OSU Center for the Humanities
2025-2026 Application for Research Group Fellowships
Theme: LAND
The OSU Center for the Humanities invites applications for its fourth cohort of Humanities Research Group Fellows. This is a flagship program of the Center that incentivizes a shift from individual, often siloed, research structures to a cross-disciplinary team model in which participants unite under a shared research focus, with the goal of envisioning new collaborative research opportunities.
In the 2025-2026 academic year, there will be 2 research groups, each of which will
include 3 competitively selected fellows. Fellows will participate in an academic-year
cohort tasked with creatively envisioning collaborative research outcomes. During
those two semesters, fellows will be expected to meet twice monthly with their research
cohort and 4-6 times over the year with all the fellows. The full cohort meetings
will focus on logistical-support topics such as grants and funding application tips,
publishing across disciplines, campus resources, mentoring, advocacy, and leadership.
Selected fellows will be awarded $3,000 each in funding for the year in respectful
acknowledgement of the commitment required for participation in this program.
Research groups will be expected to present a proposal at the culmination of the fellowship
year for putting their collaborative vision into action. While creative thinking for
what those collaborative outcomes might be is not limited, examples of outcomes might
include co-authored publications, public programs, exhibitions, digital resources,
collaborative classroom, or teaching opportunities. Applicants should be interested
in exploring innovative approaches to addressing social problems and impacting communities
both within and beyond campus.
Fellows may include faculty, staff, and graduate students and come from diverse disciplines within and beyond traditional humanities areas. The program aims to bring together complementing perspectives and skills as well as disciplines, and seeks individual applicants who are open to being matched into groups with the goal of creating a new research project collaboratively.
Expectation of commitment to working with diverse perspectives:
Although research in this program can focus on a wide range of topics, participating
fellows must be invested in intentionally practicing models that support diversity,
equity, and inclusion within the fellow cohorts. This includes respecting a diversity
of positionalities from participants and intentionally including participants with
different modes of contributing to the group. Cohort members will come with varying
degrees of experience and points on a career trajectory, but everyone brings unique
contributions to the collaboration. There will be times when individuals will need
to step back, step forward, and/or lift up members within your cohort.
2025-2026 area of focus for research groups:
Both of this year’s research groups will involve the theme of “Land.” This topic is
intentionally broad to offer a wide range of inclusive possibilities for collaborative
and interdisciplinary projects grounded in the humanities. Moreover, we encourage
all groups to consider how their projects might align with the public humanities,
social justice, equity and access, and anti-racism work. With this in mind, each group
should consider a public-facing component for their project; examples might include
exhibitions, community partner collaborative programs, open-access resources, or digital
products. We welcome applications from those interested in pushing the boundaries
of the humanities to be more experimental, innovative, and expansive. See examples
of past Fellow collaborative projects on the OSU Center for Humanities website:
LAND
Projects and interests in may include (but are not limited to): environmental justice,
ecocriticism, landscapes, climate change, water rights, sovereignty, the Land Back
movement, land grant institutions, sustainability, and impacts on health.
- Additional possible subfields and/or topics may include social justice, peace and/or conflict studies, nonviolence studies, democracy, human/animal studies, human geography, health and science perspectives
Application Details:
Due June 20, 2025, submit a google form w/ attachments
Info session: Virtual, Tuesday, May 27, 12-1pm Central
Register for Zoom link here:
- Complete the application form
- Attach your CV
- Provide letter of intent (maximum length, 2 pages, single-spaced)
Your letter of intent should:
- Describe your experience or interest in the theme
- Outline your experience or interest in collaborative and/or interdisciplinary research; feel free to list the skills, approaches, or roles for collaboration you would bring to the group
- Explain how you would bring your individual subject expertise to a collaborative space in order to think through unique solutions under a shared umbrella, rather than having preconceived projects in mind
- Discuss how you envision humanities-based research and practice affecting the public good (either/both on and off campus)
- Optional: Provide ideas regarding potential collaborators - Do you know people or applicants on campus already who have shared interest in joining this program?
Funding Details:
Salary Option: $3000 as additional salary, delivered in December 2025. This option
will be subject to taxes as regular salary.
Research Grant Option: $3,000 to support a research/scholarly project. The grant becomes available July 1, 2025 and must be used by June 30, 2026. Eligible budget items include supplies, equipment, and research-related travel. Restrictions on the use of state funds apply (no food, gifts, personal memberships, etc.). All OSU travel policies and procedures must be followed. Please coordinate with your departmental financial assistant before making purchases or planning travel.
Research Grant Option: $3,000 to support a research/scholarly project. The grant becomes available July 1, 2025 and must be used by June 30, 2026. Eligible budget items include supplies, equipment, and research-related travel. Restrictions on the use of state funds apply (no food, gifts, personal memberships, etc.). All OSU travel policies and procedures must be followed. Please coordinate with your departmental financial assistant before making purchases or planning travel.