ASEEES Dissertation Research Grant Program

Thanks to the generosity of donors and members, the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies is offering research grants with a stipend of maximum $6,000, for the purposes of conducting doctoral dissertation research in Eastern Europe and Eurasia in any aspect of Slavic, East European, and Eurasian studies in any discipline. Students may only receive ONE ASEEES Dissertation Research Grant over the course of their graduate studies. 

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Eligibility

• Applicant may be a graduate student of any citizenship, in any discipline currently enrolled in a PhD program in the United States, and for the Bailey Dissertation Research Grant, in the US and Canada
• Applicant must have successfully achieved PhD candidacy (ABD status) by the start of the proposed research travel
• Applicant must have requisite language proficiency to conduct the proposed research
• Applicant must be a student member of ASEEES at the time of application
• Applicant must plan to conduct research in one or more of countries within the region covered by ASEEES, including: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyz Republic, Latvia, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
  • For 2024, considering Russia’s war in Ukraine, research in Russia or Ukraine may be difficult. Applications to conduct research in Russia or Ukraine are accepted, but we also encourage you to apply to conduct research in another country listed above.
• Applicant must plan to start the research travel by no later than January 31 of the subsequent year (Ex: Upon notification of the fellowship in the summer of 2026, the grant recipient must start his/her research travel no later than January 31, 2027)
• Applicant must not be current or past recipient of the ASEEES Summer Dissertation Writing Grant
• Applicant must not have held or hold the Cohen-Tucker Dissertation Research Fellowship, Fulbright-Hays DDRA, Wenner Gren Foundation Dissertation Fieldwork Grant, Mellon/ACLS Dissertation Innovation Fellowship, or other similarly fully-funded fellowships for the same research project. The Dissertation Research Grant may be held concurrently with other partial funding sources, but the purpose of the grant is to support students whose projects have not yet been fully supported.

Special Grants

Thanks to the generous gifts from ASEEES members and other donors, we are able to offer:

• Dissertation Research Grant in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies – open to all disciplines and geographic foci in Eastern Europe and Eurasia (as described under Eligibility)

• Joseph Bradley and Christine Ruane Dissertation Research Grant in Russian Studies – open to all disciplines and any aspect of Russian studies broadly defined

• Maya K. Peterson Dissertation Research Grant in Environmental Studies – open to all disciplines, geographic foci in Eastern Europe and Eurasia (as described under Eligibility) and any aspect of environmental studies broadly defined

• Dissertation Research Grant in Ukrainian Studies  – open to all disciplines and any aspect of Ukrainian studies broadly defined

• James Bailey Dissertation Research Grant in Folklore Studies (NEW in 2024) – open to all disciplines and any aspect of Folklore studies broadly defined; open to PhD students in Canada

• Alfred J. Rieber Dissertation Research Grant in History (NEW in 2026) – open to all disciplines and geographic foci in Eastern Europe and Eurasia (as described under Eligibility)

Grant Amount

The grant amount is maximum $6,000, which must be spent on expenses outside the US conducting research in the eligible country or countries, listed above. The grant payment will be made to US banks only. NOTE: The fellowship does not support tuition and fee payments to the applicant’s US home institution. 

Deadline

Applications must be submitted by March 20 (notifications will be sent out in May)

To Apply

Complete the online application, which includes:

• a two-page, single-spaced, 1000-word (excl footnotes, bibliography) description of the research scope, analytical framework, methodology, budget, and timeline;
• a CV no longer than two pages;
• Graduate transcript(s) (unofficial copy allowed);
• confirmation that applicant has not previously held a major dissertation research fellowship (prior to disbursement of funds, ASEEES will contact the home department to verify candidate’s standing and funding levels);
• confirmation that applicant has not previously held the ASEEES Dissertation Research Grant;
• two letters of professional reference (one must be from the main dissertation/thesis adviser);

Application Review

All files are reviewed by an interdisciplinary panel that values clarity of argument to both specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Contact

Please contact [email protected] with any further questions.

Donate

This grant program is made possible by generous contributions from members and other donors. Please consider investing in the future of the field and donate to the General Dissertation Research Fund.