PhD Student Fellowship

The 2026-2027 fellowship application deadline has passed.

The von der Heyden Global Fellowship (vdH Fellows) is a prestigious opportunity designed to support advanced Duke PhD students who are deeply engaged in research that bridges international or regional studies with critical issues of racial, social, and equitable justice. Eligible applicants are those who have successfully completed their preliminary exams and fieldwork, positioning them to fully dedicate themselves to their dissertation research. This fellowship provides comprehensive financial support for a full twelve months, allowing fellows the freedom to immerse themselves in their scholarly pursuits. In addition to financial backing, the fellowship offers a dynamic cohort experience and valuable professional development opportunities, fostering an environment where intellectual exchange and collaborative growth can thrive.

vdH Fellows will join a diverse, interdisciplinary community of researchers, each bringing unique regional insights and disciplinary perspectives to the table. Together, they will consider how to make a difference regarding global inequalities.

Through collective discussions and individual research, fellows will explore potential pathways to dismantle these barriers and foster a more just and equitable world. Key themes of exploration may include the moral and practical dimensions of global responsibility, strategies for redistribution of resources and power, the importance of meaningful participation and representation, and the mechanisms of empowerment and social transformation. The fellowship encourages scholars to grapple with pressing questions: What do we owe one another as global citizens? How can historical injustices be meaningfully addressed? And what role can scholars play in envisioning and enacting a more just future?

Ultimately, the von der Heyden Global Fellowship aims to cultivate a new generation of scholars whose work not only advances academic knowledge but also contributes to real-world change. 

This fellowship particularly intrigued me because it involves an interdisciplinary cohort I can learn from and which I am sure will greatly expand the scope of my dissertation project. I am also excited about the opportunity to learn important skills for building a sustainable community in academia.

-Theresa Sambruno Spannhoff,
PhD student in German Studies (25-26 vdH Fellow)

The von der Heyden Fellows program is supported by a generous endowment from Duke Trustee Emeritus Karl von der Heyden ’62 and his wife, Mary Ellen P’87. In this oral history interview, Karl von der Heyden talks about his life experiences, values, career, and his lifelong commitment to Duke. 

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Faculty Director

Jessi Streib
Associate Professor of Sociology

Jessi Streib is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Duke University and the co-recipient of the 2023 Early Career Award from the Inequality, Poverty, and Mobility section of the American Sociological Association. Her work focuses on how people stay in or move out of their childhood class position and how class, gender, and racial inequalities are maintained and challenged.

She is the author of The Power of the Past: Understanding Cross-Class Marriages, Privilege Lost: Who Leaves the Upper Middle Class and How They Fall, the #1 new release in sociology The Accidental Equalizer: How Luck Determines Pay After College, and the co-authored book, Is it Racist? Is it Sexist? Why Red and Blue White People Disagree, and How to Decide in the Gray Areas. In 2024, she became a contributing writer for Forbes.com.