ARISC Junior Research Fellowship – Closed

The American Research Institute of the South Caucasus (ARISC) announces the availability of US graduate student, postdoctoral and junior scholar fellowships in support of research and mentoring activities in the South Caucasus (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and/or Georgia).  The goals of the fellowship are 1) to support research in and the study of the South Caucasus; 2) to select, recognize and financially support individuals early in their careers who demonstrate high potential to contribute to research in this region; 3) to support a mentoring relationship that will both develop the academic skills of the mentee and strengthen ties between the US and host country. Projects in all fields in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences are eligible, but all projects must include one or more undergraduate and/or graduate students from Armenia, Azerbaijan, and/or Georgia as research assistants/participants. Research awards will be made for a maximum of $4000 each to help cover travel, living, and research expenses in the South Caucasus. For ARISC grant purposes, mentoring is understood to involve integrating a local scholar into a research project in a fundamental way that involves cultivating skills and knowledge of methods that will contribute to the professional development of the local scholar. Proposals will be judged on their quality and on the potential of the research to strengthen scholarship on the South Caucasus.

Application requirements: Please send a complete application including the application form*, a project statement of not more than 1500 words, work schedule, budget, and curriculum vitae, by Friday, January 15, 2016, to info “at” arisc.org. Three letters of recommendation must also be submitted. Letters of recommendation should be sent directly from your referee via email to info “at” arisc.org. All information must be received by Friday, January 16, 2016, in order for the applicant to be considered for the fellowship.

*This form must be downloaded to be completed.

ARISC does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, physical or mental disability, medical condition, ancestry, marital status, age, sexual orientation, citizenship, or status as a covered veteran.

Terms and Conditions

  1. All applicants must be citizens or permanent residents of the USA, must be full-time enrolled graduate students, postdoctoral scholars, or junior scholars, who have received their PhD since 2008.  Students graduating in spring 2016 are eligible to apply. Students who are graduating before the start of their field research project should indicate future study plans and how the field research fellowship will fit into those plans.
  2. Fellows must complete their fellowships and submit a Final Report to ARISC by August 31, 2016. Any unused portion of the stipend must be returned to ARISC by this date.
  3. Fellows must present an ARISC-sponsored public lecture or workshop on their project during their residency in the South Caucasus and acknowledge ARISC in any publications and presentations.
  4. A portion of the fellowship stipend will be withheld until the recipient submits their Final Report on their fellowship.
  5. If any item of equipment or supplies purchased with grant funds at an original cost in excess of $500.00 still has monetary value, the resale value must be returned to ARISC; or, upon approval by ARISC, such equipment may be donated to an educational or research institution in the South Caucasus in the name of ARISC.
  6. Funding from this award cannot be used to cover visa expenses.
  7. Meals and Incidental expenses may not exceed the rates set by the US Department of State.
  8. Award recipients are responsible for paying all taxes related to their awards. The fellowship funds awarded are generally considered income in the United States, and therefore must be reported to the tax authorities. ARISC bears no responsibility for withholding or remitting taxes related to these awards.
  9. Award recipients are responsible for ensuring proper medical and evacuation insurance coverage during their time in the field in the South Caucasus. Proof of insurance coverage will be required before disbursement of fellowship funds.
  10. Fellowship recipients are eligible to reapply for a second Junior Research Fellowship (formerly named the Graduate Student, Postdoctoral, and Junior Faculty Research Fellowship) three years after their most recent award.
  11. Selected fellows must work on their research full-time during their period of funding.
  12. All travel between the US and South Caucasus that uses funds from the fellowship program must meet the provisions of the “Fly America Act.”
  13. Given changing travel restrictions and/or travel warnings to many countries, fellows should contact ARISC prior to purchasing air passage.
  14. Proof of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval must be provided, if relevant, upon receipt of fellowship.
  15. While ARISC encourages scholars to apply to other federal and private sources in addition to the ARISC graduate fellowships, ARISC fellows who receive additional awards must contact ARISC immediately to discuss possible date and stipend adjustments.
  16. ARISC reserves the right to adjust the amounts and types of awards given under this program, as well as the general terms and conditions, before award agreements are reached with each recipient.

Selection Process
Fellows will be selected by the ARISC grants panel made up of scholars working in the South Caucasus with experience conducting regional and trans-regional research. Please note that readers may not be specialists in your field. Applicants will be judged according to the following criteria:

  • Merits of the proposal for significance, relevance, and potential contribution to regional and/or trans-regional scholarly research
  • Applicant qualifications
  • Research design and methodology
  • Feasibility in terms of resources and amount of time allocated to the project
  • Proficiency in language required to complete research project, if applicable
  • If language competence is needed for this project, one of the letters of recommendation must address this
  • Quality of the mentoring proposal

Notification
Notification of fellowship status will be sent to each applicant via email in March 2016.

Additional Information
The ARISC Resident Directors in the Baku, Tbilisi, and Yerevan are available to assist the scholars chosen for the program to prepare for their research in the South Caucasus by assisting with logistics such as visa requirements, travel arrangements within the country, and helping to locate research materials and local contacts.

This fellowship is supported with a grant from the US Department of Education.