One of the main activities of the Patrick & Joan Leigh Fermor House is the fellowships programme, which was launched in 2023-2024.
The programme runs in two periods. The first begins in early November and ends in mid December and the second period begins in mid February and ends in the end of March.
For a period of six weeks, four fellows reside at the Leigh Fermor House in order to work on their research in a peaceful environment.

For the Patrick & Joan Leigh Fermor House fellowships programme, the Benaki Museum collaborates with three universities, Freie Universität Berlin (Centrum Modernes Griechenland), Princeton University (Stanley J. Seeger ’52 Center for Hellenic Studies) and UCLA – University of California Los Angeles (Stavros Niarchos Foundation Center for the Study of Hellenic Culture).
Applying coordinated selection criteria and review processes, each institution chooses two (1+1) fellows – one for each period. 

- Fellows Fall 2023

- Fellows Spring 2024  

FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAMME FOR THE ACADEMIC YEAR 2024-2025

The Benaki Museum invites applications for two (1+1) fellowships for the academic year 2024-2025 from scholars who wish to spend time in residence at The Patrick & Joan Leigh Fermor House in Kardamyli, Messenia, Greece.

OPEN CALL

DESCRIPTION

Leigh Fermor House fellowships are offered to fellows whose research projects fall within subject areas connected to the collections and archives of the Benaki Museum.

The subject areas covered by the Benaki Museum cover history and culture in Greece and most parts of the globe (Islam, China, Africa, Pre-Columbian America, Korea, and more) as well as numerous other subject areas related to history of the art, literature, philosophy and more. Please check benaki.org and visit ‘Collections’.

Leigh Fermor House fellowships are residential, and fellows are expected to devote the major portion of their time in residence to research as well as compiling and writing the results of their research.

Fellowships for the academic year 2024-2025 are available for either the autumn or the spring term: autumn term appointments are from 4 November to 18 December 2024 and spring term appointments are from 5 February to 19 March 2025.

Before departure from the Leigh Fermor House, fellows submit a written review on their activities while in residence. They may also be invited in Athens to make a presentation to the ‘Patrick & Joan Leigh Fermor House Fellowships Academic Committee’ (Academic Committee), which consists of the academic director and the curators of the Museum, and to Benaki Museum staff as well as to members of the public, invited by the Academic Committee.

The Academic Committee reserves the right to select studies for publication to the Benaki Museum scholarly periodical, Mouseio Benaki.

LIVING ARRANGEMENTS

Fellows may be accompanied by one family member (children over 16 years old only) or spouse.

Fellows are provided with a room with one double bed, personal workspace, one meal per day (for the accompanying part as well) and controlled access to the Leigh Fermor House library. Τhe Benaki Museum will make arrangements and cover the cost of the fellows travelling from Athens to Kardamyli and from Kardamyli back to Athens after the completion of the fellowship.

The Benaki Museum cannot provide a stipend to fellows; therefore, they should cover their expenses during their stay and make their own travel arrangements to and from Athens.

Fellows are also responsible for arranging their own health insurance.

ELIGIBILITY

Applications are invited by:

• scholars in all disciplines covered by the Benaki Museum collections (see above), who are affiliated with academic institutions, including universities, museums and research institutions, as well as emeriti faculty members, and
• independent scholars (i.e. not affiliated with an institution) with a Ph.D. or equivalent and a distinguished record of publications or showing extraordinary research potential.

Fellows are expected to be fluent in English.

We regret that due to the location and terrain of the property, the House is not wheelchair accessible. Please contact the Benaki Museum for more information on accessibility for people with restricted mobility.

CRITERIA

Applications are reviewed by an interdisciplinary group of reviewers, specialists in the candidate’s academic discipline, appointed by the Museum. Reviews are examined by the Academic Committee. A phone or video interview may be requested from candidates during the review process. Academic Committee decisions and their subsequent approval by the Board of Trustees of the Benaki Museum are confidential.

The Academic Committee makes Leigh Fermor House Fellowship awards on the basis of several criteria:

• scholarly accomplishment, overall academic excellence and promise,
• significance and quality of the research proposal in definition, clarity, organisation and scope,
• potential future impact through teaching and writing,
• first-time applicants;

A period of at least five years must elapse between a successful fellowship award at the Leigh Fermor House and a new fellowship application from the same person.

HOW TO APPLY

For applications to be considered:

1. The application form must be completed in full and submitted online.
2. Τhe following supporting material must be sent by email to the address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as pdf documents:

• cover sheet with title and summary (200 words) of proposed research project and a brief bio (one paragraph),
• research proposal (3 pages, 1,000 words maximum), including description of project, timetable, explicit goals, and a rationale for why it should be pursued at the Leigh Fermor House,
• a standard, detailed curriculum vitae including a list of publications,
• two samples of recent work (in the original language),
• contact information for two referees.

All supporting material (except from the samples of recent work) must be submitted in either English or Greek.

PLEASE NOTE that all attachments to any email should have a maximum total size of 10 MB; files larger than 10 MB must be sent via WeTransfer or similar web-based services.

Once the Benaki Museum has received all the requested files, you will receive a confirmation message at the email address provided in your application.

DEADLINE

All materials submitted by applicants must be received by 18 December 2023. To ensure applications are received before the deadline, early submission is encouraged.

ANOUNCEMENT OF AWARDS

Awards will be announced in March 2024.

POSTPONEMENT DUE TO FORCE MAJEURE

By approval of its Board of Trustees, the Benaki Museum reserves the right to postpone the fellowships programme, due to force majeure (pandemic restrictions etc.). In this case, the awarded fellowships will be moved.