Applications Sought for Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowship

Applications are now being accepted for the Mellon-Hawai’i Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.

The program which began in 2008, is entering its eighth year. The Mellon-Hawai’i Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellowship Program was first established for Native Hawaiian scholars early in their academic careers and others who are committed to the advancement of knowledge about the Hawaiian natural and cultural environment, Hawaiian history, politics, and society.

Doctoral applicants who are accepted are provided with $45,000 in support to complete their dissertations before accepting their first academic posts. Postdoctoral fellows receive $55,000 in support of creating original public research early in their academic careers. Beyond a monetary allotment, the programs aides fellows with opportunities to prepare presentations and network with community leaders, mentors, and previous fellows, in addition to meeting academic publishers who may be interested in their work.

“The work of the Mellon-Hawai’i Doctoral and Postdoctoral Fellows continues to make me proud to not only be an academic, but to be a Kanaka,” said Dr. Kamanamaikalani Beamer, The Kohala Center’s incoming president and chief executive officer, himself a postdoctoral fellow in the program’s inaugural cohort. “The scholars who are selected for this program receive support in ways they’ve probably never imagined or experienced before, and the networks and people they meet will forever change their trajectories as educators, leaders, and mentors to future generations.”

Twenty-nine doctoral and postdoctoral scholars have been accepted to the program since it began. Seven fellows have received tenure and another eight are in tenure-track positions within the University of Hawai’i system. One fellow has an appointment as a research fellow at Oxford University in England and various other fellows have had, or are in the process of, having book manuscripts published.

The deadline to apply for the fellowship is Feb. 24. Award notifications will made by April 17.

For additional information about the fellowship program or to apply, visit The Kohala Center website or contact Cortney Okumura at cokumura@kohalacenter.org or (808) 887-6411.

The fellowship program is supported by The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and Kamehameha Schools, and administered by The Kohala Center. The Kahiau Foundation joined in support in the academic years 2010-2011 and 2012-2013.