CISS Issues Call for 2026-27 CISS Dissertation Finishing Fellowship
The Center for Innovation in Social Science (CISS) invites applications for the CISS Dissertation Finishing Fellowship. This fellowship is for an outstanding social science doctoral candidate who will complete their dissertation during the 2026-27 calendar year (no later than August 31, 2027).
The fellow will receive a 12-month salary of $47,741 for the period of September 1, 2026 through August 31, 2027. Candidates who anticipate receiving their PhD in Spring 2027 may receive an eight-month academic year stipend of $30,900, for the period of September 1, 2026 through April 30, 2027 ($3,862.50 per month). The fellowship is non-service and is not covered under the BUGWU contract. The recipient’s tuition for their continuing student fee will be covered by GRS. See here for payment schedule information.
Fellows in their 5th year will receive coverage for the BU student insurance at the basic level covered by GRS/BU. We are awaiting guidance from the Provost’s office as to whether 6th and 7th year students will receive an insurance credit. For further information on insurance, see here.
The fellow is entitled to shared office space at CISS, located on the 5th floor of 704 Commonwealth Ave. They are also invited to participate in all CISS programming, and are eligible for additional supports such as the Summer mini-grants or CISS-Spark! Grants, both of which are selected after an open competitive process.
The 2025-26 Inaugural Fellowship recipient was Erin Tatz (Political Science) whose dissertation is entitled ‘Human Like Me’: White Liberal Subjectivity and Empathic Consumption of Black Death.
2025-26 honorable mentions were granted to:
Martin Aucoin (Sociocultural Anthropology). Globalization’s Leftovers: Poverty, Moral Economies of Meat, and Disassembled Values in a Poultry Commodity Chain.
Si Wu (Political Science). From Control to Choice: Women, Work, and Power in China’s New Birth Planning Regime.
Defining the Social Sciences
CISS defines the social sciences both as designated departments (anthropology, archaeology, history, political science, religion, sociology, women’s, gender and sexuality studies) and as an expansive and flexible mode of inquiry. Students in related departments such as African American and diaspora studies, American studies, economics, and psychology also are eligible. We will consider candidates in CAS departments only.
Eligibility & Expectations
Eligible departments or programs may nominate up to two graduate students for the CISS Dissertation Finishing Fellowship by sending an email to Shannon Landis, Center Administrator, at ciss@bu.edu. Consistent with GRS rules, no student may hold a dissertation fellowship beyond their 7th year.
Faculty must be rigorous in selecting nominees who will unquestionably be ready to defend their dissertations by August 31, 2027. The Finishing Fellowship is intended to be the final stage of each fellow’s graduate work at BU, and fellows should not continue their graduate student affiliation with their departments in the year after their award. They are expected to focus exclusively on their dissertation work during their fellowship semester and not engage in additional employment while holding this fellowship.
Applications will be evaluated by a multidisciplinary committee of BU social sciences faculty and CISS leadership. Applications will be evaluated on the basis of research achievements and potential; potential of the dissertation research to advance social science research, theory, or practice; satisfactory progress in their graduate program; and certainty of a successful dissertation defense in Summer 2027.
Application Components
Applications should be submitted by the student (or department) via our Jotform site no later than 11:59 pm on March 1, 2026 and will be matched to the candidate’s letters of support. Dissertation advisors and DGSs should email their letters directly to ciss@bu.edu, with the nominee’s name in the subject line. Each packet must include:
- Signed dissertation prospectus approval page
- Description of the applicant’s dissertation project and stage of writing, plus a brief bibliography. The statement should convey how the study advances the applicant’s discipline and the social sciences more broadly. This entire document should be no longer than 3-pages single-spaced.
- Candidate’s CV (no more than 3 months old)
- Confidential letter of support from your dissertation advisor/first reader
- Confidential letter of support from your director of graduate studies (DGS)
*Only students who have been formally nominated by their department/program may apply. We encourage departments to finalize their nominees by mid-February 2026 so their candidates have sufficient time to prepare their final applications.
Any questions should be directed to Deborah Carr, Center Director (carrds@bu.edu) or Shannon Landis, Center Administrator (ciss@bu.edu).