The American Bar Foundation is currently accepting applications for two doctoral fellowships.
American Bar Foundation/AccessLex Institute Doctoral Fellowship in Legal and Higher Education
About the fellowship
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) and AccessLex Institute are committed to developing the next generation of scholars interested in empirical and interdisciplinary research on legal and higher education. The purpose of this fellowship is to assist emerging scholars who are studying issues of access, affordability, or value in legal and higher education. This doctoral fellowship program seeks to assemble and coordinate a professional network of scholars who will produce innovative, objective, empirical, and interdisciplinary research in the field. Fellowships are held in residence at the ABF and fellowship appointments are full-time. Fellows are expected to participate fully in the academic life of the ABF so they may develop close collegial ties with faculty and other scholars in residence.
Fellows will receive a stipend of $35,000 each year for two years, beginning September 1, 2021. Doctoral fellows should retain benefits, including healthcare, through their home institutions. Fellows will also have access to a modest research account to reimburse expenses associated with research, travel to meet with advisors, or travel to conferences at which papers are presented. Reasonable relocation expenses may be reimbursed on application.
Questions about the fellowship may be sent to fellowships@abfn.org with the subject line “ABF/AccessLex Doctoral Fellowship Program in Legal and Higher Education.”
Qualifications
The ABF/AccessLex Doctoral Fellowship Program will support one pre-doctoral fellowship. Applications are invited from outstanding students who are candidates for LLM, SJD, and PhD degrees across a broad range of disciplines, who have completed all doctoral requirements except the dissertation by September 1, 2021. Doctoral research must address significant issues in the field and show promise of a major contribution to social scientific understanding of legal or higher education. Students from underrepresented minority groups are especially encouraged to apply. There are no citizenship requirements for this fellowship; non-US nationals are welcome to apply, but ABF cannot sponsor visas through the Department of Homeland Security.
To apply
Interested students should submit the following materials to the online application system by January 15, 2021:
- 1-2 page cover letter
- 2-3 page description of a research project or interest that relates to legal or higher education
- Resume or CV
- A writing sample that is reflective of the candidate’s best work and appropriate to the candidate’s discipline
- Names and contact information for three references, one of whom should be the candidate’s dissertation chairperson
- A Contributions to Diversity Statement (2-3 pages) that highlights demonstrated and planned efforts to promote diversity and equity through research or other work, including detailed examples and descriptions that demonstrate both understanding and actions in the following areas:
- Awareness of and ability to articulate understanding regarding diversity broadly conceived, and historical, social, and environmental factors that influence the underrepresentation of particular groups in academia; life experiences may be an important aspect of this understanding
- A track record, calibrated to career stage, of engagement and activity related to diversity, equity, and inclusion; specific details about these activities should be provided, including goals, strategies, outcomes, and the candidate’s role in the cited activities (cited evidence typically consists of multiple examples of action from undergraduate through current career stage)
- Specific and concrete goals, plans, and priorities for engagement on diversity, equality, and inclusion as a potential law faculty member
American Bar Foundation/National Science Foundation Doctoral Fellowship in Law and Inequality
About the fellowship
The American Bar Foundation (ABF) and National Science Foundation (NSF) are committed to developing the next generation of scholars in the field of law and social science. The purpose of this fellowship is to encourage original and significant empirical and interdisciplinary research on the study of law and inequality. Fellowships are held in residence at the ABF and fellowship appointments are full-time. Fellows are expected to participate fully in the academic life of the ABF so they may develop close collegial ties with faculty and other scholars in residence.
Fellows will receive a stipend of $35,000 each year for two years, beginning September 1, 2021. Doctoral fellows should retain benefits, including healthcare, through their home institutions. Fellows will also have access to a modest research account to reimburse expenses associated with research, travel to meet with advisors, or travel to conferences at which papers are presented. Reasonable relocation expenses may be reimbursed on application.
Questions about the fellowship may be sent to fellowships@abfn.org with the subject line “ABF/NSF Doctoral Fellowship Program in Law & Inequality.”
Qualifications
Applications are invited from outstanding students who are candidates for PhD degrees and who have completed all doctoral requirements except the dissertation by September 1, 2021. Doctoral research must be in the general area of socio-legal studies or involve social scientific approaches to the law, legal institutions, or legal processes. The research must address significant issues in the field and show promise of a major contribution to social scientific understanding of law and inequality. Students from underrepresented minority groups are especially encouraged to apply. Only US citizens are eligible to apply.
To apply
Interested students should submit the following materials to the online application system by January 15, 2021:
- 1-2 page cover letter
- A dissertation abstract or proposal with an outline of the substance and methods of the research
- A CV
- Names and contact information for three references, one of whom should be the candidate’s dissertation chairperson
- A writing sample that is reflective of the candidate’s best work and appropriate to the candidate’s discipline
- A Contributions to Diversity Statement (2-3 pages) that highlights demonstrated and planned efforts to promote diversity and equity through research or other work, including detailed examples and descriptions that demonstrate both understanding and actions in the following areas:
- Awareness of and ability to articulate understanding regarding diversity broadly conceived, and historical, social, and environmental factors that influence the underrepresentation of particular groups in academia; life experiences may be an important aspect of this understanding
- A track record, calibrated to career stage, of engagement and activity related to diversity, equity, and inclusion; specific details about these activities should be provided, including goals, strategies, outcomes, and the candidate’s role in the cited activities (cited evidence typically consists of multiple examples of action from undergraduate through current career stage)
- Specific and concrete goals, plans, and priorities for engagement on diversity, equality, and inclusion as a potential law faculty member