ASEEES Next Generation Dissertation Research Fellowship Program

Established in 2025, the ASEEES Next Generation Dissertation Research Fellowship Program provides a maximum stipend of $28,000 for doctoral students at US universities, regardless of citizenship, to conduct dissertation research in Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies. The program is open to students in any discipline whose dissertation topics are within Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian Studies.

ASEEES is pleased to announce the Anne D. Rassweiler Dissertation Research Fellowship, generously sponsored by John Rassweiler, Janet Rassweiler, and Adele Lindenmeyr. The Rassweiler DRF holds the same provisions and eligibility and uses the same application as the other Next Generation DRFs. 

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Fellowship Project Scope

• The dissertation topic must be in Slavic, Eastern European, and Eurasian studies
• Most of the proposed research should be conducted in Eastern Europe and/or Eurasia but the fellowship can be used to conduct research for a briefer period in secondary site(s) such as the U.S.; in cases of equally qualified applications, some preference may be given to research entirely in the region

Fellowship Duration

• The duration of research travel must be at least nine (9) months. Research travel must start within the same calendar year following the receipt of the fellowship. (i.e. upon notification of the fellowship in the spring of 2026, the recipient must start their research travel by no later than December 31, 2026). Research can be conducted in multiple trips if the visa situation requires it, but all proposed research travel must be concluded within 15 months from the start of research travel.

Eligibility

• be a doctoral student at a US university 
• have successfully achieved PhD candidacy (ABD status) by the start of the proposed research travel;
• be a student member of ASEEES at the time of the application submission
• have a dissertation research topic that falls within the fellowship project scope (see above), but may be in any discipline
• be able to receive and maintain a visa at any location of research that requires a visa;
• have language proficiency to conduct the proposed research
• not have previously applied for this fellowship more than once
• not have a grant or fellowship from another organization to conduct the same or similar research project at the same time that they hold the Fellowship (NOTE: Applicants may apply for competing fellowships, including the Cohen-Tucker Dissertation Research Fellowship and the ASEEES Dissertation Research Grant, however if offered another grant or fellowship as well as the ASEEES Next Generation Dissertation Research Fellowship, the applicant must choose between them)
• With the express permission of ASEEES, the fellow may hold another small grant or award, particularly to cover the cost of tuition and fees.
• not have previously held the Cohen-Tucker Dissertation Research Fellowship for the same research project.
• Starting with the 2027 competition, applicants to the Next Generation Research Fellowship may not have held (in 2026 or later) the ASEEES Dissertation Research Grant for the same research project.

Fellowship Amount

• The fellowship amount is a maximum of $28,000. The fellowship does not provide tuition and fee payments to the applicant’s home institution. 
• The fellow may not hold employment or academic workload during the fellowship tenure.
• The stipend can be spent on expenses incurred while conducting research, including living expenses, research expenses, international airfare, visa expenses, and evacuation and health insurance. 

Selection Criteria

The fellowship will be awarded on the basis of:

• the applicant’s scholarly qualifications
• the scholarly significance of the project and its capacity to advance Slavic, East European, and Eurasian studies
• the quality of the proposal with regard to its methodology, scope, theoretical framework, and grounding in the relevant scholarly literature.

Application Requirements

All components of the application must be submitted online. Application requirements are found on the online application pages.

Application Deadline

Deadline: January 29, 2026

Contact

For more information contact Leah Valtin-Erwin, ASEEES Grants and Programs Manager, at [email protected]