George Mason University
AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies
Dr. Jamal M. Al-Barzinji Graduate Research Fellowships
Call for Applications
The AbuSulayman Center for Global Islamic Studies Programs seeks application for the Dr. Jamal M. Al-Barzinji Graduate Research Fellowship. This Fellowship aims to provide funding for a student in a relevant Ph.D. program for up to five years. The fellowship recipient will specialize in a discipline or field of study appropriate to their chosen doctoral program with a secondary emphasis in Islamic studies. The fellowship recipient will focus their research on education and/or human development in the Muslim world, with preference given to applicants whose proposed research focuses on higher education or higher education reform. The fellow will receive guidance from a faculty director in Higher Education program in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as the fellow’s chosen Ph.D. program, it is also expected that relevant members of the Islamic Studies faculty will serve as mentors to the recipient.
Fellows will receive a stipend, a nine credit-hour tuition waiver each fall and spring semester, health insurance, and funds for research, including travel expenses used for fieldwork.
Requirements associated with holding the Fellowship include:
- Enrollment in at least six credits of doctoral-level course work each fall and spring semester until advancement to candidacy and maintenance of active enrolment status after that.
- Maintain full-time graduate status throughout the fellowship period
- Meet regularly with faculty mentors and engage in ongoing research projects relevant to the student’s interest
- Complete agreed upon manuscripts and/or reports that pertain to fellowship research
- Present research and scholarship to the Mason community annually
- Engage external communities and stakeholders relevant to the fellow’s research (e.g., academic associations, policy communities, practitioners)
Application Process
Interested applicants should apply for admission to a Ph.D. program at George Mason University. Upon successful admission, the applicants may then apply for the Barzinji Graduate Research Fellowship by submitting a cover letter, CV, and copy of their proposed research statement to Dr. Huseyin Yilmaz (Research Director at ACGIS), at hyilmaz@gmu.edu. The cover letter should explicitly address how the applicant’s research relates to the focus and objectives of the Barzinji Fellowship.
An interdisciplinary faculty selection committee will review applications, and applicants will be notified of the outcome in a timely fashion.
Higher Education Program
The Higher Education Program utilizes an interdisciplinary approach to prepare students for faculty positions and leadership positions in higher education administration and student affairs through core required coursework in higher education and a secondary concentration that can further disciplinary expertise. The program provides grounding in the principles and practices of higher education and strives to produce informed and reflective practitioners and researchers. Students and alumni work in various higher education organizations and produce interdisciplinary research.