George and Ilse Hanfmann and Machteld J. Mellink Fellowships

ILSE B. HANFMANN, GEORGE M. A. HANFMANN, AND MACHTELD J. MELLINK FELLOWSHIPS 2025

Announcement [.pdf] [Türkçe]

FELLOWSHIPS: The American Research Institute in Turkey and the Türk-Amerikan Ilmi Arastırmaları Derneği are pleased to announce the  Ilse Böhlund Hanfmann, George Maxim Anossov Hanfmann, and the Machteld Johanna Mellink Fellowships for 2025.  The purpose of these fellowships is to enable nationals of the Republic of Türkiye who are PhD students at Turkish universities working on their PhD theses, or recent PhD holders and currently in Türkiye working towards a career in Türkiye, to conduct research in affiliation with universities or research institutions  abroad (in North America or elsewhere)  for a period ranging from three to nine months.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS:  Candidates for Ph.D. degrees who have finished all course work and passed all qualifying examinations for the degree before entering the tenure of a Hanfmann/Mellink Fellowship are eligible, as are scholars who have received their Ph.D. and have not yet reached 41 years of age by the application deadline.  The archaeological fields that are eligible include Prehistory, Protohistory, Ancient Near Eastern, Anatolian, Greek and Roman, Byzantine, Seljuk and Ottoman.  Also eligible are those who combine archaeology with an additional concentration in Ancient History, Ancient Art History, Languages and Literatures (including Epigraphy) of the Ancient Near East or of Greece and Rome, Geomorphology, or Geophysics, etc..

Selection criteria are excellence in past achievement and future promise.   Financial need by itself is not to be a selection criterion.  Candidates need to demonstrate proficiency in the language of the host institution.  Eligible host institutions include universities qualified in archaeology or related fields at the graduate level, institutions with important research assets (for example, research libraries, collections of antiquities, manuscripts, etc.), museums (for example, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the British Museum, State Museums of Berlin), and archaeological schools (for example, the German Archaeological Institute in Rome, the American School of Classical Studies at Athens).    Establishing affiliation with or admission to a host institution and satisfying whatever requirements the institution may have for affiliation or admission will be the responsibility of the individual.  Receipt of a Hanfmann Fellowship will be contingent on demonstrating proof of affiliation; such proof is not required at the time of application, but communication already initiated with such organizations will be considered.

Recipients of the these fellowships may accept other fellowships or awards.  Only for exceptional reasons may an individual hold a Hanfmann/Mellink Fellowship more than once.

AWARDS: Stipends for Hanfmann Fellowships will be based on length of stay abroad, ranging from US $15,000, for the minimum allowable period of three months, up to $45,000 for an academic year.  Additional expenses for travel are not available. The precise amount to be awarded the successful applicant will be determined by the Selection Committee.

SELECTION COMMITTEE:  The Selection Committee for the Hanfmann Fellowships will be appointed by the Türk Amerikan İlmi Araştırmaları Derneği in Istanbul and Ankara from specialists in archaeology and other areas of relevant studies.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE: A complete application for a Hanfmann or Mellink Fellowship will consist of the following, in Turkish or English:

1. 1.   Curriculum vitae and copy of the identification card.
   2.   A one-paragraph summary of the project.
   3.   A statement of purpose (no more than five pages excluding bibliography) which must include:

1. 1. 1. a.  the title of the project in Turkish and English; a description of the project and its importance,
         b.  a concise survey of the literature on the proposed research topic,
         c.  the contribution of the project to current scholarship,
         d.  a proposed research calendar for the academic year from Fall 2025 to Fall 2026
         e.  the reasons for wanting to study or conduct research abroad for a career in Türkiye,
         f.  at what institutions this work would be conducted, and why the specified institutions would be professionally advantageous at this stage for the applicant’s academic career and specific research interests,
         g.  a bibliography pertaining to the proposed research topic,
         h.  the names and affiliations of specialists from whom letters of recommendation are requested.

   4.   For graduate students: official transcripts of undergraduate and graduate course work.
   5.   Demonstration of proficiency in the language or languages necessary for conducting research abroad.
   6.   Letter of affiliation at host institutions or correspondence leading to affiliation at host institutions,
   7.  Three letters of recommendation from scholars familiar with the applicant’s work. The letters should be sent by the referee directly to the ARIT office or the e-mail address where the application is submitted.

   Applications must be submitted via e-mail as a single .pdf file by 5 pm on Monday, March 3, 2025, to the American Research Institute in Turkey at one of the email addresses below.

*The Merops Foundation supports the fellowships program in honor of eminent archaeologists of Anatolia, Ilse B. Hanfmann, George M. A. Hanfmann, and Machteld J. Mellink.  The program is administered through the Türk Amerikan İlmi Araştırmaları Derneği and the ARIT centers in Istanbul and Ankara.