Junior Fellows Program, Science, Religion, and Culture Program, Harvard Divinity School
General Description:
Open to Master's students across Harvard with research interests in science studies and religious studies, the Junior Fellowship is an opportunity for young scholars to develop their skills, grow their networks, and build solid foundations for future scholarship through the creation of publication-ready research projects.
Meeting every week, either as a cohort or at the wider SRC colloquium, the Junior Fellowship provides year-long mentorship, professional development, and focused training in research methods and writing skills, all within an interdisciplinary community of scholars. Individually, fellows develop research projects and cultivate their professional skills under the guidance of faculty and advanced doctoral students. As members of a lively academic community, fellows collaborate with their peers to refine their projects and design effective conference presentations.
By the completion of the fellowship, fellows will have written a publishable research paper and presented their findings at the annual SRC research symposium. This training can prepare fellows to apply to doctoral studies in various fields and to pursue different professional endeavors.
Fellowship Requirements:
Research project: Under intensive mentorship from SRC faculty and researchers, junior fellows are expected to develop a focused research project over the course of their fellowship year. The research project has two required final outputs:
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Journal submission: Fellows produce a long paper for submission to a peer-reviewed journal to be identified in consultation with Professor Ragab and the fellows coordinator.
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Conference presentation: Fellows present their research to the community at the SRC year-end symposium. This entails developing a visual or multimedia component to enhance the text.
WiP talks: Junior fellows are required to deliver one or two work-in-progress (WiP) talks each term. WiPs are meetings for junior fellows where each fellow presents a pre-circulated draft and receives feedback and questions from the other fellows and fellows coordinator. Each WiP includes a 20-minute presentation followed by 40 minutes of discussion.
SRC colloquium and fellows workshop: Fellows are expected to attend and actively participate in the weekly SRC colloquium and fellows-only workshop meetings. The colloquium and workshop both meet on Thursdays from 6–8 PM, on alternating weeks. The colloquium and the fellows workshop are two different but connected year-long courses, HDS2992A and HDS2992B, and fellows must take both.
Writing mentorship: In addition to these meetings, fellows are also advised to set up one-on-one meetings with the fellows coordinator once a month to discuss the progress of their research projects.
Applying for the Junior Fellows Program:
To apply for the program, please submit the following materials:
1. Curriculum vitae.
2. Statement of purpose: A cover letter of 1–2 pages explaining your interest in the study of science, religion, and culture, and why you would like to be a part of this program specifically. The statement of purpose should explain the project that you intend to pursue during the fellowship year.
3. Writing sample: 10–15 pages of continuous academic prose demonstrating your ability to argue a thesis from evidence.
Please submit your application materials using this form (or copy and paste this link: https://goo.gl/forms/ULpmfhVVE6WnfIoY2)
For any questions, please email src@hds.harvard.edu
Learn more here!