Visiting Fellowships
This is the full list of recurring visiting fellowships offered by UVA Jewish Studies.
Undergraduates can explore special fellowships and opportunities here. Recurring graduate student opportunities can be found here, and we also offer the Herbert Friedman Graduate Fund for Holocaust Studies.
Distinguished Scholar in Residence Program
(Currently Accepting Applications)
The Jewish Studies Program at the University of Virginia's scholar-in-residence fellowship program is a short-term residency open to distinguished national and international applicants, who may be academic scholars or scholars of practice. Recipients will typically spend 3 – 6 weeks at the University of Virginia and are invited to conduct their own research and participate in the intellectual life of the Jewish Studies Program. This may include:
- A public lecture on their current research.
- A one-credit seminar open to advanced undergraduate and /or graduate students.
- A faculty reading group.
- A one-day conference to be planned in advance.
- Guest lectures in Jewish Studies courses.
- Meetings with students, faculty, and fellows.
Background
The Distinguished Scholar in Residence Program brings one scholar per year to the University of Virginia to strengthen and expand existing areas of expertise and/or introduce new perspectives and foci to Jewish Studies at UVA. The program seeks to diversify our curriculum and give students the opportunity to engage with leading scholars in the field of Jewish Studies. We also hope to increase the international visibility of the UVA Jewish Studies and to build relations with other institutions around the world.
Eligibility
The residency is open to junior and senior applicants and designed to offer a maximum of flexibility. Its relatively short stay allows international scholars to visit UVA without having to take a semester leave from their institutions. Interdisciplinary collaborations with other units at UVA are especially desired.
Budget
Scholars will receive a $10,000 award, as well as travel funds. There will also be a $10,000 budget available if they choose to organize a one-day conference.
2026 Application Information
Interested scholars are asked to submit a letter of interest, explaining why they would like to visit UVA Jewish Studies, the research they would like to pursue here, and the activities in which they would like to engage from the list above. They should also include a current short CV, sample syllabus (if choosing to teach a seminar), and a recent writing sample. Scholars may also be internally nominated by Jewish Studies faculty. Application and nominations should be emailed to jewishstudiesprogram@virginia.edu by Thursday, April 30th, 2026. Please contact Jewish Studies Director Jennifer Geddes at jlg2u@virginia.edu if you have questions about the residency or application process.
Distinguished Artist/Writer/Musician in Residence Program
(Currently Accepting Applications)
The Jewish Studies Program at the University of Virginia's artist/writer/musician-in-residence fellowship program is a short-term residency open to distinguished national and international applicants. Recipients will typically spend 3 – 6 weeks at the University of Virginia and are invited to pursue their own creative projects and participate in the
intellectual life of the Jewish Studies Program. This may include:
- A public lecture, reading, exhibit, or performance.
- A one-credit workshop open to all students.
- A faculty reading group.
- A one-day conference or exhibit to be planned in advance.
- Guest lectures in Jewish Studies courses.
- Meetings with students, faculty, and fellows.
Background
The Distinguished Artist-Writer/Musician Residence Program brings one person per year to the University of Virginia to offer a different kind of learning experience to our students, introduce artistic perspectives (visual, musical, performative) to Jewish Studies, and increase the public interfacing of our program. The residency, which may also focus on Jewish or interreligious ritual art, builds our connections with studio arts, music, performing arts, and creative writing at UVA, and potentially with the Fralin Museum of Art, the Virigina Film Festival, and/or the Virginia Festival or the Book.
Eligibility
The residency is open to junior and senior applicants and designed to offer a maximum of flexibility. Its relatively short stay allows international artists/writers/musicians to visit UVA without having to take a semester leave from their institutions. Interdisciplinary collaborations with other units at UVA are especially desired.
Budget
Recipients will receive a $10,000 award, as well as travel funds. There will also be a $10,000 budget available if they choose to organize an exhibit, public performance, or musical event.
Application Process
Those interested are asked to submit a letter of interest, explaining why they would like to visit UVA Jewish Studies, the creative work they would like to pursue while here, and the activities in which they would like to engage from the list above. They should also include a current short CV and a sample of their creative work. Individuals may also be internally nominated by Jewish Studies faculty. Application and nominations should be emailed to jewishstudiesprogram@virginia.edu on Thursday, April 30th, 2026. Please contact Jewish Studies Director Jennifer Geddes at jlg2u@virginia.edu if you have questions about the residency or application process
Visiting Ph.D. Student Fellowship
University of Virginia Jewish Studies invites advanced Ph.D. students from any academic discipline working on topics in Jewish Studies to apply for its Visiting Ph.D. Student Fellowship, which carries an award of $6,000 plus travel expenses. Recipients will spend four to six weeks at UVA, working in their specific research areas with Jewish Studies faculty, presenting their work in-progress at the Jewish Studies graduate colloquium and/or in a public presentation, and engaging a vibrant academic community. Fellows will also have access to the university’s extensive library collection.
Students are responsible for their own housing, insurance, and meals. Eligible applicants must be currently enrolled in a PhD program and doing research in an area related to Jewish Studies.
Past Fellows
Sigal Yona
Our first visiting P.h.D Student Fellow was Sigal Yona, a Ph.D. candidate at the Centre for Cinema and Media Studies at Ghent University. While visiting in the spring of 2025, Sigal had the opportunity to study alongside Jewish Studies faculty members, attend Program lectures and events, and present on her dissertation about cinema-going in mid-century Tel Aviv.
You can learn more about Sigal, her research, and her experience as a Visiting Ph.D. Fellow by viewing her video interviews on our YouTube Channel.
Anaël Malet
Anaël Malet, our second Visiting Ph.D. Fellow, traveled to UVA in the fall of 2025. A Ph.D. student in Jewish Thought at Bar-Ilan University, her research explores the connection between the philosophy of two major Jewish thinkers, Hannah Arendt and Hermann Cohen, the subjects of her Colloquium presentation while at UVA.
You can learn more about Anaël, her research, and her experience as a Visiting Ph.D. Fellow by viewing her video interview on our YouTube Channel.