Luce/ACLS Early Career Fellowships in China Studies – Long-Term

The Early Career Fellowship supports research and writing in China studies for recent PhDs. In 2026-27, ACLS is offering two types of Early Career Fellowships: Long-term and Flexible. Applicants may only apply to one of the two.  

Early Career—Long-Term Fellows take leave from university responsibilities for four to nine months to carry out research and writing toward a significant scholarly product. 

Possible project outcomes may include the development of a monograph, scholarly articles, conference papers, or book chapters on a topic in the humanities or interpretive social sciences. ACLS also encourages projects that have the potential to extend the reach of humanistic knowledge and scholarship to broader audiences, including through community-engaged research, pedagogical tools that connect research to teaching, or work that bridges scholarly and creative practice. 

The Early Career Fellowships are supported by the Henry Luce Foundation. 

Fellowship Details

• Stipend: Minimum $20,000, maximum $45,000, calculated as $5,000 per month for four to nine months’ work accomplished full time. 
• The fellowship period must begin between July 1, 2027, and September 30, 2028. 
• During the fellowship period, which must consist of consecutive months, fellows must work full time on the proposed project. They must be on leave from teaching and service and may not accept other employment. Fellowships support research and writing toward a scholarly product in English. 
• We welcome applications for projects in all disciplines of the humanities or interpretive social sciences. Research may be conducted on any topic related to cultures, histories, and societies in China, and their influence and impact on communities, countries, and cultures around the world. Research on Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Tibet, and Xinjiang is eligible. Diaspora studies projects with no connection to communities and cultures in China are unlikely to be funded (e.g., anglophone Chinese American literature). There are no other restrictions regarding time period or methodological approach. 
• Stipends may be used for research costs (e.g., travel, access to online archives, conference participation, hiring of research assistance outside the US or Canada) and living expenses, including childcare or eldercare. The application essay should state how these costs will support the project’s objectives, but no budget is required. 
• Fellows may accept other sources of non-ACLS funding during the fellowship period. 
• A final report is required upon completion of the fellowship period. 
• Applications must be submitted through the ACLS Online Fellowship and Grant Administration (OFA) System no later than 5:00 PM Eastern Time on November 5, 2026. 
• NYU Shanghai Visiting Residency: Early Career Fellows planning travel to China may indicate interest in a residency opportunity at NYU Shanghai. If selected for this residency, the fellow may receive office space, library privileges, and support with local introductions. The fellow will have an opportunity to organize a workshop based on their project with China-based scholars through the NYU Shanghai Center for Global Asia.  

Additional Opportunity

Through a partnership with the Consortium of Humanities Centers and Institutes (CHCI), an international membership organization of interdisciplinary research centers with over 170 members and affiliates in 23 countries, ACLS fellows have the opportunity to spend all or part of their fellowship terms in residence at selected CHCI member organizations. This is an optional enhancement to the award for ACLS Fellows and does not require a separate application. Further instructions will be provided to awardees.

Supporting Documents

2026-27 Sample Application for Early Career Fellowship – Long-term

Applicants who apply to both the Early Career—Long-Term and Early Career—Flexible fellowships will only be considered for the Flexible fellowship. 

• You must hold a PhD degree in the humanities or interpretive social sciences officially conferred between January 1, 2018 and November 5, 2026.  

• If you are not a US or Canadian citizen/permanent resident, you must hold a long-term, regular research or teaching appointment with an institution in the United States or Canada.  

• Applicants who have obtained tenure, or who have submitted tenure materials for review by the application deadline, are not eligible. 

• A working knowledge of Chinese or another language used in China studies (e.g., Tibetan, Uyghur) is required. 

You may use AI tools such as Claude or ChatGPT to write your application. However, you are responsible for any errors, omissions, hallucinations, or acts of plagiarism in your application. It is the responsibility of the named applicant to ensure that all content in their proposal is factual and that they have properly acknowledged and referenced all sources. We encourage you to indicate in your application where and how you used AI assistance for full transparency.

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of scholars in China studies according to the following criteria: 

• The research design of the project and its potential contribution to the field of China studies. 

• The quality of the proposal with regard to its clarity, methodology, scope, theoretical framework, and grounding in the relevant scholarly literature. 

• The ability of the applicant to accomplish the proposed research, based on academic training and success of previous research projects. 

• The feasibility of the plan of work. 

Applications must be submitted online and must include a completed application form, along with the following uploaded materials, formatted in Arial or Helvetica 11-point font with at least 1-inch margins on all sides: 

• An application essay/project proposal (1300 words maximum, double-spaced). The essay should discuss: 

• • The aims of the research project – what it is about and what sources are to be examined. 

• • The significance of the topic and the project’s contribution to the field of China studies. 

• • The intended contribution of the research to existing literature in your discipline. 

• • The research design. 

• • An assessment of the project’s feasibility. 

• • The nature of results expected. 

• • Note: If you are proposing to convert your dissertation into a book, you must explain how the proposed work will expand or revise the dissertation. 

• A work plan (300 words maximum, double-spaced). The work plan should include: 

• • A timeline for the project, including activity during the fellowship period. 

• • Identification of the individuals (colleagues relevant to project), institutions, and/or sites to be visited, including archives, libraries, geographical sources, as well as proposed institutional affiliation in China (if applicable).  

• Optional supporting materials (e.g., images, musical scores, or other similar supporting non-text materials, without annotation, two pages maximum). 

• A bibliography (1000 words maximum, double-spaced between entries) should provide an overview of the essential primary and secondary sources that inform this research. 

• A resume (one single-spaced page maximum) should be included.  

• An applicant’s statement (600 words maximum, double-spaced) describing the intellectual trajectory and experiences that brought the applicant to the current stage of academic career and that motivate plans for the future.  If you are not yet employed/affiliated with an institution, you must describe plans for a career in China studies in the United States or Canada. It will strengthen the application to mention applications underway for academic positions, including names of institutions. Applicants in non-tenure-track positions (e.g., postdocs and visiting assistant professors) must indicate when their current positions will end. 

• A list of your publications (1000 words maximum, double-spaced between entries). 

• No budget is required as part of this application. 

Find answers to common questions about this competition.

Please email [email protected] with questions. Before submitting an inquiry, please read the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Institutional administrators (e.g., Office of Sponsored Projects) should read our general guidance.