Cambridge Based Fellowships

• The Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Visiting Research Fellowship is a semester-long appointment based in Cambridge that supports doctoral scholars and advanced professional degree holders who focus interdisciplinary research on critical questions and issues related to India and South Asia.
• The Syed Babar Ali Fellowship is a semester-long appointment based in Cambridge that supports doctoral scholars and advanced professional degree holders who focus on areas of humanities and social sciences related to Pakistan.
• The Raghunathan Family Fellowship is an academic year-long residency based in Cambridge that supports recent PhDs in the humanities and social sciences related to South Asia.
• The Visiting Artist Fellowship welcomes two mid-career artists for 8 weeks a semester from South Asia to come to Harvard University to participate in interdisciplinary discourse with students and faculty on global issues relevant to South Asia, and serves as a resource across all disciplines to explore critical issues of South Asia through the lens of art and design. 

In-Region Based Fellowships

• The Pakistan-In-Region Fellowship is an unpaid Fellowship meant for Junior Faculty members who have worked in reputable universities across Pakistan. Research Fellows are expected to reside in Pakistan for the fellowship duration of one academic year while working closely with Harvard faculty.
• The Mittal Institute India Fellowship (MIIF) is an academic-year long appointment open to recent post-doctoral scholars from any discipline provided their studies advance, facilitate, and provide programs in, and for the public benefit of, India. Two scholars will be selected yearly, and hosted in India at the LMSAI New Delhi Office.

If your research fits the criteria listed above for more than one fellowship, you may apply to multiple fellowships in a given year. However, you will only be awarded one fellowship.

The Mittal Institute considers candidates whose studies focus on India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan, the Maldives, Myanmar, Afghanistan, and/or the Tibetan Plateau for institution funding.

The following fellowships do not always require a PhD and may accept exceptional candidates who do not hold an advanced degree

• The Syed Babar Ali Fellowship
• Pakistan In-Region Fellowship
• Visiting Artist Fellowship (no degree requirements)

The following fellowships require a PhD in order to be eligible to apply

• Raghunathan Family Fellowship
• The Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Visiting Research Fellowship
• The Mittal Institute India Fellowship

You can only apply for the Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Visiting Research Fellowship.

You must receive your degree or successfully defend your dissertation by the application submission deadline or the indicated deadline on our website. Furthermore, these fellowships are meant for recent post-doctoral scholars who have received their PhDs within the past five years. The five-year windows are listed on the relevant fellowship pages.

Applicants from any area of the humanities or social sciences are encouraged to apply, provided that their studies are focused on South Asia. 

Examples of fields of study in the humanities and social sciences include philosophy, religion, language, literature, history, cultural studies, the visual arts, economics, linguistics, anthropology, political science, sociology, and human geography, among others.

While priority is given to applicants who have been educated in Pakistan primarily, we will consider applicants who have degrees from outside Pakistan as well.

While we welcome your application, please note that scholars who have primarily been educated at institutions in South Asia will be prioritized.

While we welcome your application, please note that scholars who have not had past opportunities to access Harvard’s resources will be prioritized.

A strong research proposal is a key component of the application. The proposal should, in a few pages, explain:

• Your research plans, including your research approach and methodology 
• What you wish to do during your time at Harvard and how you will do it
• Why it is important that this work be done at the Mittal Institute.
• Why is it intellectually valuable 

Research Proposals should elaborate on how the applicant’s work is different from the ongoing work at any of the Harvard Institutions or elsewhere.

Keep in mind that applications will be read by a multidisciplinary review committee who may not necessarily be in your discipline. Care should be taken to define technical words and clearly outline proposed methodology.

Typically applicants submit a chapter of their dissertation or thesis. You may submit any academic paper, news article, policy brief or memo that you feel is a good measurement of your ability to write professionally, clearly, and succinctly.

They can be addressed to ‘Members of the Selection Committee.’

Recommendation letters should be uploaded directly into CARAT by the recommenders. If they are unable to, please have them send the letters to thomaselliott@fas.harvard.edu by the application deadline, with “Mittal Institute Fellowship Recommendation” and the applicant’s name in the subject line.

At least one of the letters should come from an academic source who is familiar with your scholarly work. Professional references are also acceptable.

The letters should highlight your past academic research accomplishments to show that you are a good fit for the fellowship, and should speak to how the fellowship will help you pursue your future professional work.

No. Your only point of contact during the application process should be with the Mittal Institute Staff. If selected we will match you with an appropriate faculty mentor.

As part of the application, we ask that you identify any particular faculty members you would like as your mentor during your residence. You can find a list of Harvard faculty involved with the Mittal Institute Steering committee here.

The expectation of faculty mentor is that they will meet with the fellow a few times during the fellow’s time on campus, and serve as a faculty chair for a Mittal Institute seminar presented by the fellow.

We strive to notify applicants of decisions within 2 – 3 months of the application deadline.

The Mittal Institute’s fellowships are an opportunity for scholars to utilize Harvard’s resources to contribute to self-driven independent research.  Fellows will have the opportunity to:

• Engage with faculty from across Harvard’s schools by attending office hours, setting up appointments, attending seminars and workshops, and auditing courses.
• Participate in the intellectual life of the Mittal Institute by attending the Mittal Institute’s seminars and events, 
• Deliver a seminar as part of The Mittal Institute’s seminar series
• Serve as a discussant at a Mittal Institute event if the opportunity arises. 
• Serve on Grant and future Mittal Institute Fellowship Committees

Fellows are also encouraged to engage with other departments and centers throughout Harvard, as well as local peer institutions such as Tufts, Boston University, and MIT.

The Babar Ali Fellowship and the Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Visiting Research Fellowship is for the duration of one semester.  The Bajaj Fellow is typically in residence in the Fall semester and the Babar Ali Fellow is typically in residence in the Spring Semester.

The Raghunathan Family Fellowship and the Mittal Institute India Fellowship is for the duration of one academic year.

The Visiting Artist Fellowship is in residence for 8 weeks during either the Spring or the Fall semester.

*You do not need to be on campus for the entire duration of the appointment, but are expected to be on campus when classes are in session. Please see the Harvard academic calendar here.

Yes, you will have both access and borrowing privileges to all of Harvard’s libraries.

On a case-by-case basis, fellows in residence in Cambridge may apply for professional development funding, with the maximum amount being $150 per semester. 

Fellows are not formally enrolled as students and thus cannot register for classes through the Registrar’s Office. However, fellows may (and frequently do) audit classes with permission from the instructor. 

You may explore the course catalog here. Fellows are responsible for contacting faculty to request permission to audit a course.

You will be given a desk in a shared office with access to a printer and other office supplies.

The expected outcomes of the fellowship as as follows:

• A 4 to 5-page paper covering what you accomplished during the fellowship, to be published on the Mittal Institute’s website. 
• Give a seminar, with a faculty member serving as a chair.

Yes, with your appointment as a Mittal Institute fellow, you will have a Harvard ID which gives you access to Harvard’s libraries, Mittal Institute offices after hours, and online sites. You will also have a Harvard email address. 

You will be sponsored by the Harvard International Office. Please visit the Harvard International Office Website for any specific questions on any stage of the visa process. 

Fellows receive a stipend payment on the final Friday of each month for the duration of their residency. Payments can be received either by paper check or direct deposit. 

The fellowship stipend is considered taxable income. Please direct all questions to the Harvard tax page. Foreign nationals can visit the Nonresident Alien Tax Compliance page.

Please direct tax-related questions to Harvard Tax Services.

If the scholar is coming from South Asia, a round-trip, economy airfare is included as part of the fellowship. This must be used at the beginning and end of the fellowship to bring and return a fellow from their place of residence. Eligible fellows will be reimbursed by the Mittal Institute. We cannot pay in advance for any travel.

Scholars in J status are required by the U.S. Department of State to have health insurance that meets certain standards. Please see the following for more information about J Health Insurance requirements: J Health Insurance Requirements | Harvard International Office 

It is also a Massachusetts law that all residents have health insurance. 

Raghunathan, Bajaj, and Syed Babar Ali fellows are eligible to opt in to Harvard Insurance and Benefits Plans. More Information can be found here: https://hr.harvard.edu/files/humanresources/files/benesummpostdoc_0.pdf 

For all other fellows, and those looking for outside insurance providers more information can be found on the HIO website: https://www.hio.harvard.edu/health-care-scholars 

Neither the Mittal Institute nor Harvard University sponsors, provides, or procures housing for fellows during their residency. Fellows are expected to have temporary housing by the start date of their fellowship and arrival in Cambridge.

Please familiarize yourself with the average rents in Cambridge, MA: A studio apartment might be around $1,700, and a one-bedroom around $1,800-$2,000. You should be prepared to pay first and last months’ rent, as well as a security deposit and/or an agent fee upon signing the lease. 

More information and resources on housing in the Cambridge area can be found on the FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs: https://postdoc.fas.harvard.edu/housing 

Please be careful when utilizing online sites such as craigslist.com to arrange housing from abroad. You should never, under any circumstances, wire money at the request of any prospective landlord via Western Union, MoneyGram or any other wire service. Please see information from the Cambridge Police Department on avoiding rental scams.

You may – but please note that it is Massachusetts law that everyone has health insurance. 

The Mittal Institute’s fellowship only covers travel/visa reimbursements for the scholar. You may pay for this expense out of your pocket or from your stipend. Any additional insurance coverage needed for dependents will also be the responsibility of the scholar. Please note the question about visa sponsorship and minimum financial resources needed. Please see information from the Harvard International Office regarding family visas.

We advise you to arrive in Cambridge and enter the US as close to your appointment start date/visa entry date as possible to avoid any complications. 

Please also be aware that while the fall term appointment can start as early as July 1, the University is very quiet in the summer until a few weeks before classes start at the beginning of September. We encourage fall term fellows and yearlong fellows to arrive in mid-August just before classes begin. Similarly, the spring term appointment begins January 1, the entire University is on holiday from December 24 – January 1 and spring semester classes only begin at the end of January. The winter session/January term is very quiet with most faculty and students away from campus.

Please see the Harvard academic calendar here. 

Only on a case-by-case basis. Requests for use of Mittal Institute letterhead will be reviewed by the Mittal Institute Administration. You should make this request in writing to the Mittal Institute at thomaselliott@fas.harvard.edu.

No – as per Mittal Institute and University policy, we aren’t able to supply business cards.