Clark Postdoctoral and Graduate Fellowships

In addition to the collections for which the Clark Library is well-known, the Library houses a wealth of primary source materials ranging from the 16th to 20th centuries for research on topics including queer, disability, and ecocritical studies, as well as music/musicology, astronomy, geographies, mathematics, games, crime and incarceration, translation, architecture, foodways, and how-to manuals, among many other areas. Information on the Clark’s holdings can be found here: https://clarklibrary.ucla.edu/collections/what-we-collect-and-why/

Information on Applying for Clark Library Fellowships:

1. Fellowship applications are due on February 1, 2026. Applications are considered once each year. Applications for appointments to be held anytime during a given fiscal year (from July 1 to June 30) must be received in the preceding fiscal year, by February 1.
2. For 2026-27, all fellowships at the Clark must be taken in-person as a residential fellowship. Due to staffing limitations, we are no longer able to offer remote or hybrid fellowships. Fellowship recipients must be prepared to spend the duration of their fellowship in residence at the Clark Library.
3. A Gmail account is required for uploading proposal & CV documents via the application form.
4. As part of the application, we are requesting only the names and contact information for referees. Letters of recommendation will be requested directly from referees and are not due on the February 1 deadline.
5. Applicants are required to include a list of relevant resources with their proposal. Many of the Clark Library holdings are integrated with the UCLA Library search. If applicants have any questions about the Library’s holdings, they should feel free to contact the Library at clark@humnet.ucla.edu.
6. In 2026-27, the Clark Library is collaborating with the American Trust for the British Library (ATBL) to offer the opportunity for some Clark Library Fellowship recipients to apply for an American Trust for the British Library (ATBL) Research Fellowship. The ATBL Research Fellowship is an add-on short-term fellowship that supports research projects that make use of collections on site in any department in the British Library. The collaboration between the Clark Library and the ATBL allows fellows to conduct research in dialogue between the Clark Library collections and those of the British Library. For more information, please visit the ATBL Research Fellowships website, and for FAQs, please see here.

Fellowship inquiries may be directed to fellowships.c1718cs@humnet.ucla.edu.

For additional information please consult our fellowships FAQ page.

Please see here for a list of current Fellows.

Fellowship applications are due on February 1, 2026.

2026-27 Fellowship Application

ASECS-Clark Fellowship

Fellowships jointly sponsored by the American Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies and the Center/Clark are available to postdoctoral scholars and to ABD graduate students with projects in the Restoration or the eighteenth century. Fellowship holders must be members in good standing of ASECS. Awards are offered biennially for one month of residency.

• Application Requirements: Applications should include a research proposal (less than 1000 words), and a CV. Applicants should identify relevant resources from the Clark Library at the end of their research proposal.
• Award Amount: $4,000 fellowship per month, for one month
• Eligibility: Open to U.S. applicants, as well as international applicants who are eligible for a visa. Fellowship holders must be members in good standing of ASECS.
• Academic Level Requirements: Available to all scholars, including predoctoral candidates
• Is this fellowship required to be taken onsite?: Yes.

Browse list of ASECS Fellows.

Clark Bibliographical Fellowship

This three-month fellowship provides support for bibliographical research using the Clark’s collections. Eligible projects include textual scholarship; historical, analytical, or descriptive bibliography; the study of book or manuscript production, circulation, and use; and related fields.

• Application Requirements: Applications should include a research proposal (less than 1000 words), and a CV. Applicants should identify relevant resources from the Clark Library at the end of their research proposal
• Award Amount: $12,000
• Eligibility: Open to U.S. applicants, as well as international applicants who are eligible to pursue research in the US
• Academic Level Requirements: Open to academic and independent researchers from all backgrounds. Applicants should hold a Ph.D. degree or have appropriate research experience.
• Is this fellowship required to be taken onsite?: Yes.

Browse list of Clark Bibliographical Fellows

Clark Short-Term Fellowship

Fellowship support is available to scholars with research projects that require work in any area of the Clark Library’s collections. Applicants must hold a Ph.D. degree or have equivalent academic experience. Awards are for periods of one to three months in residence.

• Application Requirements: Applications should include a research proposal (less than 1000 words), and a CV. Applicants should identify relevant resources from the Clark Library at the end of their research proposal
• Award Amount: $4,000 fellowship per month, for one to three months
• Eligibility: Open
• Academic Level Requirements: Available to all scholars, including predoctoral candidates
• Is this fellowship required to be taken onsite?: Yes.

Browse list of Clark Short-Term Fellows

Clark Dissertation Fellowship

One or two fellowships are awarded each year to UCLA doctoral candidates whose dissertation involves extensive research in the Clark Library’s holdings. The award is for nine months during the academic year.

• Application Requirements: Applications should include a research proposal (less than 1000 words), and a CV. Applicants should identify relevant resources from the Clark Library at the end of their research proposal
• Award Amount: $36,000 fellowship. Funding for tuition fees and other expenses must be provided by the recipient’s academic department or other resources
• Eligibility: Open to UCLA doctoral candidates. Awardees may not work more than 25% time in University of California employment during the period of the fellowship.
• Academic Level Requirements: Doctoral candidate
• Is this fellowship required to be taken onsite?: Yes.

Browse list of Clark Dissertation Fellows

Kenneth Karmiole Endowed Graduate Research Fellowship

This one-month fellowship, established through the generosity of Kenneth Karmiole, is available to all graduate students for research at the Clark Library, using archival and printed book materials, on any subject. Fellows are required to give an online presentation of their research upon completion of the residency.

• Application Requirements: Applications should include a research proposal (less than 1000 words), and a CV. Applicants should identify relevant resources from the Clark Library at the end of their research proposal
• Award Amount: $4,000 for one month of residency
• Eligibility: Graduate students who are U.S. citizens or individuals matriculated at an American university
• Academic Level Requirements: Open to all graduate students, including those who have not advanced to candidacy
• Is this fellowship required to be taken onsite?: Yes.

Further details and browse list of Karmiole Fellows

Clark Predoctoral Fellowship

One-to-three-month fellowships are available to doctoral candidates whose dissertation research involves the area of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century studies or one of the other areas represented in the Clark Library’s collections. These fellowships are made possible with support from the Ahmanson Foundation, and Sidney Stern Memorial Trust.

• Application Requirements: Applications should include a research proposal (less than 1000 words), and a CV. Applicants should identify relevant resources from the Clark Library at the end of their research proposal
• Award Amount: $4,000 fellowship per month, for one to three months
• Eligibility: Graduate students who are U.S. citizens or individuals matriculated at an American university
• Academic Level Requirements: Open to all graduate students
• Is this fellowship required to be taken onsite?: Yes.

Browse list of Predoctoral Fellows

Wilde-Holland Fellowship

This 1–2 month fellowship is available to a postdoctoral scholar, graduate student, or visiting scholar for research using materials from the Oscar Wilde collection at the William Andrews Clark Memorial Library. The fellowship, established in 2021, honors the writer and cultural figure Oscar Wilde and his grandson Merlin Holland, a scholar who has dedicated himself to studying and celebrating Wilde’s legacy.

• Application Requirements: Applications should include a research proposal (less than 1000 words), and a CV. Applicants should identify relevant resources from the Clark Library at the end of their research proposal
• Award Amount: $4,000 fellowship per month; for one to two months
• Eligibility: Open
• Academic Level Requirements: Available to all scholars, including predoctoral candidates
• Is this fellowship required to be taken onsite?: Yes.

Further details and browse list of Wilde-Holland Fellows

Loren and Frances Rothschild Endowed Graduate Research Fellowship

This one-to-three month fellowship, established through the generosity of Loren and Frances Rothschild, provides support for bibliographical research in eighteenth-century British literature and history using the Clark’s collections. Eligible projects include textual scholarship; analytical or descriptive bibliography; history of printing and the book trade; history of the material text; and related fields.

• Application Requirements: Applications should include a research proposal (less than 1000 words), and a CV. Applicants should identify relevant resources from the Clark Library at the end of their research proposal
• Award Amount: $4,000 fellowship per month; for one to three months
• Eligibility: Graduate students who are U.S. citizens or individuals matriculated at an American university
• Academic Level Requirements: Open to all graduate students, including those who have not advanced to candidacy
• Is this fellowship required to be taken onsite?: Yes.

Instruction & Engagement Fellowship

This nine-month fellowship comes with a great deal of responsibility, ideal for someone who is eager to learn about incorporating primary sources into curriculum and outreach in libraries, contribute to our strategy and mission, and develop professional skills. The Instruction & Engagement Fellow will learn from the Instruction and Engagement Librarian to help with classes and leading tours; assist with the logistics of collection displays and Library-initiated events; and add content to the Clark Library’s social media program.

Applicants may be asked to meet with Clark Library staff by Zoom as part of the application process.

• Application Requirements: Applications should include a statement of purpose, no more than one page single-spaced, highlighting relevant experience, training, and reasons for the applicant’s interest in the fellowship, and a CV.
• Award Amount: $36,000 fellowship plus standard tuition and fees (excluding nonresident supplemental tuition and professional degree supplemental tuition)
• Eligibility: Open to currently registered PhD or Master’s students at UCLA during 2026-27 academic year. The fellowship begins in September 2026 and lasts until June 2027. Awardees are expected to commit to 20 hours/week on-site at the Clark Library for the duration of the fellowship.
• Requirements:  Experience with teaching and/or public presentations. Working knowledge of library services in an academic or research library environment. Strong organizational and multitasking abilities. Demonstrated experience with using library catalogs, such as UC Library Search, WorldCat, and other national and international OPACs. Excellent interpersonal and oral communication skills. Ability to work collegially and collaboratively within and across organizations. Commitment to fostering diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, and anti-racism in the workplace and to serving the needs of a diverse population.
• Is this fellowship required to be taken onsite?: Yes.