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Digital Inquiry Fellowship

The University Library’s Digital Scholarship and Initiatives Department (DSI) invites applications for the Digital Inquiry Fellowship, a new opportunity for graduate students.

These fellowships offer paid, mentored opportunities for graduate students to explore and apply digital methods to their research or teaching. Depending on their interests, fellows may work with methods such as text analysis or text encoding, data visualization, spatial analysis and mapping (GIS), digital archives or exhibits, web-based scholarly projects, data modeling and metadata design, computational analysis of cultural or scientific data, or the use of emerging tools such as AI-assisted research workflows. Fellows will work with Digital Scholarship Librarians to either build a project or explore a methodology (see Fellowship Options).

Students should apply if they are interested in expanding their research toolkit, gaining hands-on experience with in-demand digital skills, and making meaningful progress on a project or area of inquiry. Fellows will produce outcomes that they can publish, and will present their outcomes at the library’s annual Digital Scholarship Symposium.

Fellowship Options

Not sure which option is right for you? Applicants are encouraged to schedule a consultation with a Digital Scholarship Librarian for assistance in developing their proposals. Librarians can help refine project or methodological ideas and advise on scope and feasibility.

Project Fellowship:

Designed for graduate students with a defined research or teaching project that will be advanced through the application of digital methods.

Fellows in this track work toward a clearly scoped digital outcome, applying one or more methods such as text analysis, GIS, data visualization, digital exhibits, computational analysis, or web-based scholarly publishing. Work in this track emphasizes project planning and implementation in collaboration with Digital Scholarship Librarians.

Outcomes typically include a substantial product—such as a public-facing digital project, documented workflows or code, or a scholarly publication—culminating in a presentation at the Digital Scholarship Symposium in March 2027.

Exploratory Fellowship:

Designed for graduate students seeking to develop applied expertise in a specific digital scholarship method to support current or future research, teaching, or professional practice.

Rather than completing a single large project, fellows will build methodological competence through applied exercises and iterative work. Work in this track emphasizes sustained engagement with a methodology or toolset through structured learning in collaboration with Digital Scholarship Librarians.

Outcomes may include prototypes or proofs‑of‑concept, reusable workflows or templates, methodological documentation or reflection—culminating in a presentation at the Digital Scholarship Symposium in March 2027.

Award Details

Fellowships will run from the beginning of Fall semester 2026 to the end of March 2027. Fellows will receive a stipend of $2,500.

Fellows will receive ongoing support from Digital Scholarship Librarians as well as opportunities to participate in Library workshops and events.

Eligibility

Current Iowa State University graduate students who will remain enrolled through the Spring 2027 semester are eligible to apply.

Participation in DSI’s Summer Institute for Digital Inquiry prior to applying for a fellowship is encouraged but not required.

Expectations

• In collaboration with Digital Scholarship Librarians, define a scope of work, timeline, and deliverable(s) and meet regularly on an agreed upon schedule
• Attend Digital Scholarship workshops and programs in the Catalyst as appropriate
• Complete fellowship deliverables as agreed upon with Digital Scholarship Librarians (expected time commitment is 5 hours per week)
• Present the outcomes of fellowship work at the Digital Scholarship Symposium in March 2027

Application Contents

Applications will be accepted starting March 23rd, and will remain open through June 1st.
Applicants should prepare the following content for their applications:

• Fellowship proposal (500 words or less): The proposal should specify the fellowship option (Project or Exploratory) and address the relevant focus:
  • Project Fellowship: Description of the project scope, digital methods to be used, planned outcomes, and how the work fits into the applicant’s research or teaching
  • Exploratory Fellowship: Description of the digital method(s) to be explored, a plan for applied learning and experimentation, proposed outcomes, and how this work supports current or future scholarly goals
• Statement of Goals and Preparation (250-300 words): A short narrative describing:
  • The applicant’s academic program and stage
  • Prior experience with digital methods (if any)
  • What the applicant hopes to gain from the fellowship
• Curriculum Vitae (CV)
• Letter of Support: A letter of support from a faculty member familiar with the applicant’s academic work. Letters may be submitted through the application form or emailed directly from the faculty member to Erin Ridnour at emanders@iastate.edu.
• Availability and Timeline Acknowledgement: Applicants should confirm that they can:
  • Commit the expected ~5 hours per week
  • Participate in required fellowship activities as discussed with digital scholarship staff

Selection

Up to two fellows will be selected each year. The Library may select two applicants from the same fellowship option if their proposals align strongly with departmental strengths and capacity.

Selections will be based on the clarity and strength of the proposal, as well as the alignment between the proposed project or methodological focus and the expertise and support capacity of the Digital Scholarship Librarians, as outlined below.

Our Strengths

Digital Scholarship and Initiatives can support a wide range of digital scholarship projects and methods. We are particularly well-positioned to support work in the following areas:

Digital Methods and Approaches

• Geospatial analysis and spatial storytelling, including mapping and place-based narratives
• Text analysis and computational approaches, including analysis of textual and archival data
• Digital storytelling and multimedia scholarship, such as digital exhibits and narrative projects
• Web development for scholarship, including building public-facing websites for digital archives, research projects, and teaching materials

Land-Grant Mission and Library Collections

We especially welcome projects and explorations that align with the university’s land-grant mission, including:

• Topics of local and regional significance
• Projects that utilize, interpret, or transform materials from ISU Library collections

Applicants interested in collection‑based work are encouraged to explore Special Collections & University Archives finding aids and related digital collections.

Questions? Contact Erin Ridnour.