Exterior at night

The Center at night

Side Entrance

The entrance of the CSGS

Heather Love audience

The audience listens as Lauren Berlant introduces Heather Love in 2014

Class discussion

Students participate in a classroom discussion at the Center

Héctor Carrillo

Héctor Carrillo talks with students after his book talk in 2018

Joan Scott

Joan Scott speaking at the Center in 2017

panel

Students listen to panelists present in 2017

Community room

The Community Room at 5733 S University

center door

Center entrance

5733 exterior

The exterior of 5733 S University

Bhanu Kapil

Poet Bhanu Kapil at the Center in 2016

Graduate Funding

The CSGS currently offers graduate funding in the form of:

Fellowship Opportunities

University of Chicago PhD students from all disciplines who are working in the areas of gender and/or sexuality studies are encouraged to apply for a Residential or Dissertation fellowship.

You can apply for multiple fellowships through the application but you will only be eligible to receive one. Please contact Bonnie Kanter, Assistant Director for Student Affairs and Curriculum, at bonniek@uchicago.edu with any questions.

Apply Here!

Dissertation Completion Fellowships

Application Form

Deadline: March 15, 2025

The Center offers one or two fellowships for PhD students focusing on gender and/or sexuality within any discipline.

Eligibility: University of Chicago PhD students from all disciplines working in the areas of gender and/or sexuality are encouraged to apply. Applicants must have matriculated after Summer 2016 and have been admitted to candidacy by April 1st, 2025. Applicants must be willing to be “in residence” at CSGS for the main three academic quarters, defined as participating in lectures and workshops on a bi-weekly basis and utilizing the provided office space at the Center for a minimum of 2 days a week. Some travel for research for brief periods is allowed, but this must be discussed with the CSGS Faculty Director in advance.

Award: The successful candidates will be given the Dissertation Completion Fellowship bonus of $5000 above and beyond their stipend. The recipients of this fellowship will also be given a shared office at the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality from September 2, 2025 through August 20, 2026. Recipients of the fellowship are expected to participate in and present at the Gender and Sexuality Studies Workshop and to attend CSGS events as well as participate in the intellectual life of the center as a whole.

Please note: Other University of Chicago funding may restrict eligibility. Because the intent behind these fellowships is to allow the awardee to devote her/his full attention and effort to the dissertation, the terms of this award do not allow one to engage in any remunerative activity or to hold any other award during the period. Under some circumstances, an exception may be made for teaching one course if approved by the Division. Because this is a Completion Fellowship, if the degree is not completed by Summer 2026, the awardee would be administratively withdrawn from their program.

The following required materials will be requested with your application:

  • Two-page curriculum vitae
  • Two-page statement of purpose/cover letter describing your work in relation to your general intellectual preparation, commitments, etc.
  • One- to five-page prospectus (description of your dissertation)
  • One chapter of your dissertation
  • Timeline for completion of dissertation
  • The email address of your dissertation chair who will serve as your recommender for this award

Joint Dissertation Completion Fellowship (CSGS/CSRPC)

Application Form

Deadline: March 15, 2025

The Center offers one joint dissertation completion fellowship with the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture for a PhD student working in the intersection of the topics of race and ethnicity and gender and/or sexuality within any discipline.

Eligibility: University of Chicago PhD students from all disciplines working in the areas of gender and/or sexuality are encouraged to apply. Applicants must have matriculated after Autumn 2016. Applicants must have been admitted to candidacy by April 1st, 2025 and should be at an advanced stage of writing their dissertation. Applicants must be willing to be “in residence” at CSGS or CSRPC for the main three academic quarters, defined as participating in lectures and workshops on a bi-weekly basis and utilizing the provided office space at the Center for a minimum of 2 days a week. Some travel for research for brief periods is allowed, but this must be discussed with the Faculty Directors in advance.

Award: The successful candidates will be given a Dissertation Completion Fellowship bonus of $5000 above and beyond their stipend. The recipients of this fellowship will also be given a shared office at the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality or Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture from September 2, 2025 through August 20, 2026. Recipients of the fellowship are expected to participate in and present at the Gender and Sexuality Studies Workshop and to attend CSGS and CSRPC events as well as participate in the intellectual life of the centers as a whole.

Please note: Other University of Chicago funding may restrict eligibility. Because the intent behind these fellowships is to allow the awardee to devote her/his full attention and effort to the dissertation, the terms of this award do not allow one to engage in any remunerative activity or to hold any other award during the period. Under some circumstances, an exception may be made for teaching one course if approved by the Division. Because this is a Completion Fellowship, if the degree is not completed by Summer 2026, the awardee would be administratively withdrawn from their program.

The following required materials will be requested with your application:

  • Two-page curriculum vitae
  • Two-page statement of purpose/cover letter describing your work in relation to your general intellectual preparation, commitments, etc.
  • One- to five-page prospectus (description of your dissertation)
  • One chapter of your dissertation
  • Timeline for completion of dissertation
  • The email addresses of two faculty recommenders – one must be your dissertation chair

Residential Fellowships

Application Form

Deadline: March 15, 2025

In 2025-26, the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality will offer up to seven Residential Fellowships in gender and/or sexuality studies.

Eligibility: University of Chicago PhD students from all disciplines working in the areas of gender and/or sexuality are encouraged to apply.

Award: This fellowship provides shared office space at the Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality from September 2, 2025 through August 20, 2026. Recipients of the fellowship are expected to participate in and present at the Gender and Sexuality Studies Workshop and to attend CSGS events as well as participate in the intellectual life of the center as a whole. Recipients will be given priority in applications for CSGS Travel/Research grants.

The following required materials will be requested with your application:

  • Two-page curriculum vitae
  • Two-page statement of purpose/cover letter describing your work in relation to your general intellectual preparation, commitments, etc.
  • One- to five-page prospectus (description of your dissertation)

Joint Residential Fellowship (CSGS/CSRPC)

Application Form

Deadline: March 15, 2025

The Center offers one joint fellowship with the Center for the Study of Race, Politics and Culture for a PhD student working in the intersection of the topics of race and ethnicity and gender and/or sexuality within any discipline.

Eligibility: University of Chicago PhD students from all disciplines working in the areas of gender and/or sexuality are encouraged to apply.

Award: This fellowship provides shared office space at one of the two centers from September 2, 2025 through August 20, 2026. Applicants must be willing to be “in residence” at CSGS or CSRPC for the main three academic quarters, defined as participating in lectures and workshops on a bi-weekly basis and utilizing the provided office space at the Center for a minimum of 2 days a week. Some travel for research for brief periods is allowed, but this must be discussed with the Faculty Directors in advance. Recipients of the fellowship are expected to participate in and present at the Gender and Sexuality Studies Workshop and to attend CSGS and CSRPC events as well as participate in the intellectual life of the centers as a whole. Recipients will be given priority in applications for CSGS Travel/Research grants.

The following required materials will be requested with your application:

  • Two-page curriculum vitae
  • Two-page statement of purpose/cover letter describing your work in relation to your general intellectual preparation, commitments, etc.
  • One- to five-page prospectus (description of your dissertation)

Please contact Bonnie Kanter, Assistant Director for Student Affairs and Curriculum, at bonniek@uchicago.edu with any questions.

The UChicago LGBTQ+ Community Engagement Award

Nominate Now!

Nomination Deadline: March 1, 2025

The LGBTQ+ Community Engagement Award, sponsored by UChicago Alumni Pride and the CSGS, is given annually to honor exceptional contributions that advance and support the interests of the LGBTQ+ community and is open to current UChicago undergraduate or graduate students in good academic standing. The awardee will receive a prize of $500. The awardee will also be honored with the opportunity to speak publicly about the significance of their work and introduce the invited distinguished speaker at the coming year’s OUTstanding Speaker Series lecture. Undergraduate winners will be listed on the College Honors and Awards page. 

Nominations (including self-nominations) are due March 1. Eligible nominees will be notified in early March with a request to submit materials by April 1. 

Research/Travel Grants for Graduate Students

Apply Now!

Deadlines for 2024-25: October 28, 2024; February 3, 2025; and April 21, 2025

The CSGS supports research on gender and sexuality across all disciplines at the University of Chicago. In order to support this work we are providing research grant opportunities for students at all levels. Grants will be decided upon quarterly during Autumn/Winter/Spring, with deadlines Monday of 5th week each quarter. Grants can be used to cover research expenses or travel to conferences. This could include costs of transcriptions, purchasing texts or software, interview incentives, or other costs. (Computer and hardware purchases excluded.) To be eligible, the research or travel must be related to the study of gender and/or sexuality. MA students can apply for a maximum of $500 per year. PhD Candidates can apply for a maximum of $1,000 in the Autumn/Winter/Spring cycles. In addition, during the Spring application cycle PhD students will be eligible to apply the Unfundable Fund below. Preference for all awards will be given to those who have not previously received funding from the Center. The application requires a CV or resume, budget, description of the project and the email address of a recommender. If you have any questions, please contact Bonnie Kanter (bonniek@uchicago.edu).

Unfundable Fund for Gender & Sexuality Research, Theory, and Practice

Apply Now!

Deadline: April 15, 2025

The Unfundable Fund prioritizes humanistic areas of inquiry that are centered in gender and/or sexuality studies and are not easily fundable through existing grant mechanisms. Today, this might be critical sexuality research, affect theory and aesthetics, hybrid artistic practice, or community-based research and engagement. Tomorrow this might be a form or genre for which we do not currently have a vocabulary. The name of this fund comes from Center co-founder Prof. Lauren Berlant (1957-2021), who was a tireless advocate for keeping space open for student research that presents “forms of queer we might not yet recognize.” In 2025, one $2,500 research grant will be given in Spring with the funds designated for use in 2025-26. Applicants will submit the regular research/travel grant application (above) but will be expected to answer additional questions related to the mission of the Unfundable Fund.

The Unfundable Fund is currently only open to PhD students. 

CSGS Course Design Prize for Graduate Instructors

Apply Now!

Deadline: February 28, 2025

The Center for the Study of Gender and Sexuality is pleased to announce our new CSGS Course Design Prize for Graduate Instructors. This $1000 prize will be given to a PhD student who has designed an undergraduate course for which they will serve as instructor of record, preferably in the context of their PTP/MTE, in AY 2025-26. The course should demonstrate a robust and sustained engagement with questions of gender and sexuality. Priority will be given to students who have already had classroom experience as a Teaching Assistant or other. The application will require the following: 

  • a current CV
  • a complete, self-designed course syllabus for a class engaging with gender and/or sexuality, including a course title, course description, objectives, readings, assignments, assessment criteria
  • Email address for one recommender who can attest to your ability to design and teach a course
  • contact information for someone in your home department who is authorized to confirm that the proposed course is part of your MTE or PTP and that, if selected, you will be eligible to accept this prize and teach the proposed course in 2025-26.