Review and Evaluation

All application files are read in the early fall by both a senior and a postdoctoral fellow, who look for these strengths and experiences—listed below in no particular order—as they consider the applicants.

• A capacity for interdisciplinary work and an interest in—or even need for—interdisciplinary discussion. This might mean the research straddles two fields or departments, or that their work, largely within one field, has relevance to other fields.
• A capacity to communicate the gist and impact of their research in a way that is intelligible beyond an expert few.
• The experience of grappling with challenges, whether that means being a first-generation college student, being underrepresented in their field or in the academy at large, or being someone who has worked overtime to achieve fluency in multiple specializations.
• Work that addresses a gap in scholarly knowledge, thus potentially changing their field’s assumptions, or even work that has the potential to change the world in some way.
• A specific and plausible research plan. This may involve taking the dissertation research in an exciting new direction, or it may involve a second research/creative project.
• The identification of specific faculty or collections at the University of Michigan who/that would significantly help their project’s growth.

Files receiving the highest scores (about 25 to 30 percent of the entire pool) are forwarded on to both the primary and secondary departments and schools indicated by the applicant. Faculty in these areas—using these criteria—then select one or two applicants for the senior fellows to collectively review in January. Out of 35 to 40 finalists, the senior fellows annually select six postdoctoral fellows.