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Field Fellowship Application Information

The Museum is currently accepting applications for the Field Fellowship through Sunday, March 31, 2012. 

Fellowships at the National Building Museum provide scholars with opportunities to pursue independent research related to the Museum’s areas of interest in the building arts. Research projects relating to the Museum’s collections, exhibitions, or public programs are encouraged. In addition to independent research, fellowships provide opportunities for interdisciplinary learning through exposure to all aspects of the Museum’s daily operations.

The Museum’s educational programs focus on disciplines relating to the built environment including architecture, landscape architecture, urban planning, design, engineering, construction, and historic preservation. Projects or studies that broaden and diversify the research conducted within these disciplines are also encouraged. For 2012 fellowship areas of interest include:

  • Sustainable design, planning, or building practices
  • Structural engineering and design resilience for natural disasters
  • Specialty building materials
  • The built environment of Washington, D.C., with particular emphasis on federal policy and/or interventions
  • Play, learning, and building related toys
  • Intersections between architecture and photography, film, or other fields within the fine arts

The National Building Museum’s permanent collections are particularly strong in the materials, styles, and construction practices that defined urban America from the end of the 19th through the first half of the 20th century. For more details, please visit our collections page.

Award

Fellowships are awarded for a period of ten weeks. In accepting the appointment, the Field Fellow will be expected to devote his/her full-time efforts to the research proposed and to be in residence at the National Building Museum, except for approved absences. The Field Fellow will receive a $5,000 stipend and a research allowance up to $250. Tenure must be established and completed between September 1, 2012, and June 30, 2013 in consultation with Museum staff.

Eligibility

Applicants must be enrolled in a graduate program seeking or having already received their Master’s or Ph.D. in a field such as architecture, landscape architecture, architectural history, planning, civil engineering, history of technology, historic preservation, American history or studies, or decorative arts. Fellowships target students who have completed coursework and preliminary examinations for the doctoral degree, and are engaged in dissertation research. Postdoctoral Fellowships may be awarded to scholars who have held the doctoral degree or equivalent for fewer than five years. Applicants whose native language is not English are expected to have the ability to write and converse fluently in English.

Application Process

Each complete application will include a resume or CV (not to exceed three pages); two academic references; a statement of interest from the applicant (not to exceed three pages); and a writing sample of 10 to 12 pages.  

The statement of interest should 1) propose a topic in accordance with one of the stated subject areas, 2) submit a detailed research proposal describing why or how the project supports the fellow's own work, and 3) explain why the National Building Museum is an appropriate place for the fellow to carry out his/her research.

One of the required letters of reference must be from the chair of the department, an academic dean, or the director of graduate studies.  Letters of reference should address:

  • The tenure and nature of the relationship with the student
  • The scholarly level of the student's work and the scholar's potential
  • The feasibility and appropriateness of the proposed project
  • The scholar's ability to contribute to the intellectual life of the Museum

To begin your application, complete the online form. For questions, contact Museum curator Chrysanthe B. Broikos at cbroikos@nbm.org.

Selection Criteria

Applications to the Museum's Fellowship Program are reviewed by staff and affiliated advisors. Only complete applications will be considered. Quality ranking factors governing selection include the merit of the proposal; the research and academic record of the applicant; the degree of applicability to the Museum's areas of interest; and the likelihood that the research can be completed during the appointment period. The National Building Museum's Fellowship Program does not discriminate on grounds of race, creed, sex, age, marital status, disability, or national origin.

Important Dates

Application deadline: March 31, 2012

Announcement of 2012 Field Fellow: April 23, 2012

Conditions of Appointment

Fellowships are awarded for a period of ten weeks. In accepting an appointment, the Field Fellow will be expected to devote his/her full-time efforts to the research proposed and to be in residence at the National Building Museum except for approved absences. Financial support will be a stipend of $5,000.00 with up to $250.00 additionally available for approved direct expenses.

In addition to monetary assistance, fellows will be supported by the Museum with a study carrel, computer station, an email account, access to printers, and photocopying, fax, and phone privileges, as well as access to the staff library and the Museum's collections. Fellows will meet with Museum staff on a regular basis, and the Field Fellow will be invited to weekly brown bag lunches with staff and invited guests.

Each fellow will give an introductory presentation of their proposed research project for Museum staff, as well as a final presentation for staff and invited guests. The findfings and products of the research will be shared with Museum staff by a mutually agreed upon means, such as a written report, PowerPoint presentation, printed index of findings, or other.