2026 Gaius Charles Bolin Dissertation and Post-MFA Fellowship : Physics and Astronomy

Description

The Gaius Charles Bolin Fellowships at Williams College help transform the academy and support multivocality on college faculties by supporting graduate students completing terminal degrees and post-MFA candidates preparing to pursue careers in higher education. The fellowship aims to create academic spaces and platforms in which a variety of perspectives are recognized as scholarly contributions, including those addressing historical inequities. The fellowship was established in 1985.

Gaius Charles Bolin was the first Black graduate of Williams in 1889. He was an active and influential member of his class who went on to a successful career as a lawyer in Poughkeepsie, New York. Bolin also was a founding member of the local branch of the NAACP and was the first African American president of the Dutchess County Bar Association. In 1969, eighty years after Gaius Bolin graduated, Joseph E. Harris, the first Black tenure-line faculty member, was hired at Williams.

These fellowships, which honor Gaius Bolin\'s legacy, are two-year residencies at Williams. Two scholars or artists are appointed each year. Fellows devote the bulk of the first year to the completion of dissertation work—or in the case of post-MFA applicants, building their professional portfolios—while also teaching one course as a faculty member in one of the college\'s academic departments or programs. The second year of residency, preferably with a terminal degree in hand, is spent on academic career development while again teaching just one course.

Qualifications

The Bolin Fellowships are awarded to applicants who show exceptional promise as scholars, who have an interest in and capacity for teaching students in a community that is broadly diverse with regard to, among other things, race, gender, citizenship, ethnicity, religion, and who are pursuing a career in higher education in the United States. Ph.D. candidates must have completed all doctoral work except the dissertation by the end of the current academic year. Post-MFA candidates must be recent recipients of the degree; only those with degrees granted in 2025, or to be granted in 2026, are eligible to apply.

The annual stipend for the position is $57,000. The College will also provide health and dental benefits, relocation and housing assistance, academic support including office space and a computer, and an annual allowance of $4,000 for research-related expenses.

During the period of residence at Williams, the Bolin Fellows will be affiliated with an appropriate department or program and will be expected to teach one one-semester course each year, normally in the fall semester of year one and the spring semester of year two.

Application Instructions

Candidates should apply via Interfolio by 11 : 59 PM on November 15, 2025, with :

• a cover letter with a description of your research and teaching interests; this letter should also explain how you will effectively engage a broadly diverse student body;
• a full curriculum vitae;
• two confidential letters of recommendation; including one letter of recommendation that addresses the applicant\'s contribution to advancing inclusive excellence and improving understanding of the perspectives and experiences of diverse populations
• PhD applicants : a copy of the dissertation prospectus, preferably limited to 10-15 pages, or a research statement of the same length; and a timetable for completion of the degree.
• Post MFA applicants : project description, preferably limited to 2-5 pages [250-1250 words], and additional material, as described below :
• Writers : 2-3 short stories, 10-15 poems, or novel passages not to exceed 50 pages
• Visual Artists : 20 images
• Theatre Artists : sample of design portfolio, links to performances

Eligible candidates for the fellowship include all U.S. citizens, U.S. nationals, and U.S. permanent residents (holders of a Permanent Resident Card); individuals granted deferred action status under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program; Indigenous individuals exercising rights associated with the Jay Treaty of 1794; individuals granted Temporary Protected Status; asylees; and refugees. Eligible candidates may apply to more than one academic unit.

Units that will be participating in 2025-26 are :

(PLEASE NOTE : participating units change from year to year.)

Williams College is a liberal arts institution located in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. The college has built its reputation on outstanding teaching and scholarship and on the academic excellence of its approximately 2,000 students. Please visit the Williams College website. Williams promotes equal opportunity and makes all employment decisions on a non-discriminatory basis. Williams College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community where individuals of all identities and backgrounds can live, learn, and thrive.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Williams College is a liberal arts institution located in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. The college has built its reputation on outstanding teaching and scholarship and on the academic excellence of its approximately 2,000 students. Please visit the Williams College website. Williams promotes equal opportunity and makes all employment decisions on a non-discriminatory basis. Williams College is committed to building a diverse and inclusive community where individuals of all identities and backgrounds can live, learn, and thrive.

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