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 Academic Council of the Institute, and with an Institute advisor. Alternatively, they are invited to take the postdoctoral programme leading to the Licentiate in Medieval Studies.

The object of the programme is to provide optimum opportunity for the development of the candidate’s personal research in the context of the Institute’s library resources and the interdisciplinary nature of the traditional Licence programme at the Pontifical Institute. The candidate should bear this in mind and envisage the development of the proposed project accordingly. This development will be accomplished through the scholarly exchange of the Research Seminar and through personal contact with Fellows of the Institute. The content of the Seminar from year to year will reflect the needs and interests of those participating, but the governing principle will be to incorporate into the established research interests of each visiting fellow the various disciplines and interdisciplinary approaches that have characterized the Institute’s scholarly traditions from its inception.

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 applications, as well as all supporting documentation, must be received no later than 1 February every academic year.

• Application forms, completed by the candidate, should be sent by email to the Registrar Joseph Pilsner. Please download the PDF application form to your computer before filling in the form fields. Please submit all materials in electronic format, such as PDF or email.
• Letters of reference can be sent directly by the referees. Letters should be on letterhead and signed. Letters can be sent by email (preferred) to the Registrar Joseph Pilsner, or by mail to the Registrar, 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, in hard copy (to the Registrar, PIMS, 59 Queen's Park Crescent East, Toronto, ON, M5S 2C4, Canada) or electronically (to the Registrar Joseph Pilsner), by 1 February, stating that the PhD has been examined and that its award has been approved by the appropriate authority.

For further details, please contact Joseph Pilsner, Registrar (phone 416 926 7291).