Sydney Brenner Research Fellowship at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Host Institution: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Center: Center for Humanities & History of Modern Biology
Category: Research Fellowship
Funding: Up to $5,000 USD
Deadline: August 31 each year
Eligibility: Scholars, journalists, and writers
The Sydney Brenner Research Fellowship supports ambitious research projects in the history of the life sciences. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory offers stipends of up to $5,000 to help cover travel and other expenses linked to a significant research project.
Sydney Brenner Research Fellowship Overview
The fellowship was endowed by the Francis Goelet Charitable Trust in 2006. It is one of three opportunities offered by the CSHL Center for Humanities & History of Modern Biology.
The fellowship supports research and publication. It may also support other exhibition or dissemination work linked to ambitious and original projects in the history of the life sciences.
Ideal projects should be advanced and broad in scope. In addition, they should have some relevance to collections in the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Archives.
Fellowship Benefits
Selected fellows receive support for direct project costs.
✓ Stipend of up to $5,000 USD
✓ Support for travel and other research-related expenses
✓ Workspace in the Carnegie Library during the stay at CSHL
✓ Complete access to CSHL collections
✓ Support from archivists, librarians, and historians
✓ Possible opportunity to rent accommodation on campus, if space permits
Eligible Applicants
The fellowship is open to applicants working on a substantial research project in the history of the life sciences.
• Scholars at any career stage
• Journalists
• Writers
Applicants should show that their project is significant, original, and connected to the fellowship’s research purpose.
Required Application Materials
Applicants must submit a complete application package.
• Completed application form
• Names and contact details of two potential recommendation providers
• Research proposal
• Selected bibliography of relevant CSHL Library and Archives titles or collections
• Brief budget statement
• Curriculum vitae
The CV should include education and employment history, dates of study, areas of study, previous publications, and previous or current fellowships, grants, and awards.
Research Proposal Requirements
The research proposal must be no more than 1,000 words. It should explain the research question or objective, the sources to be used at CSHL and elsewhere, and the project’s significance.
Applicants must also name the CSHL Library and Archives items or record groups they plan to use. In addition, they should include a tentative project completion schedule. The proposal must be double-spaced and written in 12-point font.
How to Apply
Applicants must submit applications electronically by email. All documents should be attached in .pdf, .doc, or .docx format.
The email should include a brief covering letter in the body. The subject line must follow this format: “Sydney Brenner Research Fellowship application [Year] – [Your Name].”
Selection Criteria
The Brenner Fellowship committee looks for proposals that are sophisticated, detailed, and original. Relevance to CSHL collections matters.
However, the committee’s main consideration is the overall quality and significance of the project. Applicants who are still at the early project-formulation stage are advised by the source to consider CSHL travel grants instead.
Award Conditions
Fellowship funds must be used during the academic year after notification of the award. This period runs from September 1 to August 31.
Brenner Fellows must present preliminary research results to the CSHL community in a talk. They should also present their research findings in professional talks or other venues. Finally, the work should lead to scholarly articles, books, or other creative outputs. A copy of the final research output must be donated to the CSHL Library and Archives.
Allowable Expenses
The stipend may support costs related to the research project. These can include travel, transportation, daily expenses, and accommodation at CSHL and other relevant archives.
Other permitted expenses include translation of primary sources, oral history recording, oral history transcription, and microfilming archival materials. The award is paid in two installments. The first installment is two-thirds of the award at the start of the first research visit to the CSHL Archives. The second installment is one-third after research completion and presentation at CSHL.
Deadline
Applications must be received by August 31 each year. Recipients are notified in September of a given year.
