John Mulvaney Fellowship

The Australian Academy of the Humanities is the national voice for cultural, creative and ethical thinking. We promote the study and application of the humanities because recording, explaining and predicting the human story brings distinctive and diverse ideas to decision-making and contributes to a better future for all. Established in 2019, the John Mulvaney Fellowship honours the outstanding contribution to Humanities scholarship, the Academy, and the cultural life of the nation of one of our longest serving Fellows and former Academy Secretary John Mulvaney AO CMG FBA FSA FRAI FAHA. 

In keeping with Professor Mulvaney’s deep commitment to Indigenous people and cultures, the John Mulvaney Fellowship is an award for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander early career researchers and PhD students working in any area of the humanities. 

The recipient of the John Mulvaney Fellowship will receive $4000 towards undertaking research or fieldwork in Australia or overseas, including accessing archives and other research materials and connecting with researchers and networks.

• Fellows and non-Fellows can nominate, or individuals can self-nominate. The Nominator must obtain the permission of the Nominee before nomination.
• Nominees/Applicants must be Citizens or Permanent Residents of Australia who are residing in Australia at the time of nomination.
• Nominees/Applicants must be citizens who are of Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander descent.
• The Fellowship is open to early career researchers (ECRs) and PhD students currently enrolled in an Australian institution.
• Nominations/applications will be accepted from independent scholars holding a PhD as well as those working in institutional settings.
• ECR Nominees must be in the early stages of their careers, which will be determined, inter alia, by how recently a PhD was conferred. In normal circumstances it should have been conferred no more than five years prior to the closing date for applications.
• ECR Nominees who have received their PhD more than five years ago but who can demonstrate a significant, commensurate period of career interruption (such as maternity or parental leave, carer’s responsibility, illness, unemployment, or non-research employment) may be considered eligible. This includes disruptions caused by COVID-19. A justification for the career interruption must be submitted as part of the proposal.
• Nominees/Applicants must be working in the Humanities, defined as those discipline areas by which the Academy is structured – Archaeology; Asian Studies; Classical Studies; English; European Languages and Cultures; History; Indigenous Studies; Linguistics; Philosophy and the History of Ideas; Religion; Cultural and Communication Studies; and The Arts. Applicants working on projects in Digital Humanities; and Environmental Humanities will also be eligible to apply.
• Interdisciplinary work is encouraged, provided that it includes a substantial proportion of work in the Humanities.