The American Philosophical Association Fellowship

• Research visit at the University of Edinburgh for two to six months
• Dedicated office space at IASH, University e-mail and library access
• Weekly Fellows’ Lunch to build community
• Collegial work-in-progress seminar series for testing new ideas
• Calendar of engaging events at the Institute and College

The American Philosophical Association promotes the discipline and profession of philosophy, both within the academy and in the public arena. The APA supports the professional development of philosophers at all levels and works to foster greater understanding and appreciation of the value of philosophical inquiry.

American Philosophical Association Website

IASH provides an enviable location in one of the world’s most intellectually inspiring cities, together with a dynamic network of international connections.

Home to the Scottish Enlightenment, Edinburgh has a rich cultural heritage of scholarship and creativity that continues to the present day. In this haven of libraries and archives, galleries and music venues – all set amid iconic architecture – IASH takes the humanities beyond campus to engage the public and work with organisations in a variety of different sectors.

The Institute welcomes visiting researchers from across the world. Since 1970, over 1,500 Fellows have stepped through our doors. Up to 30 researchers are in residence at any one time in our amazing – and eclectic – nineteenth-century building just on the edge of the University’s central campus, boasting views of the Meadows.

From upwards of 65 countries, IASH Fellows form a global alumni community, and many career-long connections begin at the Institute.

• Prof. Samuel Fleischacker (Williams College), 1995
• Prof. Thomas Olshewsky (University of Kentucky), 1998
• Dr Allan Bäck (Kutztown University), 2004
• Prof. Leemon McHenry (California State University Northridge), 2009
• Prof. Paul O. Nnodim (Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts), 2010
• Dr Christopher Mole (University of British Columbia), 2016
• Prof. Thomas Williams (University of South Florida), 2016
• Dr Marina Folescu (University of Missouri), 2017
• Prof. Peter J. Graham (University of California Riverside), 2018-19
• Dr Carrie Figdor (University of Iowa), 2020
• Prof. Deborah Boyle (College of Charleston), 2021
• Dr Ruth Boeker (University College Dublin), 2022
• Dr Anthony Neal (Mississippi State University), 2023

No limitation is placed on the area of research within the humanities and social sciences, but priority will be given to those whose work falls within the scope of one of the Institute's research strands listed below.

• Making A Nation
• Decoloniality
• Digital Humanities
• Environmental Humanities
• Gender and Sexualities Studies
• Medical Humanities

Candidates for fellowships will normally hold a doctorate. 

Candidates should apply to the APA with a description of the project to be pursued at the Institute and a curriculum vitae. Two letters of recommendation are required. Letter writers should send a PDF copy of the letter of recommendation to prizes@apaonline.org.

Only members of the APA may submit applications. Full details of the Fellowship and how to apply are published on the website of the APA. The deadline for the 2025-26 round is 15 December 2024.

Visit the website of the American Philosophical Association

The deadline to submit applications for the 2025–2026 academic year is December 15, 2024. Letters of recommendation must also be received by the application deadline of December 15, 2024. The APA will then forward a nomination to the Director of the Institute.

• Consideration will be given to the academic record and the publications of all applicants and their capacity to disseminate their views among a community of like-minded people. Candidates should give evidence of any contact they have made with researchers at the University of Edinburgh, and of proposed collaboration during their visit to Edinburgh; those who do make such contact before submitting their applications will be at an advantage.
• The Institute encourages inter-departmental and inter-disciplinary study. All applications should state clearly the relationship of the proposed scheme of work to one or more of the current research themes of the Institute.
• Fellows are expected to be resident in Edinburgh throughout the tenure of their fellowship and to play a full part in the activities of the Institute. The Institute will be pleased to help with finding suitable accommodation in Edinburgh. The minimum tenure for a fellowship is two months; applications for less than two months will not be considered.
• No regular teaching is required but fellows usually give at least one seminar on their current research work.