.edu, 617-496-5252) and Samantha Schwartz (sschwartz@fas.harvard.edu, 617-496-6216).

Contacts for the Social Science Division: Erin Cromack (cromack@fas.harvard.edu, 617-496-5252) and Amanda Ellenwood (mellenwood@fas.harvard.edu, 617-496-3627). 

Additional information: 

More information on the program, including information on previously funded projects, can be found here.  

Questions may be directed to Erin Cromack at cromack@fas.harvard.edu or 617-496-5252.