Washington Square North Faculty Fellows AY 2026–27 at NYU: A Guide for Global Academics

The Washington Square North Faculty Fellows AY 2026–27 opportunity is a distinctive internal fellowship that links New York University’s campuses in New York and Abu Dhabi. Hosted at 19 Washington Square North (19 WSN) in New York City and supported by NYU Abu Dhabi, this program is designed for pairs of NYU faculty who wish to build ambitious, cross-campus research or creative projects with real public impact.

This article explains how the 19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellows program works, why it matters, who can apply, and how faculty—especially those with roots or networks in India—can position themselves to engage with such global faculty opportunities over the medium term.

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Overview of the 19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellows Program

The 19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellows program is funded by the NYU Office of the Provost and the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute. It aims to foster and strengthen connections between NYU faculty in Abu Dhabi and New York, while also enhancing intellectual life at 19 WSN, NYUAD’s “home” in New York.

For the AY 2026–27

call, teams are invited to propose joint projects that bring together one NYU New York–based faculty member and one standing faculty member from NYU Abu Dhabi. The collaborative work should lead to an original scholarly, creative, or artistic output, such as a symposium, exhibition, performance, film screening, or public panel held at 19 WSN during the fellowship period or the following summer.

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Why the Washington Square North Faculty Fellow AY 2026–27 Matters

For NYU faculty, this fellowship offers more than a project grant. It creates a structured, well-resourced framework for sustained collaboration between campuses.

Key benefits include:

• • A project budget of up to USD 30,000, which can support events, research activities, travel, and project-related expenses.

  • Office space at 19 WSN in New York, enabling fellows—especially those based in Abu Dhabi—to work in the heart of NYU’s historic Washington Square campus.

  • Formal integration into the scholarly life of 19 WSN through events, gatherings, and regular interaction with peers across disciplines.

For scholars with connections to India or the wider Global South, this kind of fellowship can

be especially powerful. It allows faculty to carry forward research agendas that intersect India, the UAE, and the United States—whether in humanities, social sciences, STEM, or the arts—while leveraging NYU’s global networks.

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Eligibility: Who Can Apply?

Core eligibility

The Interfolio listing and job description specify that applications must come from pairs of full-time NYU faculty:

• • One full-time faculty member at an NYU school or college in New York, such as Arts and Science, Tandon School of Engineering, Stern School of Business, the Institute of Fine Arts, and others.

  • One full-time standing faculty member at NYU Abu Dhabi in any division or program. (Affiliated or visiting faculty at NYUAD are not eligible.)

Both must hold full-time faculty appointments at the time of application. The program is open across disciplines and encourages diverse fields and methodologies.

For Indian and other international scholars

Although the fellowship is internal to NYU, it is relevant for early- and mid-career academics from India who:

• • Aspire to join NYUAD or NYU

    New York as faculty in the future.

  • Already hold NYU positions and wish to deepen research connections involving India, the Gulf, and global themes.

As a strategic goal, Indian scholars aiming at NYU roles can treat programs like the Washington Square North Faculty Fellow AY 2026–27 as models of the kind of collaborative, public-facing work that NYU values.

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Key Features, Funding, and Expectations

Project scope and outputs

Teams must submit a joint research or artistic plan that clearly:

• • States objectives and key questions.

  • Explains how the project advances their field.

  • Describes the public outcome to be presented at 19 WSN, such as a symposium, exhibit, or performance.

The project is expected to culminate in a tangible scholarly, creative, or artistic product or event, ideally one that can continue to grow beyond the fellowship year.

Funding and facilities

Successful teams receive:

• • A USD 30,000 project budget.

  • Office space at 19 Washington Square North as needed, particularly for New York–based fellows and visiting Abu

    Dhabi–based fellows.

The expectation is that New York–based fellows—and Abu Dhabi–based fellows when they are in New York—will work regularly from their 19 WSN office, attend relevant events hosted there, and engage actively with the community.

Participation and reporting

Fellows are expected to:

• • Attend 19 WSN events and take part in occasional gatherings to discuss work in progress.

  • Join video conference calls each semester with other fellows, to share updates and cross-fertilize ideas across disciplines.

  • Submit a short narrative report at the end of the term describing their activities and outcomes.

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Step-by-Step: How to Apply via Interfolio

Applications are submitted through the Interfolio portal. The Learn4Good listing summarises the structure of the application as follows:

1. 1. One applicant initiates the submission
      Only one team member (either the NYUAD or NYU New York faculty) should initiate the Interfolio application and upload materials. Within the portal, you will add information for both team members.

   2. Provide basic project and team details
      The application includes fields such as:

      • Project title.

      • Name, rank, and division/program of the NYUAD applicant.

      • Name, rank, and school/department of the NYU New York applicant.

   3. Prepare the required narrative components

      The call specifies four major text components:

      • Summary (250 words): A concise overview of the fellowship project.

      • Research/Creative Plan (1,500 words): A detailed narrative of objectives, methods, and planned activities. You are advised to write this for a broad academic audience, not only specialists in your field.

      • Collaboration Management Plan (250 words): A practical explanation of how the two team members will work together—frequency of virtual meetings, visits, and mechanisms for sharing tasks and decisions.

      • 19 Washington Square North Impact (350 words): A description of the planned public event at 19 WSN and how you will engage with the physical space and its intellectual community.

   4. Address evaluation criteria explicitly

      Applications are judged on:

      • The anticipated impact of the research or creative topic.

      • The strength and feasibility of the research plan.

      • The synergy between collaborators and the potential for long-term partnership.

      • The relevance of the topic to the UAE and the Gulf region (encouraged but not mandatory).

      • The depth of planned engagement with 19 WSN and its activities.

      Teams with new collaborations may receive priority, though long-standing collaborators are not excluded.

   5. Watch for internal deadlines

      The call indicates that applications are welcomed in Fall 2025 for the AY 2026–27 cycle. Exact submission deadlines and any internal school-level timelines should be checked on the Interfolio page and through your dean’s or provost’s office.

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Tips, Common Mistakes, and Expert Advice

Build a truly joint project

Strong proposals show genuine co-creation rather than parallel work plans. Therefore, ensure that:

• • Both faculty members appear as intellectual co-drivers of the project.

  • The collaboration management plan describes specific joint activities, not just vague intentions to “stay in touch”.

Make the public event central, not an afterthought

Since the fellowship is anchored at 19 Washington Square North, the public event is a core component, not a side note. You should:

• • Design an event that clearly emerges from the project’s core questions.

  • Show how it will activate the space and connect with NYUAD-related programming in New York.

For example, a team working on Gulf–South Asia migration might propose a curated panel and mini-exhibition bringing together archival materials, sound, and student work.

Write for a broad academic audience

Reviewers may come from varied disciplines, so dense jargon can hurt your case. The call explicitly reminds applicants that the research/creative plan should be understandable and resonant beyond narrow disciplinary boundaries.

Therefore, use clear structure, define specialist terms, and foreground the wider significance of your work.

Connect to the UAE and the Gulf where relevant

The committee encourages topics that speak to the UAE and the Gulf region, though this is not mandatory. If your project has a natural Gulf dimension—such as energy transitions, migration, cultural production, financial hubs, or urban futures—make that connection explicit.

Think in terms of long-term collaboration

Finally, keep in mind that one goal of the program is to seed longer-term partnerships between NYUAD and New York faculty. If you can show how the fellowship might lead to future grants, co-authored work, or sustained pedagogical collaboration, your application will read as strategically aligned with NYU’s global mission.

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Conclusion: Positioning Yourself for the Washington Square North Faculty Fellow Role

The Washington Square North Faculty Fellow AY 2026–27 program stands out as a focused opportunity for NYU faculty pairs to develop ambitious, public-facing projects that bridge Abu Dhabi and New York. With a generous project budget, dedicated office space at 19 WSN, and structured expectations for engagement, it offers a platform to experiment creatively while building long-term institutional and scholarly ties.

For faculty with Indian or other international backgrounds working at NYU, this fellowship can be an ideal vehicle to bring together multiple geographies, disciplines, and publics. It rewards clear planning, genuine collaboration, and a thoughtful approach to public scholarship.

If you are eligible, start early: identify a complementary partner on the other campus, co-develop a compelling idea, and map the project onto the application components and evaluation criteria. Then, use the Interfolio listing and your school’s guidance to finalize a polished, well-argued proposal.

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Summary Table

Feature	Details
Program	19 Washington Square North Faculty Fellows Program – AY 2026–27
Host	United States (New York, NY) with core collaboration from NYU Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates
Funded By	NYU Office of the Provost and NYU Abu Dhabi Institute
Duration	One academic year (AY 2026–27)
Mode	Full-time faculty collaboration with in-person work at 19 WSN and virtual/short-term visits between Abu Dhabi and New York
Eligibility	Pairs of full-time NYU faculty: one based at an NYU school/college in New York and one standing faculty member at NYU Abu Dhabi; visiting or affiliated NYUAD faculty not eligible
Financial	Project budget up to USD 30,000 plus office space at 19 WSN; additional salary details not specified in the call
Fields	Open to all disciplines; projects may be scholarly, artistic, or creative and are encouraged (but not required) to address UAE and Gulf-related themes
Deadline	Applications welcomed in Fall 2025 for AY 2026–27; exact closing date should be confirmed on Interfolio
Official	Interfolio Application Portal

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)