The Sarah Müller-Moaty Visiting Fellowship funds a research visit in one of two directions: a scholar based at Stanford travels to an educational or research institution in France or another francophone country, or a scholar based at one of those institutions comes to Stanford. It is run by the France-Stanford Center for Interdisciplinary Studies, created in 2002 by Stanford University and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs and housed in the Stanford Global Studies division of the School of Humanities and Sciences. The visit runs between two and six months, set by agreement between the applicant and the host institution, and the award reaches US$15,000.
The work must sit in the humanities or the social sciences, and the research subject does not have to concern France. The fellowship carries the name of Sarah Ida Raphaëlle Müller-Moaty, a trained dancer and pianist who died in February 2024 at the age of 28. Recent fellows have come to Stanford from French universities and research institutes, and one has travelled the other way.
Benefits & funding
- The award is capped by the length of the visit: US$10,000 for two months, US$12,000 for three months, US$14,000 for four months, US$15,000 for six months.
- Allowable costs: travel, lodging, living costs and childcare, plus research services such as duplication, microfilm, digitization, transcription, data entry and focus groups.
- Not allowable: equipment, supplies, software, tuition, translation, publishing, conference fees and salary payments.
- Fellowship stipends are taxable. Scholars who are not US residents may qualify for an exemption under a tax treaty.
- Housing is the fellow’s own responsibility. The Center provides no housing assistance.
- Scholars visiting Stanford need a J-1 visa costing roughly US$500 in total: US$200 to prepare the DS-2019 form, US$50 for international courier and a US$220 SEVIS fee that is reimbursed on arrival. Stanford also asks for proof of US$2,500 a month in living costs.
Eligibility
- A PhD or equivalent degree, meaning one requiring three or more years of graduate training.
- The doctorate completed no more than seven years before the date of applying.
- A tenure-track or permanent position, a lecturer or researcher position, or a postdoctoral position.
- A base either at Stanford or at an educational or research institution in France or another francophone country. The visit must run in the opposite direction to that base.
- Research in the humanities and/or social sciences. A French subject is not required.
- No citizenship requirement. Neither US nor French nationality is asked for.
- The applicant identifies the host department and secures its approval before applying.
- First-time applicants are given priority. This is a preference, not a bar.
Can you apply?
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Education required
PhD
Appears to have an age limit “age of 28”
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Application process
- 1Identify the department at Stanford, or at an institution in France or another francophone country, where the research would be carried out, and secure its agreement to host the visit.
- 2Write a letter to the Center Director of one to two pages, setting out the scope of the research and naming the sponsor at the host institution.
- 3Ask that sponsor for a letter of endorsement of one to two pages.
- 4Ask the supervisor at the home institution for a recommendation letter of one to two pages. The recommender uploads it directly.
- 5Prepare a one-page résumé and a one-page budget.
- 6Submit the application form and all materials through Slideroom by the March deadline. The round for academic year 2026-27 closed on 9 March 2026.
- 7Await notification in late spring or early summer.
Program timeline
9 March 2026
Application deadline for academic year 2026-27
Notification of recipients
Late spring / early summer 2026
Fellowship period opens
1 September 2026
Fellowship period ends
31 August 2027
The Center has not published dates for academic year 2027-28. Stanford Global Studies lists the deadline as falling in March each year.