RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS FOR ASOR MEMBERS

ASOR provides research funding for members through the Study of Collections Fellowships, Dar Ben Gacem Tunisian Fellowships, Herbert Warren Mason Fellowships, and Mesopotamian Fellowships.

Top, Joanna S. Smith working with metal tools in the Local Museum of Marion and Arsinoe (Polis Chrysochous). Below, a series of iron sword fragments from Area E.F2 (trench r09, 1986).

• Study of Collections Fellowships:
  ASOR plans to award two fellowships of $2,000 each for 2024. These fellowships are intended to support the study of collections by our members. The collections include museum and archival collections, repositories, or collections of national authorities. The fellowship funds may be used to support travel, per diem expenses, and other direct expenses. The application deadline is February 26, 2024. 
• Herbert Warren Mason Fellowship:
  The Mason Fellowship caries a monetary value of $5,000. It will be awarded biennially to a scholar/poet/writer/artist whose project proposal comes closest in scope to Herbert Mason’s oeuvre. The project manuscript must be transmitted into English. The monetary award may be used to support travel expenditures to special collections, acquire access to rare or hard to find research materials, art illustrations of a proposal or to further scholarly studies. This fellowship will be offered again in 2025.
• Mesopotamian Fellowship:
• ASOR plans to award one fellowship for 2024/2025. Mesopotamian Fellowships provide $9,000 for research on Mesopotamian civilization and are open to both graduate and postdoctoral students. The application deadline is January 8, 2024. 
• Dar Ben Gacem Tunisian Fellowship:
• Made possible by a generous donor and the Dar Ben Gacem historic guest houses in Tunis, Tunisia, this research fellowship provides room and half board (breakfast and dinner) for up to four weeks at one of the two Dar Ben Gacem guest houses in the Medina of Tunis. Research topics can include history, archaeology, cultural heritage (both tangible and intangible), religion, ethnography, and museum collection(s). The application deadline is January 29, 2024.

COVID disclaimer: If the ongoing COVID pandemic, or any other reason, inhibits travel or prevents many archaeological excavations from taking place during 2024, ASOR may at its sole discretion decide not to offer some or all of the fellowships for members. If ASOR deems such a decision as necessary, applicants may reapply for other research fellowships if ASOR cannot (at its sole discretion) modify one the research programs listed above. Regrettably, applicants and successful applicants may not postpone travel or fellowships to another year if the applicant or ASOR decides that travel or fieldwork cannot be conducted in 2024. If the pandemic or any other reason causes a cancellation of research in 2024, applicants must reapply for funding in 2025 (or for alternate ASOR research funds if they can be made available in 2024).