Fellows

Each year, we bring together senior and junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows, and colleagues from across the university— including Yale’s professional schools and cultural institutions—for sustained conversation grounded in the humanities. In this vibrant intellectual community, scholars from across Yale convene to share research-in-progress in the humanities and related fields. The Fellows Forum meetings, held every Wednesday over lunch in Fellows Hall, form the core of the WHC Fellows program. These gatherings serve as a cornerstone of faculty development and interdisciplinary exchange.

Launched in 2025 in partnership with Yale’s ASCEND Initiative, the HBCU Faculty Fellowship offers humanities faculty from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) a seven-month, in-residence research opportunity at the Whitney Humanities Center. With full access to Yale’s extensive archives, libraries, and intellectual resources, fellows pursue independent scholarship while engaging in the WHC’s vibrant, interdisciplinary community. 

Leading writers, artists, and public intellectuals join our community annually as Franke Visiting Fellows. Established in 2005 through the generosity of Richard and Barbara Franke, this fellowship supports bold and imaginative work across the humanities. Fellows pursue their own projects while also engaging with the intellectual life of the WHC—exchanging ideas with Yale faculty, contributing to the weekly WHC Fellows Forum, and sharing their work-in-progress in a free, public lecture.

Each year, in partnership with Yale Environmental Humanities, we bring together a cohort of first-year Ph.D. students whose research explores environmental questions through—and in dialogue with—humanities disciplines. In addition to a $1,000 stipend top-up, the fellowship includes interdisciplinary programming, mentorship opportunities, and access to a designated lounge in the Humanities Quadrangle. The program aims to integrate new graduate students from across the humanities at Yale into both the Whitney Humanities Center and the Environmental Humanities graduate certificate program.

Our Graduate Professional Experience Fellowship supports Ph.D. students in the humanities and related fields as they expand their professional skill sets and deepen their understanding of current trends in humanities scholarship. Each fellowship is shaped by the fellow’s expertise and the center’s current priorities. Throughout the yearlong appointment, fellows work on a wide range of projects designed to make the work of the humanities and the initiatives of the Whitney Humanities Center more visible and accessible to diverse audiences.