Princeton University – Postdoctoral Fellowships 2025-28

1. Cover Letter: 1½ single-spaced pages maximum, addressed to the search committee.
2. Curriculum Vitae.
3. Dissertation Abstract: no more than one single-spaced page.
4. Writing Sample:
   • • One chapter of the dissertation or one published / forthcoming article related to your dissertation topic that best represents your intellectual interests.
     • No more than 25 double-spaced pages; endnotes / bibliography / illustrations may be included in addition.
     • If the text portion of the sample you wish to submit is longer than 25 pages, please edit for length and summarize the deleted portions.
5. Research Project for the Fellowship Term:
   • • Two to three double-spaced pages; no bibliography is necessary.
     • We expect this research statement will usually be a proposal to revise the dissertation for publication.
     • However, if you have given serious thought to a second research project, and / or already prepared your dissertation for publication, you may dedicate some or most of the three pages to this new project.
6. Two-Course Proposals:
   • • Briefly outline two sample courses you would be interested in teaching at Princeton.
     • It is not necessary to include syllabi, but, in addition to the course descriptions, please provide sample reading lists.
     • One proposed course should offer an introduction to a topic of your choice for first and second-year students from different fields (typically a 200-level course at Princeton).
     • The other course should be a more advanced undergraduate seminar in your own discipline with broad appeal to juniors and/or seniors in your host department (300 or 400-level).
     • The two course descriptions and reading lists together should not exceed three double-spaced pages.
7. Proof of Ph.D. or Progress to Degree:
   • • For applicants with the Ph.D. degree: a document confirming your completion of all requirements for the Ph.D. degree. This may be a formal Ph.D. certificate, an official transcript, or a letter from your dean, graduate school, or registrar.
     • For ABD (All But Dissertation) applicants only: a letter from the Department Chair or Director of Graduate Studies confirming your “progress to degree.” It is advisable that you secure this document well before the August 6 application deadline.
     • Your Department Chair may write both the brief letter confirming your progress and, if you wish, also one of the three letters of recommendation in support of your application.
     • Please note that these will have to be two separate documents, as you will need to upload the “progress to degree” letter as part of your dossier by the application deadline.
     • Referees will be contacted by the Society of Fellows directly with an invitation to upload their confidential letters to the online portal once your application has been submitted, as outlined below.
8. Reference Letters:
   1. • Applicants are asked to name three referees on the online application form.
      • Within 24 hours following an application’s submission, referees can expect to receive an automated email from the Dean of the Faculty’s office at Princeton with the request to submit their recommendation, confidentially and securely, to the online application portal.
      • Please note that it is the applicant’s responsibility to contact referees well before submitting an application.

Notes:

• To Department Chair or Director of Graduate Studies: Candidates may apply only once to the Society of Fellows. Therefore, we advise applicants to wait until they have a substantial portion of their dissertation completed (at least half) before applying.
• The “progress to degree” letter need not contain an evaluation but should state that the candidate has a substantial portion of the dissertation written at the time of application and is fully expected to have completed all requirements for the Ph.D., including filing and defense, by June 15, 2025.
• Should a finalist not be able to meet this deadline, a fellowship offer would have to be rescinded.
• While the deadline for applicants is Tuesday, August 6, 2024, referees may submit their letters to Princeton University’s online application portal until Tuesday, August 13, 2024 (ET).
• Reference letters need to be uploaded in PDF format; signed letters on institutional letterhead are preferred, if possible. Letters may be addressed to the search committee. We ask that reference letters are not sent via email, and we cannot consider more than three letters of recommendation.
• Applicants are welcome to use dossier services for the submission of reference letters, however, they will need to consult the dossier service of their choice for specific instructions.
• To participate in the 2025-28 fellowship competition, applicants need to submit the following documents, along with an online application form, to the application portal by August 6, 2024 (11:59 ET).