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Koneru R. Rao Global Fellowship

Koneru R. Rao Global Fellowship

The Modern Indian Studies (MIS) Initiative of UNC is the proud home of the Koneru R. Rao Global Fellowship Fund. This fellowship was endowed in honor of the late Professor Koneru Ramakrishna Rao. Professor Rao was the chair of the Indian Council of Philosophical Research and Founding President/Director of the Institute for Human Science & Service. He earned two doctorates (in philosophy and psychology) from Andhra University in India. He was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Chicago, a fellow of the Rockefeller Foundation, and a fellow at Duke University. He taught at Andhra University, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The Koneru R. Rao Global Fellowship is intended to support graduate students to conduct academic fieldwork in India.

Eligibility

Applicants must be enrolled in the Graduate School of the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC Chapel Hill in a degree-granting program at the time of application, and when they receive the fellowship. While doctoral level research will be given preference, Master’s students with strong proposals are also invited to apply.

Recipients will be awarded $10,000 towards the costs of their fieldwork in India, intended for use in the summer between UNC terms. This fellowship is a lump sum award, and receipts are not necessary, but applicants should speak to the purposes for which the funds will be used.

MIS encourages applications from students working on a wide range of diverse topics related to modern India – and across fields. Comparative research is also encouraged.

Application format

Awards are made annually.

Applicants must submit the following information:

  • A current CV
  • A 500-600 word description of the intended fieldwork, including:
    • Title of the study
    • The subject to be studied, research questions, and the methodology to be used, written for clear comprehension of those outside of the student’s disciplinary field
    • The location(s) of the proposed fieldwork
    • Any counterpart(s) and key contacts at Indian institutions who can help support the research
    • The goal of the fieldwork, and why it is necessary to go to India for this research
    • The timeline of the fieldwork, and
    • How this fieldwork will contribute to the student’s progress in their degree
  • The name and contact details of the individual who will provide an academic reference

Applicants should also arrange for a single one-page letter of recommendation—preferably from the student’s graduate advisor—to be emailed to the review committee by the application deadline.

Obligations

Students must remain in good standing in their program to receive the award funds, and travel to India must comply with all UNC regulations.

Upon completion of the fieldwork, the awardee should submit a one-page report on the outcomes to the Associate Director of the Carolina Asia Center.

Judging

The applications will be reviewed by a committee assembled by the Director of Modern Indian Studies, which will nominate students for awards. The final authority to make awards rests with the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences.

Applications are evaluated on the basis of (1) commitment to the study of modern India and/or comparative work involving modern India, (2) concrete, feasible plans for the fellowship fieldwork, (3) contribution of the fieldwork towards the students program at UNC, and (4) academic excellence.

Submissions

The most recent deadline was December 2, 2024. MIS expects to announce the next deadline in Fall semester 2025. Applications can be submitted through the Carolina Asia Center website by clicking this link.

 

Questions or problems? Contact Dr. Kevin Fogg, Associate Director of the Carolina Asia Center, at kfogg@email.unc.edu.