Margaret S. Vining and Barton C. Hacker Fellowship in Women's Military History
Applications due by 5 PM EST on Friday, March 21, 2025.
The Division of Military & Society at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History (NMAH) is pleased to accept applications for the 2025-26 Margaret S. Vining and Barton C. Hacker Fellowship in Women’s Military History. The theme for this year’s fellowship is “Volunteers: Military and Beyond.” The successful candidate will carry out a research project exploring women’s contributions to and experiences of service related to national defense up to 1945. Research plans should be anchored in the Division’s collections but may involve comparative study in other collections in the museum, across the Smithsonian, and at archives in the immediate Washington, DC area. The Vining-Hacker Fellowship includes access to a range of resources, including Smithsonian staff, collections, and research files, as well as Smithsonian network access and office space at NMAH. The Fellowship offers up to $22,000 to pre-doctoral candidates and up to $30,000 to post-doctoral or professional candidates who pursue independent research projects that substantially use Military & Society collections at NMAH. The six-month fellowship tenure is flexible, allowing for a single residency period or distribution of the equivalent number of hours over a 9- or 10-month term, including the possibility for multiple shorter residency periods. Fellows are encouraged to present their research to colleagues at NMAH. To learn more, please visit https://americanhistory.si.edu/about/careers/fellowship-program.
Pre-doctoral graduate students, post-doctoral scholars, and other professionals who have completed relevant advanced training are invited to apply. Undergraduates and Smithsonian staff are not eligible.
The Fellow is expected to reside in the Washington, DC area and be on site at least three days per week in the museum or a Smithsonian collection during their Fellowship period(s). Their fellowship is expected to be complete by the end of 2026.
All stipends are subject to tax; non-US applicants should inquire about visa status and tax implications. Stipends are based on the understanding that the Fellow may choose to complete their research during a single 6-month residency working primarily at the museum, or to distribute the equivalent number of hours over a 9 or 10-month term.
- Pre-doctoral candidates: up to $22,000
- Post-doctoral or professional candidates: up to $30,000
How to Apply:
Applications should be submitted via the Smithsonian's Online Academic Appointment (SOLAA) database and are due by 5 PM EST on Friday, March 21, 2025. Only complete applications will be considered, which must include:
- a 2-page CV or resumé
- a 2-page statement that summarizes the proposed project, its current state and plan for completion, and how Division of Military & Society and other collections at NMAH will substantially contribute to it
- one writing sample (maximum 30 pages, not including notes)
- a timeline for the tenure of the proposed Fellowship period
- two letters of recommendation from people familiar with the project
To locate the application on SOLAA, please select “Start Your Application,” select NMAH as the museum, and click the “Apply Now” button next to the Vining and Hacker Fellowship option. You will be prompted to log in to SOLAA; if you don’t already have a SOLAA account, please click the “Create an Account” link and follow the instructions.
Program-specific questions should be directed to Kenneth Cohen, Military & Society Division Chair, at cohenk@si.edu. Application questions should be directed to Caroline Fiertz, Interns & Fellows Program Manager, at NMAHintern@si.edu.