Research Fellowship Application Instructions

Apply at:  tinyurl.com/aiisjuniorfellows

• A completed application form including
  • Biographic and Scholarly Information
  • Project Title and Project Discipline 
  • 350 word project abstract
  • 150 word fieldwork justification statement
  • Short CV (no more than 2 pages)
  • Unofficial transcripts from undergraduate and graduate institutions
• A project statement (2100 words or less) describing the proposed research including:
  • Detailed research questions and rationale
  • The significance of your project and its relevance to other scholarship
  • Research methodology
  • Timetable for completion of the project
  • Applicants are asked to include the word count at the end of the project statement
• A 1-3 page bibliography that supports your project statement and gives readers a sense of how your project engages with existing scholarship
• A personal statement of 350 words or less that provides information not included in other parts of the application to contextualize the application. Applicants might include biographical details, challenges faced by the applicant, sources or inspiration, or other experiences the applicant believes are relevant.
• A revision statement of 500 words or less (optional)
  • Applicants who have previously unsuccessfully applied for the AIIS Junior Fellowship with the same project may submit a revision statement describing how the new application differs from the previous one.

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Additional Information for Junior Fellowship Applicants:

1. All applications will be evaluated by multiple scholars in the field of Indian studies, but not all the reviewers are specialists in the applicant’s field. Make your writing, including your project abstract, fieldwork justification, project statement, and revision statement, free from jargon and approachable by a non-specialist audience of Indian studies scholars.
2. Non-US citizens are welcome to apply for AIIS funding if they are enrolled as a doctoral student at a US-institution.
3. Applications will be evaluated in two rounds. In Round 1, reviewers will only look at the information provided on the application form, including your cv, project abstract, and fieldwork justification. Finalists from round 1 will be evaluated on their project statement, bibliography, personal statement, and revision statement.
4. Finalists will be announced by the middle of March. Fellowship recipients will be announced by the beginning of May.
5. AIIS applicants will not be provided with feedback on their applications. Any questions about their application can be addressed to
6. All Fellows, regardless of citizenship status, must obtain a Certificate of Affiliation with an Indian research center. All US citizens must either obtain a research visa or if an OCI cardholder, special research permission. AIIS will provide assistance in obtaining all necessary documents required for research in India.
7. Fellowship recipients must show proof of travel to receive the fellowship award. Proof of travel is generally a plane ticket, but if necessary, other documents can be used. Travel must take place within two years of selection. 
8. AIIS has extremely limited funds for fellowships. If you have been awarded a fellowship or scholarship for your research greater than $10,000, you are not eligible to hold the two fellowships together. In this situation, we ask that you please relinquish your AIIS fellowship so that another fellow might take it.

Mentoring Service

AIIS is offering a mentoring service to junior fellowship applicants who do not have faculty advisors with South Asia expertise at their home institutions.

Evaluation Criteria

The Selection Committee will assess each application on the following basis:

• Excellence and merit of the project
• Project Design and methodology
• The candidate’s academic and/or professional record

Members of the Selection Committee represent a number of different academic disciplines within the field of Indian Studies, so the applicant must explain the nature and significance of the project in terms intelligible to a non-specialist audience. Please avoid jargon and be as concise as possible. Applicants who are not affiliated with an AIIS member institution are WELCOME to apply.

Apply at: tinyurl.com/aiistravelfellows

Early Career Scholar Travel Fellowship applicants will provide a completed application form including:

• Biographic and Scholarly Information
• Project Title and Project Discipline 
• Project Summary (700 words or less)
• Fieldwork Justification (150 words or less)
• Research Output (100 words or less)
• Short CV (3 pages or less)

Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Additional Information for Early Career Scholar Travel Fellowship Applicants:

1. All applications will be evaluated by multiple scholars in the field of Indian studies, but not all the reviewers are specialists in the applicant’s field. Make your writing, including your project summary, fieldwork justification, and research output statement, free from jargon and approachable by a non-specialist audience of Indian studies scholars.
2. Non-US citizens are welcome to apply for AIIS funding if they are full-time faculty at a US institution.
3. Fellowship recipients will be announced by the beginning of May.
4. AIIS applicants will not be provided with feedback on their applications. Any questions about their application can be addressed to
5. All US citizens must either obtain a research visa or if an OCI cardholder, special research permission, to carry out research in India. AIIS will provide assistance in obtaining all necessary documents required for research in India.
6. Fellowship recipients must show proof of travel to receive the fellowship award. Proof of travel is generally a plane ticket, but if necessary, other documents can be used. Travel must take place within two years of selection.