- Am I allowed to apply for a concurrent fellowship?
There is no restriction on having a concurrent fellowship as long as it funds the same project you are working on at CHF and does not prevent you from working on the research outlined in your proposal and participating in scholarly activities at CHF (i.e., being “in residence” here).
- When are successful candidates notified?
Once the application deadline passes in mid-February, a peer review committee convenes to evaluate the applications as soon as possible. You can expect to hear from us by the end of May, regardless of the outcome of your application.
- What fields are generally represented among recipients?
Our fellows’ research projects display a wide variety of subjects and time periods; this is due to CHF’s desire to broadly construe our mission to support research in the history and sociology of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries. Fellows studying the history of 16th-century alchemy will find themselves next to someone researching the history of 20th- and 21st-century semiconductors or pharmaceuticals. To learn more about the research interests of our current and past fellows please visit our
current fellows page.
- How can I be sure that my research project is appropriate for a CHF fellowship?
If your research project relates in some way to the history or our understanding of matter, form, alchemy, chymistry, modern chemistry (including biochemistry, medical chemistry, astrochemistry, nuclear chemistry, pharmaceuticals, materials science, geochemistry, etc.), or the chemical, atomic, or molecular sciences, technologies, and industries, chances are it is appropriate. If you have any doubts please contact us prior to your application, and we can provide you with helpful advice.
- How are references submitted?
In the application form you will provide the names and contact details of two referees. We will contact your referees through e-mail informing them of how to submit the letter to our Web site. Please inform them that you have planned to use them as a reference and that they should have a letter ready to submit. Your referees will be asked to submit their references by February 28.
- When should I arrive at Philadelphia and begin? How long is appropriate for me to stay?
Long-term fellows are strongly encouraged to arrive around the beginning of September and depart around the end of May. Please contact us if you have problems meeting this schedule.
- Will I have to be in Philadelphia all the time?
The CHF fellowships require fellows to be in residence throughout their fellowship tenure. While you may leave for short periods of time (e.g., conference travel), extended periods of absence are only permissible for medical emergencies or other special circumstances. In those cases, your stipend and fellowship may be suspended or even cancelled. It is important that you contact us immediately in case of an emergency so that we can decide the best course of action.
- Can I split my long-term fellowship into segments?
For logistical reasons we cannot split long-term fellowships as the later portion of the tenure would run into a new academic year, and we are not able to accommodate fellows beyond the academic year for which their long-term fellowship was awarded. Long-term fellows have to complete their fellowship as a whole.
- As a short-term fellow, can I split my residency into segments?
While we recommend that you complete your fellowship all at once to simplify administrative issues, it is possible to split your residency if necessary.
- How will my stipend be paid, and where to?
Your stipend will be paid throughout your stay in biweekly installments. It is very easy, even for non-Americans, to open a bank account here (free of charge), and your stipend will be paid directly onto your U.S. bank account.
- Do I get a research allowance in addition to my stipend?
All of our long-term fellowships come with a research allowance. Postdoctoral fellows receive $2,000 and Dissertation fellows receive $1,000 in addition to their fellowship stipends. These allowances can only be spent while you are a CHF Fellow. Short-term fellows do not receive a research allowance.
- What can I use my research allowance for?
Your allowance can be used to reimburse you for any research-related expenses you incur while a CHF Fellow. Examples of appropriate expenses would be for travel to an academic conference or workshop (including food & lodging while there), travel to use other research collections, photocopying or other duplication costs of research materials, and oral history interviews. You may not use this allowance for personal expenses such as travel to and from your home. You should obtain prior approval from the Library Director to be sure that your expense will be eligible for reimbursement.
- Will I need to pay taxes on my stipend?
U.S. federal taxes are not withheld on fellowships for students who are U.S. citizens or permanent residents. You can find additional information about tax issues related to your fellowship awards on the Web at the IRS’
Tax Information for Students Web site. For international fellows, the tax situation depends on the rules and regulations of your home country. The University of Pennsylvania’s Web site has
general tax information for international students and scholars.
- Will CHF provide health insurance?
You are responsible for your own health insurance during your stay at CHF. There are several companies through which fellows can purchase health insurance. International fellows should investigate health coverage from their home country (for instance, one-year travel insurance). Those traveling on a J1 visa may also need to show proof of health insurance coverage to enter the U.S.
- What IT facilities are there at CHF?
Fellows with their own offices (all long-term and some short-term fellows) have a PC for their own use. You may also bring your laptop. There are printers for everyone’s use on each floor, as well as photocopying machines and scanners (if you have a Mac, you must transfer any files you want to print to an institutional PC first). Each office is equipped with a direct telephone line with voicemail capabilities. All fellows are also assigned a CHF e-mail account.
- Am I expected to keep set hours?
Our fellows do not keep set hours, though we like to have them around during the workday as much as possible. Fellows have keys to the building and can also work before or after hours, including on weekends.
- Am I permitted to work from home occasionally?
Fellows can work from home “occasionally.” That is, we like to have fellows here regularly to foster the interaction we aim for within our scholarly community, but it is not unusual for fellows to sometimes do research outside of the building. If you do plan to be away we ask to know in advance, so as not to worry that something is wrong.
- What hours do fellows have access to the library?
The Othmer Library is open for fellows Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Most of our books are in closed stacks, so you need to request books to check out. The process is easy, and books are made available quickly. Reference books are accessible in our reading room for everyone but cannot be checked out. Our current journals are also on open shelves in the reading room. All fellows also receive a card that grants full access to the University of Pennsylvania’s libraries, online journals, and databases.
- Are offices shared? Do they have locks? Is the area generally secure?
Our offices are not shared, so you will have one to yourself. There are no locks on our offices (except for our financial and human resource offices). The building is secure, but leaving valuables in your office overnight is not recommended.
- Is there a dress code at CHF?
There is no dress code per se, but you will find that CHF staff dresses up more than you might find at a university or college due to frequent functions and outside visitors. Casual but presentable clothes are fine. CHF does observe “casual Fridays,” on which most people dress in a more relaxed manner. If you attend a CHF event—and fellows are invited to many of these—business or business casual attire is most appropriate. (Also, CHF is a modern, air-conditioned building that many people find chilly, even in the summer. We recommend having some warm clothing if you tend to get cold in air-conditioning.)
- What latitude do I have for attending conferences and colloquia?
CHF encourages our fellows to attend conferences and colloquia and engage with local academic communities. We ask that you attend our own Tuesday brown-bag lunches and biweekly CALCIUM discussion series, and we recommend the University of Pennsylvania’s History and Sociology of Science Department’s Monday afternoon colloquia as well as the Philadelphia Area Center for History of Science’s monthly colloquia. Long-term fellowships include allowances for travel for more distant research and conferences, too. (During your time as a CHF fellow, you should denote a CHF affiliation in any programs and publications in which you participate.)
- What should I know for my first few days at CHF?
On your first day you are introduced to CHF through orientations about our building, library, computer procedures, etc. You also receive advice on opening a bank account, amenities in the area in which you live, and answers to any other questions you might have. We provide you with printed guides to Philadelphia and CHF and do everything we can to make your transition to CHF a smooth one. (Please note that since we enroll several staff members in your orientation, it is vital that we know the exact date of your arrival at CHF.)
- How do I get to Philadelphia?
Philadelphia has its own international airport with many non-stop flights to major cities. It is also possible to fly to New York City’s JFK International Airport or to Newark Liberty International Airport (located between New York City and Philadelphia) and take rail transport to Philadelphia.
- How does one get around Philadelphia?
If you live in the city, there are many bus and subway lines that enable you to get around easily. Downtown Philadelphia is very compact for a large city and thus quite walkable. While there are no bicycle lanes on Philadelphia streets, some fellows and staff who live within cycling distance nevertheless bike to and from CHF. There is an extensive regional rail system that makes it easy to get from downtown Philadelphia to suburban Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey. The city’s public transportation system is called SEPTA, and SEPTA’s Web site provides information on bus, subway, and rail lines. Philadelphia is also connected to New Jersey through the NJ Transit and PATCO transportation systems, should you find a place to live in New Jersey.
- Will CHF cover my costs to come to Philadelphia?
There is no extra allowance available for travel to and from CHF; you must pay your own way here and back. Long-term fellows’ research allowance is not to be spent on travel to and from your home and CHF, but only on bona fide research or conference travel purposes.
- How will I find accommodation in Philadelphia?
CHF has a small but growing list of trusted landlords with furnished apartments in safe areas of Philadelphia who will not insist on a standard one-year lease but rather are willing to accommodate tenants for shorter periods of time. Our fellowship coordinators will try to find a match for you once you are awarded a fellowship. Failing that, there are Web sites and channels from the University of Pennsylvania that can help you find housing. While it is not always easy to find a place to rent, especially if you are looking from abroad, we will do our best to help you find somewhere safe and affordable to stay.