IUB-Institute for Indigenous Knowledge Graduate Research Fellowship

Graduate Research Fellowship Overview

This fellowship is designed to support advanced doctoral students whose dissertation research is grounded in Indigenous Studies and who would benefit from dedicated time and space to focus on writing.
The Fellowship is typically awarded to a doctoral student in the final one to two years of dissertation writing. It is intended for ABD students who need sustained time to write without the demands of teaching or other major obligations, although students who are not ABD will still be considered.

Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral program within the College of Arts & Sciences at Indiana University, and their dissertation research should be substantively grounded in Indigenous Studies, broadly defined. Students from any discipline within the College are encouraged to apply.

Fellowship Support

The IIK Graduate Research Fellow will receive:

• A 10-month stipend of approximately $24,000
• A full tuition waiver
• Health insurance coverage
• A dedicated office space at the Institute for Indigenous Knowledge for the duration of the fellowship (with the expectation that you will use the space unless traveling for fieldwork or other research-related activity)
  This support is intended to provide the Fellow with the conditions necessary for sustained, focused dissertation writing.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be enrolled in a doctoral program within IU’s College of Arts & Sciences
• Have completed all coursework required for the doctoral degree
• Be in the final one to two years of dissertation writing
• Conduct dissertation research grounded in Indigenous Studies
• Be available to hold the fellowship during the 2026–2027 academic year

Fellowship Expectations

While the Fellow is free to pursue their own dissertation research and writing, they are expected to make an intellectual contribution to the Indigenous scholarly community at Indiana University. This contribution may take many forms, such as participation in IIK events, informal engagement with other Indigenous and Indigenous-ally scholars and students or sharing work-in-progress in an IIK-sponsored setting. The Fellowship emphasizes mutual enrichment: supporting the Fellow’s scholarly progress while strengthening the intellectual vibrancy of Indigenous Studies at IU.

For questions about the fellowship or application process, please contact the Institute for Indigenous Knowledge via email (iik@iu.edu)

Timeframe

Applications and a letter of recommendation from one’s dissertation advisor must be submitted online no later than March 6th, 2026, for full consideration.
Applicants will be notified of a decision by March 27, 2026.
The fellowship period is August 2026 through May 2027.