Research Fellowships

This fellowship is open to U.S. citizen pre-doctoral candidates (ABD), postdoctoral scholars, faculty and senior scholars at museums, universities and institutions worldwide for a minimum stay of three months and a maximum stay of 12 months. The U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs funds the fellowship through a grant to the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC).

• Four to six fellowships are funded annually. Per diem ranges from $2,200-$3,520 per month based on academic rank, plus round trip airfare.

Fields of Study: Anthropology, Archaeology, Architecture, Art, Art History, Comparative Literature, Coptic Studies, Economics, Egyptology, Ethnomusicology, Gender Studies, History, Humanistic Social Sciences, Islamic Studies, Literature, Music, Political Science, and Religious Studies.

• Applicants may be ABD doctoral candidates, postdoctoral, faculty or independent scholars. An independent scholar is defined as someone holding a PhD or another terminal degree who may not be affiliated with an academic or other institution on a temporary or permanent basis.
• Applicant must be an American citizen and at an accredited university in the U.S. or abroad.

The Application: Complete the Research Fellowship. It consists of the following components:

• An online application form
• A 1500 word research proposal that:
• Describes your intended research
• Describes your research methodology(ies)
• Demonstrates the need to consult sources in Egypt
• Explains the scholarly significance of your research and your qualifications to undertake the research
• Assesses the feasibility of completing your research within the proposed timeframe
• Describes the final publication format (dissertation, book, chapter, etc.) of your research
• Two recommendation letters for all applicants PLUS one language proficiency recommendation letter for pre-doctoral applicants
• Graduate and undergraduate transcripts for pre-doctoral applicants. Please remove all password protections from transcripts prior to submission.

Ministry Security Forms:

• Antiquities applicants:
  • Ministry of Antiquities security form
  • Passport style photograph with white background
  • One-page CV
  • 100–200-words Arabic abstract describing the proposed research (uploaded as a PDF document). Keep the language simple and do not use academic jargon.
• Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) All other applicants:
• Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) security form (Arabic)
• Ministry of Higher Education (MoHE) application form (English)
• 100-200 word Arabic abstract describing the proposed research (uploaded as a PDF document). Keep the language simple and do not use academic jargon.

MoTA-affiliated applicants:  Fellowships are not intended to support participation on an expedition as an expedition member. It is possible for you to associate with an expedition to access research materials in an expedition storeroom or to conduct independent research at an expedition site. If this describes your research, please contact Academic Programs Coordinator Nesma Attiatalla, prior to submitting your application arcefellows@arce.org to determine its acceptability under the ARCE guidelines.

Important Note: All scholars conducting research with ARCE’s administrative, or financial support require security clearance from the Egyptian government. If your research relies on interviews, public observation, questionnaires, participant observation, visual anthropology, or attending public events or if your research focuses on the military, religious movements, civilian-military relations, or politics in the current century it is unlikely you will gain clearance. Applicants should consult the Cairo office prior to completing your application if any of those scenarios applies to you.

Research Associates: In addition to offering funded fellowships, independent scholars with funding from private sources may apply to ARCE for research associate status using the same application as Fellowship candidates. Research associates receive the same administrative support in terms of clearances, permissions and mentoring as ARCE Fellows, but do not receive funding. Many independent scholars find that establishing this association with ARCE facilitates their ability to conduct research in Egypt. Research associates will be charged a modest fee for services if their universities are not ARCE research supporting members. Applicants who are awarded alternate status will automatically be invited to conduct their research as ARCE Research Associates.

Application Submission Deadline: January 5th, 2025, 11:59 PM EST.