The Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Collaboration, Learning, and Engagement (CIRCLE) seeks applicants for its third Graduate Fellowship, 2026-27. See below for the fellowship’s description, eligibility requirements, and how to apply. The application deadline is March 13th.

Description

The Center for Interdisciplinary Research, Collaboration, Learning, and Engagement (CIRCLE) will support three doctoral graduate students in the CIRCLE Graduate Fellowship (CGFP). This program will build collaborative and interdisciplinary capacity for the next generation of scholars and educators. In addition to gaining important skills for working across boundaries toward shared goals, fellows will have opportunities to contribute to CIRCLE scholarship, programming, and inquiry.   

The CGFP is a guided fellowship focused on interdisciplinary research and practice. Fellows in the program will develop skills and knowledge related to the practice of interdisciplinary inquiry and collaboration, including qualitative and arts-based methods, team building, facilitation, and critical engagement with the concept of interdisciplinarity. This fellowship aligns with CIRCLE’s commitment to training, facilitating, and evaluating interdisciplinary inquiry and fostering a rich community of practice at MSU that collaborates to address grand challenges.    

CIRCLE Graduate Fellows will join CIRCLE programming and orientation in May 2026 in preparation for their 2026-27 fellowships. Fellows will receive a $5000 stipend for their participation, supported by the MSU Graduate School. 

The CGFP will consist of three primary activities: bi-monthly cohort meetings, opportunities to participate in CIRCLE programming, and collaboration on CIRCLE interdisciplinary teams.   

Bi-monthly cohort meetings 

Meetings will be co-developed with the cohort as their interests and projects evolve. These meetings will alternate between cohort building/discussion meetings and professional development meetings.

• Cohort Building Meetings: Facilitated by CIRCLE’s associate director of teaching and learning led by the graduate fellows. In these meetings, fellows can share their experiences, engage with the literature on interdisciplinarity, and develop their individual and collective questions and areas of interest. The cohort will also collaboratively decide on a year-long project, discuss progress co-work, and seek guidance from CIRCLE leadership on the project.
• Professional Development Meetings: Informed by fellows’ interests and led by members of CIRCLE leadership team. CIRCLE leadership and/or invited experts will provide development opportunities for fellows. These may include presentations, discussions, or skills labs relevant to the interests the cohort identifies in cohort building meetings.  

Participation in CIRCLE programming 

Fellows are expected to participate in CIRCLE’s professional development workshop series and to provide support for workshops when applicable. Fellows will also have the opportunity to participate in CIRCLE special events and networking opportunities.

Interdisciplinary Team Participation and Mentorship 

CIRCLE is supporting three seed grants each academic year for new interdisciplinary collaborations. Each grant will provide seed funding as well as facilitation and qualitative observation of the collaboration. Each seed grant will be administered by a member of CIRCLE’s leadership team. The graduate fellows will each join a seed grant team alongside a CIRCLE mentor to shadow the facilitator, practice interdisciplinary facilitation, evaluate the interdisciplinary process, and/or contribute to CIRCLE cross-project research on interdisciplinary dynamics.  

Commitment

Fellows will be expected to:

• Participate in the Seed Grant and Graduate Fellowship Kickoff Event on May 14 of 2026 (12pm – 3pm)
• Prepare for and attend bimonthly cohort meetings. Through these meetings, fellows will work with leadership to identify a collaborative cohort project for which they establish clear expectations and deliverables. For example, in 2024-25, Graduate Fellows began an annotated bibliography and in 25-26, contributed to designing the Graduate Affiliates community
• Participate in and provide support for CIRCLE’s professional development workshops, offered broadly to the MSU community (usually hosted on Fridays). Fellows are expected to attend at least three workshops and are encouraged to attend all five workshops. Though not required, Fellows can also attend CIRCLE networking and social events.
• Work with a mentor (a member of CIRCLE Leadership) as they facilitate and support a seed grant team. This will include attending project meetings, observing and reflecting on the collaborative process, and participating in at least two individual mentorship meetings with their mentor over the course of the fellowship
• Present their work at the Grad School’s Fellowship showcase (late spring)
• Submit a brief final written reflection upon completion of the fellowship.

• Attend the Kickoff event in May 2026 and participate in a panel to answer questions for the incoming cohort of graduate fellows.

  A preliminary calendar of CIRCLE events will be available in May and finalized in August.

Eligibility

CIRCLE’s graduate fellows must be MSU doctoral students, registered during each semester of the fellowship (Fall 2026 and Spring 2027). They must not have previously held or be concurrently (2026-27) holding another Grad School teaching cohort fellowship. 

How to Apply

Applications consist of a current CV and a letter of intent (maximum 1 page) emailed to ori.circle@msu.edu by March 13th at 5:00pm, with “CIRCLE grad fellowship” in the subject line. Letters of intent should include: 

• Your disciplinary background and research/educational interests
• Any experiences in interdisciplinary and/or collaborative research, teaching, or other projects 
• The qualities, skills, and experiences you will contribute to this cohort 
• How this grad fellowship will contribute to your goals, within and/or beyond MSU 
• Anything else that helps CIRCLE understand your commitment to interdisciplinarity and/or your fit for this collaborative fellowship

About CIRCLE

Launched in October 2023, CIRCLE aims to support interdisciplinary research and scholarship, teaching, and engagement by providing training and facilitation for interdisciplinarity, fostering community among interdisciplinary scholars and educators, and conducting research on the nature of interdisciplinarity. Visit the CIRCLE webpage to learn more.