Dean’s Research Studio Grants

Dean’s Research Studio (DRS) grants are designed to support the professional development of full-time faculty in the College of Arts and Science. DRS grants are offered to (1) tenured and tenure-track faculty who have not reached terminal rank, and (2) Collaborative Humanities Postdoctoral Fellows and Mellon Assistant Professors. The guidelines for each differ and are detailed below.

DRS grants provide opportunities for faculty members to receive additional mentoring on their research and creative expression at a critical time in their careers, when feedback from an external expert on a book manuscript, creative project, and/or grant proposal provides maximum benefit. A Dean’s Research Studio grant can expand a faculty member’s professional network as well as advance their research, scholarship, and creative expression.

DRS funding is guaranteed to all tenure-track faculty, Collaborative Humanities Postdoctoral Fellows, and Mellon Assistant Professors who submit an appropriate application. Funding is not guaranteed for tenured faculty, but we hope to be able to fund several DRS’s for associate professors each year. Full professors are not eligible for a DRS.

Please read the guidelines below before applying. Applicants should expect a response to their proposal within two weeks to a month. Please direct all questions to Assistant Dean Angela Sutton.

Eligibility and Process for Tenure-Stream Faculty

Awardees are eligible for up to $5,000 to cover the costs of each DRS; these funds may be used to fund travel, honoraria, and related expenses for external experts to come to Vanderbilt.
Tenure-track faculty are eligible to apply for a DRS beginning in their second year on the tenure track and remain eligible to apply through the fifth year on the tenure track. A faculty member may be awarded only one DRS during the probationary period.
Tenured associate professors are eligible to apply at any point that they can make a case for the value of the DRS in their progress toward promotion to full professor. Funding is not guaranteed for tenured faculty, but we hope to be able to fund several DRSs for associates each year. A tenured associate professor may not be awarded more than one DRS. Full professors are not eligible to apply for a DRS.
Applications should include a current CV and a one-page proposal describing how the DRS would be used, including indicating scholars that might be invited to participate in the DRS. A DRS proposal should be built around a specific set of goals related to a specific project.
Applications will be submitted through REDCap. The deadline to apply for a Spring DRS will be the Friday of Fall Break each year, and the deadline to apply for a Fall DRS will be the Friday before Spring Break each year. Successful applicants will be notified within a month of applying. The funds awarded must be spent within the time frame of the awarded DRS. Approval from the chair/director is required; they will be prompted by REDCap to enter their approval.

Best Practice Guidelines for Tenure-Stream Faculty

The Dean’s Office recommends that, to foster the best Research Studio experience for the faculty member in your unit, department chairs/program directors appoint a senior faculty member (a full or associate professor, depending on the rank of the awardee) to oversee the process.

The recommendations below may not entirely work for all units—we recognize that norms may differ by division. Nevertheless, a DRS is an investment in the professional development of the awardee, an investment shared by the Dean’s Office and the department/program. The DRS is also an opportunity to enhance the reputation of the department with external scholars. Given those elements, these recommendations are designed to create the most professional and productive experience possible for the awardee. They emphasize taking the burden of the arrangements for the Research Studio away from the awardee, so that their time for preparation is not taxed and so that they may have the most useful experience possible.

We recommend:

That the senior faculty member work with the DRS awardee to identify the external scholar(s) for the Research Studio. The senior faculty member would also reach out to the external scholar(s) to invite them, explain the expectations/honoraria, identify workable dates, and then connect them with the staff member who will make travel arrangements or handle reimbursement.
That the senior faculty member, working with the awardee, identify colleagues within the Vanderbilt community to invite to participate in the Research Studio. Depending on the size of the unit, opening the studio to the entire faculty may not be productive. For example, past awardees have noted that it is most helpful when colleagues commit to being present for the entire discussion, rather than coming and going more freely.
That the senior faculty member, working with the awardee, arrange for the requisite materials for discussion to be sent to the external scholar(s), typically at least one month in advance of the workshop.
That the senior faculty member, working with the awardee, create the schedule for the visit, arranging for meetings with the awardee, meals and meal companions, an additional talk to the department if that is desired/feasible, airport transport, etc.
That the senior faculty member, working with the chair/director and staff, makes sure that the paperwork is completed to provide the honorarium and travel reimbursement to the external scholar(s). Honoraria for in-person attendance should be limited to $1,000. For scholars serving in a virtual capacity, it should be limited to $500.
That the senior faculty member designate someone to synthesize the major discussion points at the end of the workshop, providing the awardee with a set of recommendations for how to move forward.
That the senior faculty member and/or the chair/director meet with the awardee following the Research Studio to gather feedback and draw conclusions about the path forward. Past awardees have noted that setting reasonable deadlines and a timeline for completing the work after the studio can be helpful.

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Eligibility and Process for CHPs and MAPs

Collaborative Humanities Postdoctoral Fellows and Mellon Assistant Professors are eligible to apply for a DRS at any point during their tenure at Vanderbilt, to be decided in consultation with their department chair/program director.
Applications should include a current CV and a one-page proposal describing how the DRS would be used, including a short list of scholars (with affiliations) that might be invited to participate in the DRS. A DRS proposal should be built around a specific set of goals related to a specific project.
Applications will be submitted through REDCap. The deadline to apply for a DRS is rolling; however, applicants are advised to apply several months in advance of the planned DRS. The funds awarded must be spent within the time frame of the awarded DRS. Approval from the department chair/program director is required; they will be prompted by REDCap to enter their approval.

Best Practice Guidelines for CHPs and MAPs

The Dean’s Office recommends that, to foster the best Research Studio experience for Collaborative Humanities Postdoctoral (CHP) Fellows or Mellon Assistant Professors (MAP) in your unit, that department chairs/program directors appoint a senior faculty member (a full or associate professor) to oversee the process.

The recommendations below may not entirely work for all units—we recognize that norms may differ by division. Nevertheless, a DRS is an investment in the professional development of the awardee, an investment shared by the Dean’s Office and the department/program. They are designed to provide additional research mentoring when feedback on a book manuscript or equivalent provides the maximum benefit. They are also an opportunity to enhance the reputation of the department and help grow the scholarly networks of the participants. Given those elements, these recommendations are designed to create the most professional and productive experience possible for the awardee. They emphasize taking the burden of the arrangements for the Research Studio away from the awardee, so that their time for preparation is not taxed and so that they may have the most useful experience possible.

Guidelines:

Research Studios for CHPs and MAPs are held in-person on campus with one external scholar attending virtually.
Each DRS is led by a committee of three scholars who will read the manuscript and offer sustained critique: a senior faculty member at Vanderbilt (this member will ideally be a research mentor already familiar with the work of the CHP/MAP) who convenes the committee, an external expert in the subfield (this member will ideally be a leading thinker in the subfield who is well-positioned to offer guidance about the best ways this work can contribute to the field), and a peer who works adjacent to or outside of the awardee’s field of study (this member can be another CHP/MAP or other junior scholar at Vanderbilt).
A typical DRS lasts around two hours, though some benefit from longer discussions.
Colleagues may be invited at the discretion of the awardee and are asked to arrive in a timely manner, stay for the duration of the DRS, and hold questions and comments until the end.
Budget: Each DRS award pays for the honorarium of one outside expert, plus refreshments for all attendees. Honoraria for scholars serving in a virtual capacity are limited to $500.

Additionally, we recommend:

That the senior faculty member work with the DRS awardee to identify the external scholar for the Research Studio. The senior faculty member would also reach out to the external scholar to invite them, explain the expectations/honoraria, identify workable dates, and then connect them with the staff member who will handle payment of the honorarium.
That the senior faculty member, working with the awardee, identify colleagues within the Vanderbilt community to invite to participate in the Research Studio.
That the senior faculty member, working with the awardee, arrange for the requisite materials for discussion to be sent to the external scholar and other attendees, typically at least one month in advance of the workshop.
That the senior faculty member, working with staff, ensure a suitable room is booked, that arrangements for the external member to attend virtually have been made, that suitable refreshments are available, and that the paperwork is completed to provide the honorarium to the external scholar.
That the senior faculty member designate a note-taker and/or someone to synthesize the major discussion points at the end of the workshop, providing the awardee with a set of recommendations for how to move forward.
That the senior faculty member and/or the chair/director meet with the awardee following the Research Studio to gather feedback and draw conclusions about the path forward. Past awardees have noted that setting reasonable deadlines and a timeline for completing the work after the studio can be helpful.

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