The Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts offers one postdoctoral fellowship each year for two consecutive academic years. The A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow will reside in Washington. During the first year the fellow will carry out research and writing for publication. The fellow will also design and direct an intensive weeklong seminar for the seven predoctoral fellows at the Center, focusing on a topic related to the applicant's field of interest and with a special emphasis on methodological issues. In the second academic year, while continuing research and writing in residence, the A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow will be expected to teach one course (advanced undergraduate or graduate) by arrangement at a neighboring university.

Field of Study
The A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship supports research in the history, theory, and criticism of the visual arts of any time period or culture.

Residency
The A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow will be in residence at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts for two years and will participate fully in the activities of the Center throughout the fellowship period. The fellow will be provided with housing in an apartment near the Gallery, subject to availability, and with a shared study. The fellow has access to the notable resources represented by the art collections, the library, and the image collections of the National Gallery of Art, as well as to the Library of Congress and other specialized research libraries and collections in the Washington area.

Qualifications and Selection
Applicants for 2016–2018 must have received the PhD degree between October 1, 2010, and October 1, 2015. The fellowship is awarded without regard to age or nationality of applicants. Applications are reviewed by an external selection committee composed of scholars in the history of art. Individuals currently affiliated with the National Gallery of Art are not eligible for the A. W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship program.