Hugh Hawkins Research Fellowships are awarded annually to undergraduate or graduate students from any school at Johns Hopkins University who wish to conduct research into an aspect of the rich history of the institution. 

The Hugh Hawkins Fellowships will enhance the undergraduate and graduate research experience by providing opportunities for original research in archival collections and for sharing this research with the public. Special consideration is given to projects that propose the exploration of the history of diversity, inclusion, and (in)equity at Johns Hopkins or projects that propose a final product rooted in the digital humanities. Research outcomes might take the form of a research essay, exhibition, digital project, or other deliverable. 

Graphic showing the timeline and deadlines of the Hugh Hawkins Fellowship including applications open (January 2024), applications due (April 15, 2024), fellows selected (May 6, 2024), research workshop (January 2024), and final product (May 2025).

How to Apply

Requirements

Fellows will be funded for research conducted between June and April.

Applications are due by April 15 at 11:59PM, EST. 

  • The fellowships are open to current freshmen, sophomores, and juniors, or graduate students not in the final year of their program. Students from any school or academic department of Johns Hopkins may apply.
  • Students must have a faculty and archivist mentor (see below for help identifying an archivist mentor at the repository of your choice).
  • Fellows must participate in a research workshop in January 2025, complete their projects no later than May 2025, and present their research at a public event in April 2025. 

Applicants must identify both a faculty mentor and an archivist mentor and should coordinate their application in advance of the deadline so that mentors can help applicants determine a viable set of materials with which to work. If the applicant is interested in remote work, they can direct questions about digitized collections to the archivists at the relevant repository. Given sufficient advance time, archivist mentors will also be available to help applicants formulate and refine draft research project proposals to assure a realistic, engaging program of research that will take full advantage of the relevant archival collections at Johns Hopkins University.

A fellowship award of $3500 will be given to each recipient, which is intended to be used as a cost-of-living stipend but can be utilized for additional research expenses. Fellows will receive half of the award at the beginning of the project and the other halfway through; this does depend on their proposed research timeline.

Application Instructions

To apply for the fellowship, fill out the following form (where you can upload a proposal and resume). Then have your mentor email your recommendation letter directly to us by April 15 at 11:59PM, EST.

  1. Hawkins Research Fellowship Application
  2. Faculty letter of recommendation (Emailed directly to hopkinsretro@jhu.edu)

Eligible Archival Repositories

Archivists at each of these repositories welcome research inquiries and are available, given ample notice, to help you identify materials relevant to your research interests and to offer suggestions on refining your research topic given the available sources.

Ferdinand Hamburger University Archives

Located on the Homewood campus, the Ferdinand Hamburger University Archives is the official archival repository for the Homewood campus divisions of The Johns Hopkins University: Central University Administration, Zanvyl Krieger School of Arts and Sciences, G.W.C. Whiting School of Engineering, Carey Business School, and the School of Education. It is also the repository for the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, based in Washington, DC.

To contact the archives about relevant collections and/or to identify an archivist mentor, email: specialcollections@lists.jhu.edu

Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives

Located on the Mount Washington campus, the Alan Mason Chesney Medical Archives is the official archival repository for the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions: The Johns Hopkins Hospital, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing, and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

To contact the archives to request an archivist mentor, or for inquiries about their collections, email: archives@jhmi.edu

Peabody Archives

Located on the Peabody campus, the Peabody Archives maintains the records of the Institute and over 200 special collections of former faculty and alumni, other distinguished scholars, composers, and performers, and performing arts organizations in the Baltimore/DC area.

To contact the archives to request an archivist mentor, or for inquiries about their collections, email: peabodyarchives@lists.jhu.edu.

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Can I use archival collections that are restricted?

    Legal and regulatory codes for protection of individual privacy (such as HIPAA and FERPA) as well as Johns Hopkins’ internal policies limit access to certain types of information in archival collections. However, these codes and Johns Hopkins’ policies do include provisions for certain types of authorized access to types of information within the collections. In some cases, applications may be submitted to obtain authorization to access these collections, and archivist mentors can assist with this process. Applications are reviewed and adjudicated in accordance with applicable legal and regulatory codes and Johns Hopkins policy. Please be sure to discuss any possible access issues in the collections you plan to use with your archivist mentor.

  • What are the fellowship requirements?

    Proposed research must explore some aspect of Hopkins history. During the application process, students must identify a faculty mentor, an archivist mentor, and a preliminary list of resources that will be important to their research.  

    In January, Hawkins Fellows will attend a workshop where they share their in-progress research with their peers. Projects are not expected to be polished at the workshop, rather, this is an opportunity to exchange ideas with your peers and learn from each other how to continue developing your research. 

    At the end of the academic year, fellowship recipients are required to produce a final product such as a research paper or digital project and should be willing to present their findings at a public event. 

    Fellowship recipients are expected to conduct regular research at their selected archival repository. They will also be required to meet regularly with their archivist mentor, their faculty mentor, the Hopkins Retrospective Program Manager. There is no required number of research hours expected per week, but fellows are expected to talk through a work plan with all their mentors. 

    Awardees will receive a letter of acceptance, that they must sign and return to the Hopkins Retrospective Program Manager before beginning their fellowship term, which confirms that the recipient understands and agrees to the terms of the award. Failure to complete these agreed upon requirements may result in an awardee forfeiting some or all of their award. 

    It should be noted that additional research expenses (such as travel to other archives or libraries) that may emerge over the course of the fellowship must be drawn from the total amount of the fellowship award. Up to $250 of in-kind costs incurred at Johns Hopkins archives, such as photocopying or digitization, may be possible without charge. 

  • What are the requirements of faculty and archivist mentors?

    Faculty mentors should be willing and able to provide guidance and feedback on the student’s proposed research topic and project. They should be available to consult with the student during the course of the fellowship. In-person sessions, phone calls or virtual meetings on Zoom or a similar platform are sufficient means of touching base during the fellowship.

    Archivist mentors should also be willing and able to provide guidance and feedback on the student’s proposed research topic. They can advise the student on what materials relevant to their proposed research topic are available in the archives and suggest refinements to the proposed topic based on available sources. During the fellowship, archivists will serve as a resource for the students utilizing their collections, answering questions about the collections that arise during the course of the research. If necessary, remote archival research is possible. Fellows are to coordinate this with their archivist mentor and will have project management meetings with the Hopkins Retrospective Program Manager.

  • When will I know if my proposal has been accepted?

    Fellowship recipients will be selected by the review committee and notified of their acceptance by May 6, 2024. You will be contacted directly by the Hopkins Retrospective Program Manager to coordinate a research schedule and project timeline.

  • Where do you submit letters of recommendation?

    A letter of recommendation in Word or PDF format should be sent directly from your Faculty Mentor to the Hopkins Retrospective Program Manager, Allison Seyler, at hopkinsretro@jhu.edu. Please instruct your mentor to put your last name and the word “Reference” in the subject line. Letters are due no later than April 15, 2024, by 11:59 pm. Letter writers should address the following in their recommendations:

    • How long and in what capacity have you known the student?
    • What are the student’s academic strengths, qualifications, and ability to conduct independent research?
    • Please comment on the student’s ability to ethically handle any privacy concerns that may come up, should they propose a topic that may require access to Protected Health Information or other confidential student/personnel information.
    • Are you available to consult with the student on their research progress (preferably in person, but phone/Zoom/email are also okay) during the proposed fellowship period?
  • Who was Hugh Hawkins?

    The Hugh Hawkins Research Fellowships honor the significant contribution of Hugh Hawkins (PhD, 1954) to our understanding of the history of Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Hawkins’ book Pioneer: A History of the Johns Hopkins University, 1874-1889, remains the definitive history of the early years of the university. The fellowships are made possible through Dr. Hawkins’ generous bequest to the university.

    Want to know more about what it’s like to be a Hugh Hawkins Fellow? Read more about the experiences of past Hawkins recipients on the Sheridan Libraries Blog, in the News-Letter, and find their projects on this page below.

Current & Past Fellowship Recipients

Meet Our 2024 Fellows

Headshot of a young woman wearing a black blaze and patterned blouse.

Leigh Alon

School of Medicine, ’28

“Meet the Friedenwalds: Constructing Jewishness through Medicine in 19th-20th century Baltimore“

Headshot of a young man wearing a grey shirt with trees, bushes, and grass in the background.

Henry Clayton (He/Him)

KSAS, ‘26

“A History of Campus Policing at Johns Hopkins University from the 1960s to the Present Day.”

Headshot of a woman with long, dark hair stares off to the left.

Jessica Hester (She/Her)

School of Medicine, ’27

“From Paris to Baltimore: The Long Afterlife of a Human Hand, Hip Bone, and Shoulder at Johns Hopkins University.”

Headshot of a young man standing in front of a decorated Christmas tree.

Rahul Jakati

KSAS, ‘25

“Human Salvage: Tracing Medical Futility through Brain Death and Hospice Care at Johns Hopkins (1979-1999).”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rockwell Shapiro

Peabody & KSAS, ‘27

“Musical Undercommons: Black American Music within the Peabody Institute during the 20th Century.”

Past Fellows

  • 2023

    Gerardo Fontes, Krieger KSAS, ‘25, “Chester Wickwire: Breaking Down the Ivory Tower at Hopkins.”

    Aurora Grutman, School of Medicine, ‘26, “A Brief History of Women Residents at Johns Hopkins Brady Urological Institute, 1980-2022.”

    Juliana Márquez, KSAS, ‘24, “William Halsted and Surgery: Re-evaluating the Radical Mastectomy Through Patient-Centered Narratives.”

    Rebecca Regan, Peabody, ‘24, “Peabody and the New Classical: Tracing the Origins of the Peabody Institute’s Classical Studies.”

    Left to right: Rebecca Regan, Juliana Márquez, Aurora Grutman, Gerardo Fontes.

  • 2022

    Sophia Berkey, KSAS, ’24, Updating the Narrative of the History of Materials Science and Engineering at JHU. 

    Mitchell “Max” Bryski, School of Medicine, ’24, Crafting a Legacy: Examining the Influence of Racism and Self-Censorship on the Autobiography of Vivien Thomas. 

    Leila Habib, School of Medicine, ’25, Building ‘Completely Comprehensive’ Community Health Systems: An Analysis of the East Baltimore and Columbia Medical Plans. 

    Zoe Underwood, KSAS & Peabody, ’24, Classical Music in Maryland Before and After the Founding of the Peabody Institute.

    Five people stand together along a glass door bookshelf. All wear semi-casual clothing.

    Left to right: Leila Habib, Mitchell “Max” Bryski, Allison Seyler (Hopkins Retrospective Program Manager), Sophia Berkey, Zoe Underwood

  • 2021

    Juliano Aniceto, Peabody, ’23, Peabody Institute Performance History Research. 

    Lauren Anthony, KSAS ’22, Blood Ties: A study of hematology clinician-scientists and Black Baltimorean research subjects at Johns Hopkins. 

    Earl Goldsborough III, School of Medicine, ’24, The Johns Hopkins Hospital (1889-1914) and Vocality: The Use of Admissions Logs to Depict the Logistical Nature of the Hospital and its Patients. 

    Walker Magrath, School of Medicine, ’24, A History of an Absence: How Johns Hopkins Became a Prominent Site of Resistance to Gender Affirming Surgery for Nearly 40

  • 2020

    Bethany Hung, School of Medicine, ’23. Between Cure and Eradication: Spina Bifida History as told through Medicine and Disability Studies. 

    Shireen Guru, KSAS, ’21.Vision 2020: In the Blindspot (Research on the Women’s Forum). 

    Isaiah Chapman, Peabody, ’22. Roxbury: To Graphically Notate and Not Hate.

  • 2019

    Michael Healey, School of Medicine, ’24. Mirroring Madness: The Psychotic Patient in Kraepelinian Nosology and Meyerian Typology. 

    Mofan Lai, Peabody ’20. A Digital History of International Students at Peabody Institute Since 1950. 

    Margo Peyton, School of Medicine, ’22. Arnold Rich and the Impact of Johns Hopkins Pathology on Theories of Race and Susceptibility to Tuberculosis. 

  • 2018

    Lakshmi Krishnan, Postdoctoral Fellow, General Internal Medicine and History of Medicine. Detectives of Thought: Autopsies and the Diagnostic Genre at The Johns Hopkins Hospital (1889-1945). 

    Sarah Thomas, Peabody ’19. A Message of Inclusion, A History of Exclusion: Racial Injustice at the Peabody Institute. 

    Tochi Uchuno, KSAS ’21. The Intersection of Mental Health and Eugenics. 

  • 2017

    Michael Anfang, KSAS ’19. Jews at Hopkins: A Digital History. 

    Tiffany Brocke, School of Medicine ’20. Color and Community: How the Johns Hopkins Hospital Influenced Abortion Access in Baltimore, 1945-1973.  

    Anne Hollmuller, KSAS ’18. Activist Campus: Johns Hopkins University in the Age of Protest. 

Hopkins Retrospective would like to acknowledge the loss of one our fellows, Zoe Underwood, who passed away in 2024. We remember Zoe as a brilliant, kind, and talented human. To read more about her time at Hopkins, visit the History Department’s page.