Wilson Library Visiting Researcher Fellowships [2026]

Description

Wilson Library Visiting Researcher Fellowships  

The Visting Researcher Fellowships provide short-term research fellowships to support intensive, innovative, and impactful research and artistic use of the collections of the Wilson Special Collections Library.

• Short-term fellowships of at least 10 days
• Total award is $1,500

Eligible researchers include

• Advanced graduate students
• Faculty
• Independent scholars
• Established performing and creative artists

Research categories supported include

• American culture, politics, and social changes from 1960 to 1975
• African American life, culture, and history
• Women in the American South
• Literary culture and traditions of the American South
• Banking and business in the American South
• North Carolina
• Antebellum America
• The History of medicine
• Oral histories

If you are a doctoral student or candidate studying the American South and you can commit to a research residency of one month, please consider applying for the Wilson Special Collections Library Southern Studies Doctoral Fellowship Program.

Questions about the fellowships or the application process should be directed to the Fellowship Director via wilsonlibrary@unc.edu

To view other funded research opportunities at Wilson Library, please consult our Fellowships Page.

For technical assistance with this application system, please contact Interfolio at help@interfolio.com or call (877) 997-8807. 

Qualifications

Fellowship Eligibility 

• Have or be actively pursuing the terminal degree in your discipline, OR
• Be an established performing or creative artist
  • In this case the terminal degree requirement may be waived
• Agree to:
  • Submit a research proposal and research plan that draws deeply and substantively on the collections of the Wilson Special Collections Library 
  • Commit to a full-time research residency of at least ten days at Wilson Library
    • Research cannot begin until the completion of a background check for Non-UNC Fellows
    • The research residency should ideally take place during the Summer Research Season: 1 June and 30 September of the year awarded.
    • Participate in the intellectual life of the Library and the fellowship program, which includes:
      • A public presentation of research findings and experiences
      • The submission of a brief research report

Application Instructions

All applications and supporting materials must be submitted by 11:59 ET on January 31 via Interfolio. 

Materials submitted after this date and outside of the application system will not be accepted or reviewed.

The following supporting materials must be included: 

• Research Proposal: A brief narrative (no more than 1200 words) that describes your proposed research and its intellectual significance
• Research Plan: A substantive preliminary list of Wilson Library resources that you will consult during your residency. Include brief annotations about the relevancy of each collection
• Curriculum Vitae
• Two confidential letters of recommendation

Applications will be evaluated based on the following criteria: 

• Merit of the proposal 

• Applicant’s qualifications and letters of recommendations  

• Demonstrated need to access in person the holdings of the Wilson Special Collections Library