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General Guidelines
Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences
at Stanford University
Application Deadline: Monday, June 2, 2008, 4:00pm PDT
Notification: Fellowship awards will be announced in early November 2008
Overview
The Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) will select roughly 60% of the residential fellows for the 2009-2010 academic year from the applicant pool. This competition is for the 2009-2010 fellowship year only—fellowship awards are NOT transferable to later years. Fellows will be assisted in relocating as needed in order to be in residence for the tenure of the fellowship, typically 9 to 11 months beginning in early September. Our trustees are committed to the concept of a residential fellowship and consequently Fellows must reside during their fellowship term in a community within ten miles of the Center; San Francisco, Berkeley, the East Bay, and San Jose, for example, do not fulfill this requirement. Center staff provides assistance in finding housing and schools for those relocating for the fellowship year.
Professional Qualifications
Applicants with a Ph.D., professional degree (e.g., J.D., M.D.) or equivalent foreign degree are eligible to apply. We will also consider applicants who have achieved an equivalent level of professional reputation. Faculty at all academic levels or independent scholars may apply, provided they exhibit a high level of achievement (adjusted for rank) including a strong record of research publications. We encourage applications from junior scholars at least 3 to 4 years past the doctorate, typically for a fellowship year soon after achieving tenure. (This is NOT a 'post-doc' program for newly-minted Ph.Ds.) We encourage applications from ethnic minorities, women, international scholars, and scholars from less research-oriented colleges and universities.
Although excellence in research and accomplishments (for career stage and circumstance) are necessary qualifications, they are not sufficient. We are seeking Fellows who will be both influential with and open to influence by their colleagues in the diverse multidisciplinary cohort we compose for a given year. While the primary focus of the fellowship year is on reflection and writing, the fellowship experience is not suited to monastic retreat into one's own work. The expectation for the CASBS Fellowship experience is that the work will be transformed as a result of interactions with other Fellows. Further, scholars with extensive external commitments and collaborations for the fellowship year should carefully consider waiting for a better opportunity to benefit from the opportunities of time and interaction with other scholars at CASBS. Furthermore, Fellows are expected to be engaged in significant lines of research; although senior scholars are always an important part of the class mix, contributing breadth and mentoring, the CASBS fellowship is not generally appropriate as an epilogue to a stellar career.
Fields of Research In addition to scholars working in fields of the behavioral and social sciences, scholars in the natural sciences, the humanities, the arts, the professions, and public life are considered for fellowships when their work has human behavioral and social dimensions that complement and influence the work of classmates.
Themes
A broad category of special interest is any research (basic or
policy-oriented) that addresses the critical issues of our time. The majority of the Center's fellowship awards are
uncategorized by specific research topic; however for the academic year 2009-2010, there will be two general themes. (Click theme titles below for descriptions.)
Please note that while applicants from any discipline or
interdisciplinary area may indicate interest in these themes on their
application form, theme interest is not used as a selection criterion.
A significant portion of the total stipend is generally provided by the individual Fellow from sabbatical funds and external funding from awards and grants (see FAQ below for exceptions). Depending on available funds and the needs of class members, the Center attempts to provide the remaining stipend according to the following principles. A Center stipend is based on the Fellow's salary for the year before residence. That stipend shall not exceed one-half of the Fellow's academic year (nine-month) base salary for that year and is additionally subject to an upper limit set by the board of trustees. For 2006-07, that cap was set at $60,000. It has not yet been set for 2009-10, but there is no indication that the cap will be altered. The sum of the Fellow's salary from a home institution and a Center stipend shall not exceed the Fellow's base academic salary for the fellowship year. Fellowships are supported by the Center's endowment, private foundation grants, individual philanthropy, and alumni contributions.
Payment conditions: If a Fellow receives a Center stipend, the Center is required to deduct California state tax withholding (for non-residents of California only) and various charges (such as charges for social and other activities). Fellows receive their stipends directly. The Center cannot assign a stipend to another institution.
Partner Fellowship Programs
The Center is a participating residential research center in the
Frederick Burkhardt Fellowship Program of the American Council of
Learned Societies ( http://www.acls.org). This fellowship
is open to recently tenured humanists to support long-term, unusually
ambitious projects in the humanities and related social sciences.
Application for the Burkhardt fellowship must be made directly to the
ACLS by late September for a fellowship in the next one to three years.
The Center encourages William T. Grant Scholars to contact us regarding a
fellowship year at CASBS. This award supports promising early career
researchers from a variety of disciplines whose studies "contribute to
theory and policy/practice for improving the everyday settings of
youth." ( http://www.wtgrantfoundation.org/)
Selection Process
The Center's selection process is presently in transition from its former nomination and panel ratings system to a new application system. A distinguished committee comprised of board members, former Fellows, and external members reviewed the Center's selection procedures and made recommendations for change that were subsequently approved by the Center's full board of trustees.
Applications
Commencing with the class of 2008-2009, the Center invites applications for residential fellowships. Each application is evaluated by several external reviewers including experts in the applicant's field and typically one or more experts in related fields. The best-rated applications are then considered for fellowship awards by the Center's multidisciplinary selection committee comprised of representatives from the board of directors and administrative staff as well as external members.
Eligible Nominees and Returning Fellows
There are currently a number of nominees still "eligible" for fellowships under the previous selection system. Until 2005, eligibility decisions were made by the Center's board of trustees primarily based on ratings by disciplinary panels of distinguished scholars and supplemented by letters of recommendation. Under that system, attaining eligible status gave the nominee an opportunity to vie for inclusion in a fellowship class roster within a six-year window of time.
Under the new selection system, individuals with applicable eligible status may bypass the applications review process and request consideration for a fellowship class roster (2009-2010 onward) within the terms of their eligibility window. As in the previous system, they are asked to submit a CV and statement of interests, and their individual preferences and constraints are weighed in relation to those of others on the tentative roster. Final roster decisions take into account all the important criteria for cohort composition. It is anticipated that roughly 40% of the class of 2009-2010 will be nominees eligible under the previous system. The Center likewise considers a small number of returning Fellows by this roster composition process, provided they bring their own stipends. (Contact secretary at casbs.stanford.edu to request placement on a tentative roster.)
In summary, the Center's new fellowship selection process is an
application review system. Commencing with the class of 2008-2009, the
process of composing cohorts will be a hybrid of new and old procedures
until 2011-2012. By 2012-2013, all fellowships will be awarded under
the new process.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there exceptions to the stipend policy for special circumstances?
Yes. For international Fellows from countries having low standards of living, and for Fellows at institutions that do not provide sabbatical funding, the Center will work to provide supplemental funds in order to increase the stipend to make a residential year at CASBS affordable. If an international applicant can leverage matching funds using an advance invitation that requires more lead time (e.g., for 2010-2011), contact the Deputy Director ( apetersen at casbs.stanford.edu) directly rather than filling out the online application form.
Can fellowships be awarded for a single semester only?
Yes. In special circumstances a fellowship may be awarded for the fall
or spring semester. However, due to the importance of community
relationships to our programs, preference is given to Fellows able to
stay for the 9-month academic year (up to 11 months).
What is the Center policy on fellowship residence?
Continuous residence is one of the few obligations of holding a
fellowship. In particular, our expectation is that Fellows remain in
residence at the Center from opening day (the day after Labor Day in
September) through graduation day, typically scheduled for the second
half of May. We recognize that Fellows need to be away from time to
time for brief periods (i.e., a few days or even an entire week), and
such absences pose no particular problems. Repeated absences of this
duration, however, or a prolonged absence of three weeks or longer
would present a significant problem. Incoming Fellows are asked to
clear their travel calendar as much as possible for the fellowship
year. We stand ready to help Fellows fend off invitations that detract
from or interfere with their Center fellowship by communicating our
policy to the person extending an invitation.
Is there space and are there services for spouses and partners?
Spouses and partners are an important part of the culture at the
Center, and they are warmly invited to participate fully in all aspects
of the intellectual and social life of the Center. The most reliable
way in which a Fellow can provide space for a partner is by sharing the
Fellow's private study with the partner (we provide an extra desk and
computer connection). When there is unused capacity, however, the
Center does make an effort to provide a common room or rooms for
partners and spouses who need to do academic work and who have no
academic office in the vicinity. Staff support services are reserved
for Fellows only.
What privileges does a Center Fellow have at Stanford?
Center
Fellows are "Visiting Scholars" (an official University designation)
and receive a Visiting Scholar Card when taking up residency at the
Center. Visiting Scholars are accorded library privileges at the
University Libraries and sports privileges at the University's sports
facilities. Health benefits are not provided.
What is the Center policy regarding health care benefits?
With few exceptions, the Center plays no role in providing health care
coverage (or subsidies for health care coverage) to Fellows or their
families. International scholars should note that only minimal health care is
available in the U.S. without health insurance. Please arrange a
discussion with the Deputy Director for more information.
What is the Center policy regarding travel and shipping subsidies?
Former Fellows who are returning to the Center receive no travel or
shipping subsidy. Fellows from the San Francisco Bay Area and central
California likewise receive no travel or shipping subsidy.
Otherwise,
for new Fellows, there is a small shipping subsidy, and the Center will
reimburse expenses for the Fellow's one-time round-trip travel between
the Fellow's home institution and Palo Alto, subject to certain limits.
We will also reimburse expenses for the identical one-time round-trip
travel for a spouse or partner and any dependent children (no older
than 18 years of age at time of travel), provided they reside with the
new Fellow for at least 6 months of the year, again subject to limits.
Application Deadline: Monday, June 2, 2008, 4:00pm PDT
Notification: Fellowship awards will be announced in
early November 2008 |
