The Posner and Hunt Institute Research Fellowships support original research and creative work in Carnegie Mellon University’s rare and distinctive collections. Open to graduate students, scholars, artists, digital humanists, designers, and makers, the fellowships are hosted jointly by the Posner Center for Special Collections and the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation.
All fellows receive a stipend and access to materials held by both collections—including rare books, archival materials, early technologies, and botanical art. Projects may be historical or contemporary in focus, research-based or practice-based, traditional or experimental. We especially welcome work that brings new perspectives to the collections or that places rare materials in dialogue with broader cultural, bibliographical, scientific, and ecological questions.
Applicants with questions about the fellowship are encouraged to contact the program team at libraryfellowships@cmu.edu.
Posner Fellowships for Research & Creative Practice
Two fellowships offered in 2026–2027
Funded by Carnegie Mellon University Libraries and hosted by the Posner Center for Special Collections.
These fellowships support original, collection-based projects in any discipline, including research, creative practice, or hybrid forms of inquiry. Fellows are invited to draw on materials held in the newly renovated Posner Center for Special Collections. We welcome scholars, artists, writers, and practitioners whose work engages meaningfully with rare and distinctive materials.
Applicants should describe a well-defined project that makes substantive use of one or more areas of the collection. Posner Fellows are also welcome to consult materials in the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation.
Fellows receive:
- $3,500 stipend
- 2–4 week on-site residency (Fellows may take up residence anytime between June 2027 and January 2028; award cannot be deferred)
- Fellows are responsible for making their own travel arrangements and securing accommodations
- Opportunity to share work through a public talk, workshop, exhibition, or publication
Hunt Institute Fellowships for Research & Creative Practice
Two fellowships offered in 2026–2027
Funded and hosted by the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation
These fellowships support original research or creative projects in the collections of the Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation. One fellowship will be awarded for research, and one for creative practice. Projects may explore themes such as the history of botany and plant science, botanical illustration, bibliography, horticulture, or the environmental humanities. Hunt Institute Fellows are also welcome to consult materials in the Posner Center.
Fellows receive:
- $3,500 stipend
- 2–4 week on-site residency (Fellows may take up residence anytime between June 2027 and January 2028; award cannot be deferred)
- Fellows are responsible for making their own travel arrangements and securing accommodations
- Opportunity to present or publish work through a talk, exhibition, or other format
Themes & Areas of Inquiry
Applicants may define their own topics or draw on collection strengths, including:
- History of science and technology
- Cryptography, computation, and artificial intelligence
- Taxonomy and classification
- Ecology and environmental studies
- Botanical art and illustration
- Book history and bibliography
- Early technologies and media archaeology
- Scientific visualization and visual knowledge
- Women in science, art, and literature
- Incunabula and early modern herbals
- Horticultural documentation and plant history
This list is illustrative, not exhaustive.
Expected Outcomes
Fellows are expected to acknowledge their fellowship in any resulting publications or media. Fellows are also encouraged (though not required) to share work through a public-facing format, such as:
- A small exhibition, digital project, video, or creative work
- An informal lunchtime or evening talk or workshop, class visit, or reflective essay
How to Apply
The application opens on 1 December 2026 and closes on 10 January 2027.
Applicants will be notified of decisions by 12 March 2027.
To apply, submit the following via Interfolio at this link.
- A statement of interest (~1,000 words) specifying which program you are applying to (research fellowship or residency for creative practice), outlining your proposed project, its goals, and its relationship to the collections
- A CV or résumé (2 pages max)
- Work samples
- (for fellowships in creative practice, online portfolios are acceptable)
- In lieu of an online portfolio or website, applicants can submit up to 10 images, videos or pdfs, with an accompanying list of image/file captions containing titles, media, dimensions, dates and relevant information in a separate document.
- a writing sample (for research fellowship applicants)
- (for fellowships in creative practice, online portfolios are acceptable)
- Optional: a letter of support or recommendation
About the Collections
The Posner Center for Special Collections is home to Carnegie Mellon University’s collection of rare books and early technologies, comprising approximately 8,000 items. Areas of collection strength include the histories of computing, robotics, artificial intelligence, and cryptography, alongside early scientific thought, fine printing, and English and American literature. Highlights include first editions by Isaac Newton, Galileo, Marie Curie, and Albert Einstein; a Shakespeare First Folio; early calculating devices and cryptographic machines, including two WWII-era Enigma machines; and the personal libraries of AI pioneers Allen Newell and Herbert A. Simon. The Center also holds a significant archive of drawings, correspondence, and artwork by Victorian artist Kate Greenaway. The collection can be searched using the Libraries’ online catalog (navigate to “Advanced Search > Search for: Special Collections”).
The Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, founded as the Hunt Botanical Library in 1961, holds one of the world’s most important collections of botanical literature and art. It brings together Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt’s foundational collection of rare books, manuscripts, portraits, and artworks, and continues to grow through active acquisitions. The Institute’s four departments—Art, Archives, Bibliography, and Library—support scholarship in the history of botany and all aspects of plant science, botanical art and illustration, history and bibliography of botanical literature, and natural history. Important collections include the Cornell University Cytology Microscope Slide Collection (many slides made by Barbara McClintock, awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine), the writings of Michel Adanson (1727-1806), artwork by important botanical artists including Pierre-Joseph Redouté (1759-1840) as well as contemporary masters, the Strandell Collection of Linnaeana which includes nearly all published works, in almost every known edition and translation, by the Swedish naturalist-physician Carolus Linnaeus (1707-1778) as well as works by a number of his students. Collections can be searched through Hunt Institute databases and more information about the Institute’s history and work can be found online. Books in the Hunt Institute Library can be searched using the Libraries’ online catalog (navigate to “Advanced Search > Search for: Special Collections”).
Stipends & Payment
Fellows will receive a stipend of $3,500 to support a 2–4 week residency during the 2026–27 academic year (including summer and fall 2027). Stipends will be issued as near to the beginning of the residency as possible. Fellows are responsible for any taxes and reporting requirements related to the receipt of their award.
International Applications
Eligibility:
For the 2026–2027 application cycle, these fellowships are open to U.S.-based applicants only. We are unfortunately unable to consider applications from individuals who require visa sponsorship to participate in a short-term residency at Carnegie Mellon University.
2026–2027 Fellowship Recipients
- Tamara Caulkins — Hunt Institute Fellowship for Research
- Leslie Liu — Posner Fellowship for Creative Practice
- Amanda Marchand* — Hunt Institute Fellowship for Creative Practice
- Leah Sobsey* — Hunt Institute Fellowship for Creative Practice
* Shared award.