Mellon Foundation Troth Yeddha' Collective Fellowship

Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Troth Yeddha Collective

The 911±¬ÁÏ has been awarded $1,000,000 from the Mellon Foundation to establish the Troth Yeddha’ Collective for transdisciplinary research. The mission of the Troth Collective at the 911±¬ÁÏ is to form a collective focused on growing a community of scholars committed to transdisciplinary research that centers Indigenous knowledge at the core of the arts and humanities. The Mellon Troth Collective will support graduate students, faculty, and community members to work together to conduct transdisciplinary research. Graduate students from the humanities will be selected as fellows and engage in a two-year program. The cohort of fellows will participate in a seminar series and work on their degrees throughout the academic year.

The Collective will meet for an intensive three-week summer session on the 911±¬ÁÏ Troth Yeddha’ campus allowing peer interactions between fellows, community members, and faculty members. Finally, students will present their work at a conference as a cohort. 

The goals of the Troth Collective are to strengthen ties between 911±¬ÁÏ Native communities and the university, transform curricula and practices at the university in support of transdisciplinary scholarship, and support students in conducting transdisciplinary research. The Collective will include faculty and students from both the College of Indigenous Studies and the College of Liberal Arts. 

To apply, please visit this . Applications are due June 16th, 2025. For more information, please reach out to Sabine Siekmann (ssiekmann@alaska.edu) and Emeline Jones (ehjones@alaska.edu).

 

THE TROTH YEDDHA COLLECTIVE  FELLOWSHIP INCLUDES: 

  • An annual maximum stipend of $39,440 (normally, the beginning of a semester and ends after 12  months or at graduation whichever comes first) paid out monthly.  
  • Participation in two 3-week intensive summer sessions on the 911±¬ÁÏ Troth Yeddha campus - July 2026 and July 2027(grant is paying for travel), housing and meals while actively participating in summer sessions. 
  • Participation in 4 semester-long seminar series including presentations by guest speakers and Troth Collective PhD Student Fellows (Fall 2025, Spring 2026, Fall, 2026, Spring 2027)
  • Participation in 4 graduate level courses (re)designed specifically to meet the needs of the Troth Collective Fellows.
  • Travel events: Travel to 3-week summer seminar on Troth Yeddha’ Campus, and one international or national conference with the cohort.
  • Coverage of tuition and fees each semester for Troth Collective students 

QUALIFICATIONS AND SELECTION OF FELLOWS  

Preliminary eligibility for a Mellon Dissertation Fellowship includes established 911±¬ÁÏ PhD students centering Indigenous knowledge in the arts and humanities, who are already or are interested in making transdisciplinary connections and addressing community needs through university-based research. Candidates should be on track to advance to candidacy by the summer 2027. Additionally, preference will be given to those: 

  1. Who demonstrate exemplary scholarly and leadership ability; 
  • Evidence of exemplary academic ability, as indicated by such things as: 

o Successful completion of graduate courses 

o GPA of 3.0 or higher in graduate coursework 

o Active participation in academic seminars/conferences/workshops 

  • Demonstrated ability and potential for success in dissertation writing, as indicated by  such things as: 

o Quality of research narrative for fellowship application 

o Previous work and publications in relevant field 

o Strong academic references 

  1. Whose research addresses transdisciplinary issues related to Indigenous knowledge systems, culture, and language

Requirements: We are recruiting established PhD students who: 

  • are already enrolled in a PhD program at 911±¬ÁÏ 
  • can build on their existing experience and relationships to conduct transformative transdisciplinary research, centering Indigenous knowledge in the arts and humanities 
  • are conducting or planning to conduct research addressing community needs through university research
  • demonstrate ability to spend at 20 hours/week on scholarly activity from Fall 2025 - Summer 2026
  • demonstrate ability to attend 3 week summer seminars at the 911±¬ÁÏ Troth Yeddha’ Campus
  • thrive in a collaborative educational environment which relies on each member to contribute not only to their own learning, but also to the learning of their peers.
  • Students must demonstrate the ability to advance to candidacy by summer 2027

 

TO APPLY: 

The application consists of the following components:  

  • A Narrative: Applicants prepare a narrative of no more than five pages outlining their research interests (including research questions, methodology, and data analysis strategies), its goals and  objectives, relevant literature, and the project's contribution to the field. The goal of the narrative will be to:
  1. place the project in context and outline the theoretical grounding as well as the project’s  significance. 
  2. demonstrate how their research interests center Indigenous knowledge at the core of the arts and humanities and engage in transdisciplinary research. 
  3. highlight how their research addresses community needs through university-based research
  • Letter of Recommendation from academic advisor addressing the following:
  1. The transdisciplinary nature and potential merits of the research
  2. How the candidate and their research will benefit from participating in the Mellon Troth Collective 
  3. How the research centers Indigenous knowledge at the core of the arts and humanities (this may include Anthropology, Linguistics, Cultural studies, etc) (currently or in the future)
  4. Candidate’s ability to commit 20 hours per week to scholarly activities
  5. Advisor’s availability and commitment to provide intensive support for the candidate
  • Letters of Endorsement: One letter of reference should come from a community member. This may include Elders, alumni, or community leaders who represent the intersection of community & University research. This letter should demonstrate the candidate’s commitment to community driven research and highlight how their research has the potential to address community needs through university-based research
  • A Timeline and weekly work schedule: Applicants will be asked to submit a 12-month timeline indicating their ability to commit 20 hours/week on scholarly activity, attend summer seminar series (July 13th-31st, 2026, July 12-30, 2027), and attend seminar series in both academic years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027.

Applications must be submitted by June 16th, 2025.

TERMS OF THE MELLON FOUNDATION DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIP 

During the tenure of the Mellon Foundation Dissertation Fellowship, the following conditions must be met: 

 * A Mellon Foundation Dissertation fellow must be an active 911±¬ÁÏ graduate student and must  devote at least 20 hours per week to research (data collection, analysis, writing, etc.) directed by the major advisor or other mentor. 

 * Any stipend or salary received by the student while being a Mellon Troth Collective Fellow must be reviewed and approved by the Mellon Troth Collective Review Committee – having other funding does not preclude submission of an application. 

 * The graduate fellowship includes a MAXIMUM $39,440 stipend for 12 months, tuition for up to nine (9) graduate (or other approved courses) credits per semester, associated consolidated & infrastructure fees  and payment of annual Graduate Student Health Insurance. 

* The Graduate School will issue the fellowship award letter. Payment will be made monthly in 12  equal installments and tuition and Graduate Student Health Insurance will be posted to the student’s  account after the Mellon Foundation Dissertation fellow has alerted the Graduate School that registration  is completed.