Wilsey Distinguished Graduate Fellowships

Program Details

Fellowship Support

Each Ph.D. fellow receives:

• A premium stipend of $46,000.
• A $1,000 research account.
• Release from TA duties and other departmental service.

Scholarship Development Activities

• Weekly cross-disciplinary research seminars–sharing and gaining feedback on your ideas from a diverse, interdisciplinary audience; learning how different disciplinary methods illuminate ethical questions.
• Public engagement (in speech and writing) training workshops and orientations.
• A Ph.D. fellows discernment and reflection retreat.
• Deepened professional and vocational development through engagements with community practitioners of the Love Ethic Network.
• Regular ECG community-building events.

Eligibility

Wilsey fellows must be fourth- or fifth-year graduate students in good standing in the College of Arts and Letters (CAL), which includes students in the joint Keough-CAL PhD programs. We welcome applications from current third- and fourth-year graduate students for the 2026-2027 fellowship cohort. Ph.D. fellows must be in-residence and released from departmental service and teaching work for their fellowship year.

*Notebaert fellows are eligible to apply; if selected, they would receive the $1,000 
research account and continue receiving a total stipend at the Notebaert level.

Application Process and Materials

Fellows will be selected by a competitive application, referral, and interview process. Applicants submit the following materials:

• A brief description of your dissertation research.
• A current Curriculum Vitae.
• A statement of interest, detailing the core ethics question at the heart of your dissertation research, your aspirations for serving broad interdisciplinary audiences, and vision for engaging with the growing Love Ethic Network with your research skills and interests.
• Contact information for two references; at least one should be involved in advising your dissertation research.
• An unofficial graduate transcript.
• A letter signed by your DGS acknowledge your intent to apply to the program and ability to be released from teaching responsibilities for the duration of your fellowship year.

Selection Criteria

Ph.D. fellows will be selected by a panel composed of faculty and staff affiliated with ECG. After determining eligibility, the panel will weigh four criteria:

1. Quality of Research Profile: Excellent performance in the Ph.D. program to-date and exceptional potential for the proposed research project that engages a key ethical question.
2. Potential for Scholarly Impact: The likelihood that this fellowship will deepen the Fellow’s research and have a clear impact–through publishing and teaching–on our understanding of an ethically significant issue.
3. Interdisciplinary Potential: The Fellow’s research, teaching, and career interests align with the mission of the fellowship program. We aim to compose a fellowship cohort with diverse methods and evidence sources. Particular fellows should be firmly rooted in a single discipline but able to identify ways that other methods or sources of evidence might benefit their work.

Collaborative Commitment: The Fellow’s demonstrated commitment to contributing to research culture in an interdisciplinary institute. We particularly look for evidence of initiative, optimism, curiosity, intellectual humility, and the ability to draw others into research questions.  We are keen to select fellows who eager to deepen their professional/vocational development through engaging with Love Ethic Network practitioners and communities.

More Info: Optional Information Session

If you have questions, join our team for an optional information session on Thursday, February 19, from 5pm-6:30pm in Bond Hall 104. Beverages and hors d'oeuvres will be provided.

RSVP Here