McNeil Center for Early American Studies MCEAS
The McNeil Center facilitates scholarly inquiry into the histories and cultures of North America in the Atlantic world before 1850, with a particular but by no means exclusive emphasis on the mid-Atlantic region.

Barra Postdoctoral Fellowship  (24 months, 2022-2024)
Applications for the Barra fellowship must be submitted on line by 1 November 2021.

This award is for a two-year term beginning 1 July 2022. Applicants must have earned the PhD no earlier than 2018 in American History, American Literature, American Studies, or a closely allied field and must have completed all requirements for the degree when the appointment commences. During the term of appointment, the fellow will teach two courses in an appropriate department at the University of Pennsylvania. The remainder of the fellow’s time will be devoted to research and writing. While this fellowship is particularly appropriate for projects designed to turn a doctoral dissertation into a publishable monograph, any proposal falling with in the Center’s area of interest will be considered. Candidates who have received McNeil Center funding for a related project at the pre-doctoral stage are not eligible. The Barra Postdoctoral Fellow will receive a starting stipend of $52,000, health insurance, and modest funds for travel and research.

Barra Sabbatical Fellowship  (9 months, 2021-2022)
Applications for the Barra Sabbatical fellowship must be submitted on line by 6 December 2021 

This award is for a nine-month term beginning 1 September 2022. This fellowship is designed for a scholar in any relevant discipline who will be on leave from a tenured or tenure-track faculty position for the 2022–2023 academic year. Proposals will be entertained for book-length projects falling with in the Center’s area of interest at any stage of research or writing, provided that the applicant has not previously received McNeil Center funding for the same or a closely related project. The fellow will have no teaching responsibilities but will be encouraged to provide informal mentoring to more junior members of the McNeil Center community while participating fully in the Center’s seminars and other activities. The award takes the form of a cash grant, paid directly to the fellow's home institution. The amount is negotiable, based on the assumption that the fellow will be receiving benefits and partial salary from the home institution.