Apply

Eligibility and requirements below are from the 2026–2027 call. The 2027–2028 call will confirm or update them.

Eligibility

Career stages

Applicants may come from a range of career stages, including:

• PhD students at any stage (pre-comps, ABD, or recently defended)
• Postdoctoral fellows and recent PhD graduates (within 7 years of degree)
• Early-career faculty (tenure-track or contingent, within 7 years of PhD)
• Independent scholars engaged in IRS-related scholarship (within 7 years of PhD)
• Master’s-level scholars may be considered if they have substantial professional, instructional, or scholarly experience (e.g., several years of undergraduate teaching or equivalent work) demonstrating readiness for sustained research engagement and cohort-based scholarly exchange

What unites the cohort is a shared commitment to advancing Interreligious Studies as an academic field, through scholarship, teaching, or community-engaged academic work.

Research areas

• Primary focus: Interreligious Studies and adjacent fields that engage religious diversity and interreligious encounter
• Also welcome: Scholars in related disciplines (religious studies, sociology of religion, history, anthropology, theology, philosophy, comparative religion, Jewish Studies, Islamic Studies, etc.) who need to (and/or are interested in) teach Interreligious Studies at their institutions or whose research connects meaningfully to IRS

“The field of Interreligious Studies (IRS) entails critical analysis of the dynamic encounters – historical and contemporary, intentional and unintentional, embodied and imagined, congenial and conflictual – of individuals and communities who orient around religion differently. It investigates the complex of personal, interpersonal, institutional, and societal implications.”

Dr. Rachel Mikva

Geographic scope

International scholars are welcome (must be eligible to receive payment from a U.S. institution and travel to the United States). Stipends are subject to U.S. tax law; international scholars may have applicable taxes or treaty-based withholdings deducted from the stipend.

Application requirements

1. Curriculum Vitae (CV): No page limit, but please highlight relevant experiences, research, publications, teaching, and engagement in IRS or related fields.
2. Short-answer questions in the application form. These questions help the selection committee understand the experiences and curiosities that you are bringing to the program, your scholarly vision, and your hopes for this collaborative cohort community. Length: max 2,000 characters (~300 words) per question.
   • What story, question, or lived experience are you hoping to explore or “figure out” during the fellowship year?
   • What inspires you about the kind of community this cohort could be? What are you seeking from peers in this process, and what are you prepared to offer?
   • Describe your current or intended research in Interreligious Studies or adjacent fields. What questions continue to drive your work, and what contributions do you hope to make to the field going forward?
3. Reference contact information: The name and email address of one reference person (mentor, advisor, colleague, or supervisor) who can speak to your scholarly promise and readiness for this program. We will send your reference a brief online form requesting their support (2–3 questions, approximately 10 minutes to complete).
4. Basic information: contact information; current institutional affiliation and position; career stage (PhD student, postdoc, faculty, etc.); citizenship/visa status (for travel planning); any anticipated scheduling conflicts during the fellowship year.

Selection criteria

Applications are evaluated on the following (in no particular order):

• Quality, clarity, and promise of scholarship
• Alignment with the field of Interreligious Studies
• Readiness for collaborative, cohort-based learning
• Ability to contribute to the program’s dialogical and relational ethos
• Demonstrated need and potential benefit from mentorship
• Fit with the senior scholars’ expertise and mentoring approach
• Engagement with the program’s mission of field-building, public scholarship, and community connection

We seek to build a diverse cohort that reflects different career stages, research interests, and backgrounds within Interreligious Studies. The Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.

How to apply

Complete applications are submitted through the online application form. You will upload your CV (PDF) and enter your short answers, reference contact, and basic information directly in the form.

The form is hosted through Google Forms. To upload your CV, Google requires applicants to sign in with a Google account; any Google account works, including one created with your institutional email address. If you prefer not to use one, you may request a PDF version of the application from Dr. Hans Gustafson (hsgustafson@stthomas.edu) with the subject line “Request for PDF Application – JPC Scholars Program,” and submit the completed PDF by email.

The application form will be linked here when the call opens.

Questions about your application?

Contact Dr. Hans Gustafson, Director, Jay Phillips Center for Interreligious Studies, at hsgustafson@stthomas.edu. We’re happy to answer questions about eligibility, application materials, or the program structure.