Mellon Foundation awards to fund postdoctoral fellowships

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded more than $1.8 million to the University of Wisconsin–Madison to support postdoctoral fellowships in the humanities, history and humanistic social sciences.

The funds will create 12 two-year Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships in the Humanities in the College of Letters & Science. The Mellon Foundation, located in New York, previously provided $2.5 million to the College for Disciplinary Crossings in the 21st Century Public University, enabling the hires of 12 new faculty members.

Disciplinary Crossings is expanding the scope and reach of the humanities in a number of fields that address the “crossings” of knowledge between the West and the regions of Eurasia, the Pacific Rim, Indian Ocean and the eastern Mediterranean. The Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowships will build upon the Disciplinary Crossings initiative.

“These new postdoctoral fellows will increase the impact and value of the Mellon Foundation’s earlier commitment for Disciplinary Crossings in the 21st Century Public University as the postdoctoral scholars are integrated into and benefit from the programs which that initiative makes possible,” says UW–Madison Chancellor Biddy Martin.

Funding for fellowships in the humanities can be hard to find. That makes the Mellon Foundation’s support all the more valuable, says Gary Sandefur, dean of the College of Letters & Science.

“I am excited that this grant will bring some of the brightest young minds to UW–Madison to teach, study and research in the humanities,” Sandefur says. “These postdoctoral fellowships will enliven the intellectual community in Letters and Science and the larger campus community.”

By exploring varieties of history and changing patterns or linguistic, literary, religious, philosophical and cultural influence, Disciplinary Crossings will help support and sustain fresh perspectives on the realities of global relationships in the 21st century.

Visit http://www.mellon.org for more on the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.