PIMSPontifical Institute
of
Mediaeval Studies

Admission and Registration

Applicants for the Andrew W. Mellon Post-Doctoral Fellowships at the Pontifical Institute must have completed all requirements of the doctoral degree at a recognized institution by the application deadline. The degree should have been approved (if not formally awarded) normally within the five previous years. Applicants should submit a proposal indicating the nature of the research they would undertake at the Institute and letters of support from two scholars who are familiar with their work, together with a curriculum vitae and an official transcript of their graduate studies. In evaluating such applications, the weight and appropriateness of the research proposal will be considered, along with the candidate’s previous studies. Candidates will be expected to come prepared with the languages needed to deal with original sources in their field of study. English will be the language of instruction and discussion.

Programme of Research

Mellon Fellows will pursue a programme of research approved by the Institute Council. Eligible Mellon Fellows are invited to enroll in the postdoctoral programme leading to the Licentiate in Medieval Studies. The object of the Mellon Fellow Programme is to provide an opportunity for the development of each successful applicant’s personal research. Three benefits are provided to advance this aim. First, Mellon Fellows are granted access to the considerable library resources of the Pontifical Institute and the University of Toronto. Second, each Mellon Fellow is assigned an experienced research Advisor to serve as a mentor. Third, each Mellon Fellow receives research assistance from the scholars participating in the interdisciplinary research seminar. Participants include the Mellon Fellows themselves, the full complement of PIMS fellows, and other members of the PIMS and U of T academic community. Scholars participating represent a number of disciplines. In the seminar, each Mellon Fellow presents two papers on his or her research topic, the first in the fall term, the second in the winter term. In the first presentation, Mellon Fellows introduce their research topics as well as any preliminary discoveries they have made; in the second presentation, Mellon Fellows report on their progress and findings. After each Mellon seminar presentation, participating scholars from various disciplines assist the speaker with questions, comments, and recommendations. In this way, the Institute perpetuates the interdisciplinary approach to scholarship that has characterized its tradition from the beginning.

Teaching Opportunity for Mellon Fellows   

Those selected as Mellon Fellows can apply to teach an undergraduate course at the University of St. Michael’s College during their year at the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies.  This course will be an upper-year seminar in the Mediaeval Studies Program, an interdisciplinary undergraduate programme  at USMC.  This course will be offered in spring semesters.  Fellows are entirely free to apply for this opportunity or not; teaching is not required for the Mellon Fellowship. 

 Interested Fellows will have an opportunity to submit a provisional course title and a brief description (around 50 words) based on their research interests or areas of expertise.  Course proposals should complement the existing Mediaeval Studies curriculum and provide an innovative opportunity for undergraduate students to engage with new research in the field.  Only one such course can be offered each academic year, so if more than one Fellow applies, the University's Mediaeval Studies Program coordinator will select the most suitable proposal. (PIMS and USMC reserve the right not to offer a course in a year that no suitable proposal is submitted.)  The Fellow chosen to teach will be paid the standard compensation for a course at USMC; this compensation (approximately $8,500) will be above and beyond the funding provided through the Mellon Fellowship.

Facilities and Residential Accommodation

Mellon Fellows will be provided with study space and full access to the facilities of the Institute Library. They will enjoy the status of Visiting Scholars in the University of Toronto with the access this implies to the University’s libraries and health plan. The Institute cannot provide residential accommodation. A few suggestions, together with a topical guide of interest to prospective and new fellows, may be found in Orientations, elsewhere on this site.

Current Mellon Fellows

For a list of all current Mellon Fellows, together with a brief outline of their recent scholarship, see Mellon Fellows and Visitors: Archive.

Applications

Completed materials, as well as all supporting documents, must be received no later than 1 February for an applicant to be considered for a Mellon Fellowship in the following academic year.

Please download the PDF application form to your computer before filling in the form fields. This application form, a curriculum vitae, and a research proposal should be sent in an electronic format (such as a pdf attachment to an email) to Semira Abdella, the President’s Executive Assistant: pims.secretary@utoronto.ca. She will acknowledge your submission.

Letters of reference, on letterhead and signed, can be sent directly by the referees to Semira Abdella either as email attachments (preferred) or by post to Semira Abdella, Office of the President, PIMS, 59 Queen’s Park Crescent East, Toronto, ON, M5S 2C4, Canada.

Official confirmation of the PhD should be sent directly to PIMS by the awarding university, either electronically to Semira Abdella or in hard copy to Semira Abdella, Office of the President, PIMS, 59 Queen’s Park Crescent East, Toronto, ON, M5S 2C4, Canada. The confirmation should state that the dissertation has been examined and that appropriate university authorities have approved awarding of the PhD.

For further details, please contact Semira Abdella (phone: 416-926-7142).