Approaching Deadline | The David and Catherine Cuthell Summer Research Fellowships in Turkish Studies

Columbia University’s Sakıp Sabancı Center for Turkish Studies is pleased to announce its annual Summer Fellowship competition for students in any area of Turkish Studies, including the study of Turkish-speaking peoples from ancient periods to the modern as well as the study of cultures and civilizations in the former territories of the Ottoman Empire and within the borders of the modern Republic of Turkey. Each fellowship carries a stipend of up to $3,000 and is designed to support library, archival, and collection research in Turkey of no less than one month during the summer of 2022.  Language training in Modern Turkish/Ottoman may be supported if qualified research needs can be demonstrated.

All undergraduates, MA students, and first through sixth-year PhD students in the Humanities and Social Sciences Division of the School of Arts and Sciences at Columbia University are eligible to apply as long as they are in good academic standing.

Students who have received a Sakıp Sabancı Summer Fellowship previously may re-apply, but at equal qualification priority is given to first-time applicants. Fellowship funds may not be used to hire third parties to conduct on-site archival or field research for the fellowship recipient.

Students who wish to apply should submit the following to amb49@columbia.edu:

  • CV

  • A statement (up to 500 words) explaining their research project, as well as a one-page appendix describing the research schedule, a timetable for the project’s completion, and the field research activities (e.g., the library, archival, or collection resources to be accessed, or the individuals to be interviewed).

  • Amount requested and detailed budget, including other sources of funding if applicable

  • Undergraduate and MA students must also submit a letter of recommendation from a faculty member.

The deadline for the submission of the application is Monday, April 25, 2022.

The successful applicants will be notified by May 10. 

(Students who will graduate in May 2022 are not eligible for the fellowship.)

In case the pandemic continues to prohibit travel to and onsite research in Turkey, applicants are asked to identify alternatives to onsite research or to outline how they would conduct their projects from remote locations.  Online language programs may be supported if the pandemic continues to prohibit travel and study abroad.

The call for applications can also be viewed here.