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Fresco at The Palace of Hippodrome

Opportunities for Scholars at Risk

Dumbarton Oaks Mentorship Program and Research Grants for Scholars Affected by the Conflict in Ukraine

In response to the current conflict in Ukraine, Dumbarton Oaks is offering two initiatives to support scholars at risk. The newest initiative—a four-session remote mentorship program co-organized with scholars at Boise State University, University of Kent, Princeton University, and Tufts University—will offer professional development and workshop opportunities around a variety of topics. The second initiative is a limited number of research grants, open to scholars active in any of the three areas of studies supported by Dumbarton Oaks, namely Byzantine Studies, Pre-Colombian Studies, and Garden and Landscape Studies.

Mentorship Program

Dumbarton Oaks | North of Byzantium | Connected Central European Worlds, 1500-1700

Applications are currently closed.

Co-organizers: Tomasz Grusiecki (Boise State University), Suzanna Ivanič (University of Kent), Nikos D. Kontogiannis (Dumbarton Oaks), Maria Alessia Rossi (Princeton University), Alice Isabella Sullivan (Tufts University)

We invite applications for a remote four-session mentorship program tailored to early-career scholars affected by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. This program is meant to offer professional development and workshop opportunities around the following topics:

  • Publishing in top academic journals and books
  • Writing successful grant applications
  • Preparing successful job documents
  • Disseminating research in different contexts

Each professional development event will include presentations from experts and opportunities for Q&A and feedback. These events will be followed by one-on-one mentoring sessions, which are intended to expand on the feedback received, while offering additional tailored guidance for each participant. There might be the possibility for an in-person gathering of all participants upon the completion of the program.

The four sessions will take place in June, July, September, and October 2023. All participants will need to attend all workshops and mentoring sessions to complete the program successfully. Upon completion, each participant will receive a certificate, and may receive an honorarium of $500 (minus any applicable taxes). It is the responsibility of foreign national participants to verify their ability to receive an honorarium.

Eligibility

The successful applicants should be advanced PhD candidates (within 1 year of completion of their degrees) or junior-level scholars (up to 5 years since graduation with a doctoral degree).

We encourage historians and art historians with a specialty in the medieval or early modern visual culture of Eastern Europe to apply to this program. This opportunity is open to all, but preference will be given to scholars whose work has been disrupted by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. We anticipate selecting 6-8 participants for this program.

Applications

To apply, please use the online Embark portal to upload a one-page letter of interest with details about your research, skills, and reasons for participating; a CV; and the names and contact details of two referees who may be contacted to provide support letters, if needed, by April 30, 2023.

Research Grants

Dumbarton Oaks is committed to the support of scholarship around the world. We are offering for the year 2023 a limited number of research grants of 5,000 USD each (minus any applicable taxes) available to those affected by the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. The grants are open to scholars active in any of the three areas of studies supported by Dumbarton Oaks: Byzantine Studies, Pre-Columbian Studies, and Garden and Landscape Studies. The deadline for applications is March 31, 2023.

Eligibility

The research grant is open to all those who hold a PhD and who are or were affiliated to a research or higher education institution in Ukraine. If they are no longer residing in Ukraine, the applicant will need to provide evidence of active academic affiliation in the last three years. Displaced scholars affiliated with Russian research or higher education institutions can apply if they reside outside Russia and have an active academic affiliation in the last three years within or outside Russia.

Scope and Conditions

The grant may be used to support research in any of the three areas of study supported by Dumbarton Oaks (Byzantine, Pre-Columbian, and Garden and Landscape Studies), whether by an individual or as part of a joint project. The grants are awarded to individual scholars on the basis of their abilities and qualifications, as well as the significance and value of the project to the field for the specific area of study. Funding is immediately available to the researchers at their current location, provided this is permitted by current legal restrictions, and should be used for within one year of the announcement of the grant award.

Applications

Applicants must submit through the Embark application system, which will remain open until March 31, 2023. Each applicant will be asked to submit:

  • A research statement of up to 1,000 words in length outlining the project, its significance to the field, and the applicant’s relevant needs, resources, and skills
  • A CV that demonstrates teaching and research in one of the three areas of study supported by Dumbarton Oaks
  • Proof of academic affiliation
  • Three names of referees that may be contacted to provide support letters if needed

Project Grants

The Byzantine-Bulgarian Relationship 9-10th. The Specifics of the Byzantine "Realpolitik" Strategy
Kostiantyn Bardola, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University

Political Instrumentalization of Byzantine History in the Russian Empire, The Soviet Union and the Post-Soviet Space (XIX - XXI Centuries)
Maryna Domanovska, V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University

The Florentine Union: its Reception in Central and Eastern Europe
Dmytro Hordiienko, M.S. Hrushevs’ky Institute of Ukrainian Archaeography and Source Studies of the National Academy of Sciences

Critique of “Byzance après Byzance”
Cyril Hovorun, University College Stockholm

(Post-)Byzantine Akathistos Cycles and the Natural World: an Ecocritical Interpretation
Nazar Kozak, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Liturgical Textiles and their Role in the Evolution of the Altar Space of a Christian Temple
Yuliia Matvieieva, O. M. Beketov National University of Urban Economy, Kharkiv, Ukraine

The Monasteries of Xilurgu and Rusik on Mount Athos and their Relations with the Kiev State of Rus in the Tenth - Thirteenth Centuries
Serhii Shumylo, National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine

Kyivan Christianity in Galicia during the 11th – the Mid-13th Centuries
Myroslav Voloshchuk, Vasyl Stefanyl PreCarpathian National University