Incite Institute Dissertation Fellowship - Incite at Columbia University

In keeping with Incite Institute’s interest in engaging disciplines across the university, in 2024 we launched a dissertation stipend and research grant for PhD candidates in the Graduate School of the Arts & Sciences who recently completed their prospectus.

Incite is now seeking a new cohort of Fellows for 2025–2026. We seek to support students whose projects match Incite’s engagement with producing knowledge both within and outside the university and who can benefit from funds to carry out dissertation-related research activities. We also seek projects that will be enhanced by and contribute to the Incite community and to the work of fellow PhD candidates receiving this grant.

Meet our 2024–2025 Fellows

Award amounts and program features

• $5,000 stipend per successful applicant. 
• $1,000 research grant per successful applicant.

So that fellows can learn from one another—from one another’s fields and specific projects—and so that fellows can contribute to and participate in the life of Incite, they are expected to participate in a monthly seminar at which a fellow will present their research. From our experience, we view these seminars as opportunities for fellows to learn what fields other than their own can contribute to their dissertations and to their development as scholars in their fields. 

We will hold these seminars monthly (Fridays, September 2025 through June 2026) at Incite for 90 minutes each meeting. Each fellow will present once. If you are not able to participate or are not interested in participating in this seminar, please do not apply.

Eligibility

• PhD students in the Columbia University Graduate School of Arts & Sciences.
• Prospectus approved between March 15, 2023 and April 23, 2025. 
• Prior winners of this award are not eligible.

Application materials

• Cover page with full name, department, date prospectus approved, name of person providing letter of support.
  • No more than 1,000 words (strictly observed; excluding references, if used) that describe the dissertation containing the following six sections:
  • Introduction that overviews your dissertation research question, why it matters, and how it will be answered.
  • Three sections that expand on the three elements of the Introduction.
  • A brief section on how you intend to spend the research funding and how doing so relates to how you will answer your research question. Diverse kinds of expenditures are possible, e.g., going to conferences, purchasing datasets, mucking about in an archive, and so forth. 
  • Timeline for completing the dissertation.
  • Note: Text should be written so that academics from fields outside yours can understand your argument and research approach.

Evaluation criteria

• Quality of articulating research question, why it matters, how it will be answered.
• Strength of letter of support.
• Quality of relationship to Incite’s interest in cross-disciplinarity.
• Expressed interest in participating in the Incite community.
• Note: We will award a total of ten stipends/grants.

Conditions for award acceptance

• Participation in monthly seminar at Incite in which each fellow presents an element of their research.
• Spend stipend and research grant within two years of receipt.
• Within these two years, submit to Incite one to two paragraphs on how the research money was spent and on how it furthered your dissertation.

Application Materials

• Submit all application materials as a single PDF package
• Send to: inciteawards@columbia.edu
• Deadline: April 23, 2025 at 5:00pm ET
• Subject line: "Incite Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship Submission"

Letters of Support

• Letters should be sent directly by the letter-writers
• Send to: inciteawards@columbia.edu
• Deadline: April 23, 2025 at 5:00pm ET
• Subject line: "Incite Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship Submission | Letter of Support for [SURNAME]"

Successful applicants will be notified no later than May 31, 2025.