C&S has named 29 new Career Enhancement Fellows for the 2026–27 academic year.
The Career Enhancement Fellowship, funded by the Mellon Foundation and administered by C&S, seeks to increase the presence of outstanding junior faculty committed to campus engagement and thought-provoking research in the humanities and humanistic social sciences.
The 2026 Career Enhancement Fellows’ research advances disciplines such as theater studies, anthropology, geography, global studies, community and regional planning, and more. Beyond the broad range of humanities disciplines, the 2026 Fellows come from a range of institutions across the country. Selected from a highly competitive pool of applicants, Fellows are expanding their perspectives within their disciplines and are committed to research and service that encourage critical thinking and innovative problem-solving on campus. (Full list of Fellows, institutions, and departments below.)
The program provides Fellows with a six-month or one-year sabbatical stipend (up to $35,000); a research, travel, or publication stipend (up to $1,500); mentoring; and participation in a professional development retreat. For the 2026 cohort, 13 junior faculty members will receive 12-month Fellowships and 16 will receive six-month Fellowships.
Administered at C&S since 2001, the Career Enhancement Fellowship has supported more than 500 junior faculty members, creating a robust network of scholars committed to research and engagement in core fields in the arts and humanities. Fellows have gone on to serve in administrative and leadership roles, receive high honors like MacArthur Fellowships, and teach new generations of students.
For more information about the Career Enhancement Fellowship, eligibility requirements, and the next application cycle, visit the Career Enhancement Fellowship page.
2026 Career Enhancement Fellows
12-Month Fellows
Kenton Butcher | Bucknell University | English – Literary Studies
Elspeth Iralu | University of New Mexico-Main Campus | Community & Regional Planning
Juan Manuel Aldape Muñoz | Cornell University | Performing and Media Arts
Natalie Santizo | San Diego State University | Chicana and Chicano Studies
Melanie Abeygunawardana | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | American Studies
Deshonay Dozier | Claremont Graduate University | Cultural Studies
Sasha Sabherwal | Northeastern University | Sociology and Anthropology
Ava L.J. Kim | University of California-Davis | Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies
Hannah Conway | Duke University | History
Jack Cáraves | University of California-Riverside | Gender & Sexuality Studies
Jazmine Exford | Florida International University | Modern Languages
Kiana T. Murphy | Brown University | American Studies
Janet Kong-Chow | University of Rhode Island | English
Six-Month Fellows
Julio Ángel Alicea | Rutgers University-Camden | Sociology, Anthropology & Criminal Justice
Mercedes Trigos | University of California-Irvine | English
Warren Harding | Binghamton University | English
Mónica Ocasio Vega | Trinity University | Modern Languages and Literatures
Kaily Heitz | University of California-Los Angeles | Geography
Watufani Poe | Tulane University of Louisiana | Communication
Andie Berry | Brandeis University | Theater Arts
Mirian Martinez-Aranda | University of California-Irvine | Sociology
Hardeep Dhillon | University of Pennsylvania | History
Jessica Lopez Espino | University of California-Santa Barbara | Sociology
Natassja B. Gunasena | Trinity College | Program of International Studies
Nour Joudah | University of California-Los Angeles | Asian American Studies
Lisa Jahn | Barnard College | American Studies
Erich J Kessel | New York University | Institute of Fine Arts
Alyssa Newman | Georgetown University | Sociology
Aaron Alvarado | University of Minnesota-Twin Cities | American Studies
