Gosling-Lim Postdoctoral Fellowship in Southeast Asian Studies

The Gosling-Lim Postdoctoral Fellowship in Southeast Asian Studies has been made possible by a generous gift from L.A. Peter Gosling and Linda Yuen-Ching Lim. This fellowship is focused on capability-building in Southeast Asian Studies among scholars who are Southeast Asian nationals based in Southeast Asia and at Southeast Asian institutions. Its goal is to enable such scholars to concentrate on publishing their dissertation research, and/or embark on new post-dissertation research, without the distraction of having to teach, consult, or shoulder administrative burdens, and with the opportunity to expand their scholarly networks and expertise. The intent is that fellowship recipients will develop their careers in Southeast Asia, helping to advance the field of Southeast Asian Studies within the region.

The fellowship provides US $52,000 of funding for postdoctoral research and writing, to be expended over 8-12 months while the recipient is in residence or otherwise based at an academic institution, in Southeast Asia or abroad, other than their home institution and the institution at which their doctorate was obtained. The fellowship may be used in any discipline and for any country of Southeast Asia (i.e., Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam).

Application portal is closed

The application portal for the 2024-25 Gosling-Lim Postdoctoral Fellowship is now closed. All applications were due on February 1, 2024 at 11:59 PM ET.

Who Is Eligible?

  • Southeast Asian nationals with single nationality holding the Ph.D. degree or equivalent who are—or will be—engaged in the academic profession in Southeast Asia, and whose research is on Southeast Asia. The degree must have been achieved between 1 and 3 years prior to the start of the award. Independent scholars who intend to obtain an institutional position in future may apply.
  • Dual nationals may apply on the condition that for at least two years after the fellowship completion, they will be based in Southeast Asia to actively contribute to, and shape, the field of Southeast Asian Studies without leaving the region for work elsewhere.
  • Applicants must hold the Ph.D. at the time of application. Doctoral candidates are not eligible to apply.
  • AAS membership is not a requirement.
  • Applicants must not have received a Southeast Asia-focused research and writing fellowship of this type within the past three years.
  • A former Gosling-Lim Postdoctoral Fellow may not apply again. 

What Funding May Be Used For

  • Costs related to publication of research findings (for those 1-2 years post-Ph.D.) or undertaking of new research (for those 2-3 years from Ph.D. who have already published their dissertation research).
  • Related travel and accommodation expenses, including travel to one or two professional conferences to present the research being undertaken.
  • A reasonable stipend (salary)

The award will be granted with the understanding that within two years of completion of their project, the recipients will present the results of their research at an AAS Annual Conference/AAS-in-Asia conference, or a similar international conference, with acknowledgement of the award. Any publication based on the funded research should also acknowledge the Gosling-Lim Postdoctoral Fellowship.

What Funding May Not Be Used For

  • The funding may not be used in conjunction with another fellowship.
  • Although the fellow may be based in a university located outside Southeast Asia, the Gosling-Lim Postdoctoral Fellowship requires that the fellow return to Southeast Asia to actively contribute to developing the field of Southeast Asian studies.
  • The fellow may not relocate outside of the Southeast Asian region within two years of concluding the award. To limit the adverse impact of the “brain drain” effect, anyone who does so may be asked to refund the full amount of the award.

How to Apply

The AAS application portal will open on Friday, December 1, 2023. All applications must be submitted through the AAS application portal by Thursday, February 1, 2024. The application portal will remain open through 11:59 pm ET, but technical support will not be available past 4:00 pm ET.

Your application should include:

  • A cover letter outlining: 1) how the fellowship will be used; 2) how it will contribute to the applicant’s professional development and academic career; 3) how this will contribute to the field of Southeast Asian studies in general and within Southeast Asia specifically. The letter should also attest that the applicant will not be holding another fellowship concurrently.
  • Documentation of citizenship, e.g. valid home country passport.
  • Documentation of Ph.D. degree received.
  • A detailed curriculum vitae.
  • A proposal of 800-1,000 words on the research to be undertaken or written up, as well as a budget (with any matching funds noted), and plans for dissemination, as is typical of all academic proposals and grant applications.
  • 1-2 writing samples e.g. dissertation chapter, working paper, submitted or published article.
  • A statement by the applicant explaining the choice of proposed host institution, including the resources there that will enhance the research (e.g. unique library or museum resources, presence of scholarly research collaborators, availability of courses and seminars that the applicant may attend without charge). Preference will be given to applicants who wish to affiliate with the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, but this is not a prerequisite. Although the host institution can be in any country, it should be the most appropriate for the nature of the proposed research.
  • Two recommendation letters by referees, who are familiar with the applicant’s field of research.
  • A letter of support from the proposed host institution, outlining the (monetary or non-monetary) support that it will provide the applicant (e.g. office space, library and computer access, administrative staff support, ability to audit graduate courses and attend seminars). (Note 1: If the host institution requires an overhead payment for this function, and the sum is approved by the fellowship granting committee, it will be deducted from the fellowship amount. Note 2: The applicant is encouraged to give seminars and guest lectures at the host institution, which may be compensated or not, but should not teach or team-teach a course.)
  • A letter of support from the applicant’s home institution approving leave for the duration of the fellowship (noting any institutional matching funds if applicable) and outlining how the fellowship will help enhance the field of Southeast Asian Studies at the institution. Independent scholars should explain why they lack an institutional affiliation and describe their plans for securing such an affiliation upon conclusion of the fellowship.

Need help? Have questions?

Please contact grants@asianstudies.org regarding eligibility questions for the program or for any technical issues with your application, letters of reference, or file uploads.

Please note that support for technical issues with your application is only available during business hours Eastern Time (9:00am-5:00pm, Monday-Friday). Please notify the AAS of issues as soon as possible to ensure timely submission of your application.

FAQ

Who should the letter of reference be addressed to?

Letters of reference and support may be addressed to “The Gosling-Lim Review Committee”

What host institution is eligible for this program?

The proposed host institution may be located anywhere in the world, but preference will go to those who wish to affiliate with the University of Michigan, CSEAS department.

Prior Fellowship Award Winners

Awardees

2023-24 Gosling-Lim Fellow

  • Dr. Nor Ismah, (Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University, Indonesia) for her proposed project on Women Issuing Fatwas: Female Islamic Scholars and Community-Based Authority in Java, Indonesia.

2022-23 Gosling-Lim Fellow

  • Dr. Realisa Darathea Masardi, (Universitas Gajah Mada, Indonesia) for her proposed project on Independent Refugee Youth in Waiting: Social Navigations while in Transit in Indonesia.

About the Donors

L.A. Peter Gosling is Professor Emeritus of Southeast Asian Studies at the University of Michigan, where he obtained his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees, and served as assistant, associate, and full professor, and department chair in geography, retiring as professor of anthropology in 1994. A Michigan native, Pete’s research on rural development in British Malaya was funded by fellowships from the Ford Foundation, and on inland waterways and population resettlement in Thailand and Laos by U.S. government and U.N. agencies. He has held visiting positions and affiliations at the University of Malaya in Kuala Lumpur, Khon Kaen University in Thailand, and the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies in Singapore, and conducted short-term consultancies elsewhere in Southeast Asia. At Michigan, Pete co-coordinated the Asian Studies course and program beginning in 1958, and co-founded the Center for South and Southeast Asian Studies (now the U.S. Department of Education Title VIa Center for Southeast Asian Studies), serving as its director (1962-66, 1971-72, 1977-80), and co-founding and directing its Title VIb Southeast Asia Business Program (1984-93). He received the University’s Distinguished Faculty Service award in 1965. Pete’s engagement with the Association for Asian Studies began in 1959, after which he served on its Southeast Asia Committee (chair 1968) and Southeast Asia Regional Council (chair 1973-75), Executive Committee, Finance Committee, Development Committee (chair 1978-80), and Board of Directors (1972-75), and as AAS Secretary-Treasurer (1963-66, 1973-74, 1978-79, 1985-94).

Linda Yuen-Ching Lim is Professor Emerita of Corporate Strategy and International Business at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business, University of Michigan, where she obtained the Ph.D. in Economics after a B.A. (Cambridge) and M.A. (Yale). A Singapore national, Linda’s research on foreign investment, international trade, and industrialization in Malaysia, Singapore, and elsewhere in Southeast Asia was funded by Social Science Research Council dissertation and postdoctoral fellowships, the Rockefeller Foundation, and various U.N. and U.S. international development agencies. She has also studied Overseas Chinese business, labor, and women, and in 2018 published the edited collection Business, Government and Labor: Essays in the Economic Development of Singapore and Southeast Asia. A former assistant professor of economics at Swarthmore College and economics research fellow at the University of Singapore, Linda joined the University of Michigan Business School in 1986, becoming Professor of Corporate Strategy and International Business in 2001 and retiring in 2017. She co-founded and served as research director, then director of the Southeast Asia Business Program, and was founding director of the Business School’s U.S. Department of Education Title VIb Center for International Business Education and Research, serving on its executive committee through 2014. She was also associate director of the International Institute and director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, serving several terms on its executive committee and that of the Center for Chinese Studies. An AAS member since 1977, Linda served on the executive committee of the Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei Studies Group (1979-80, 1986-87), and on the Southeast Asia Council (1985-88), and participated in several panels at AAS annual conferences. In 2019 she co-founded AcademiaSG, a scholarly collective promoting scholarship “of/by/for Singapore” through commentaries and webinars, including a Junior Scholars Seminar Series. AcademiaSG has embarked on a partnership with the AAS Malaysia/Singapore/Brunei Studies Group, with their first joint activity being a Southeast Asia Council panel on the environment for the March 2022 Annual Conference in Hawaii, featuring scholars from Southeast Asia.