The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society has been selected as a host organization for the American Council of Learned Societies (ACLS) Leading Edge Fellowship Program, made possible by the Mellon Foundation. 

“We are thrilled to be a host organization for the Leading Edge Fellowship,” said Benton Institute Research Director Caroline Stratton. “Our team and our research mission will benefit immensely from the Fellowship.”

The Leading Edge Fellowship Program demonstrates the capacity of the humanities to advance justice and equity in society and illuminates career pathways for recent PhDs beyond the academy.

Benton's Executive Director, Dr. Revati Prasad, was a Leading Edge Fellow at the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, where she worked on tribal broadband issues. Dr. Prasad's time as a fellow was an experience that helped shape her understanding of equitable broadband issues.

In 2026, the ACLS Leading Edge Fellowship Program will place 14 recent humanities PhDs in two-year positions with organizations committed to promoting justice with and in their communities. Fellows will join organizations advancing justice and equity in communities across the United States in staff positions designed to draw on the humanistic skills, capacities, and frameworks developed in the course of earning the PhD and advanced humanistic study.  

The Leading Edge Fellowship position at the Benton Institute will contribute to Benton’s Broadband for All agenda by conducting research about the policies and practices that support digital inclusion. The Research Manager will report to the Research Director and will be additionally mentored by the Executive Director. The fellowship tenure is 24 consecutive months, with an expected time commitment of approximately 37.5 hours per week.

ACLS is now accepting fellowship applications, with submissions due by 9:00 PM EDT on Wednesday, March 11, 2026. For more information, please visit www.acls.org/LeadingEdge and direct any questions to ACLS at leadingedge@acls.org. 

Each Leading Edge Fellow will earn a minimum yearly stipend of $70,000 that increases in the second year, and receive employer-sponsored health insurance and professional mentorship. In addition, ACLS provides fellows with professional development funding, access to peer mentorship and professional networks, and a relocation stipend (if needed). Fellows will take on roles in advocacy, policy research, communications, public engagement, and more. ACLS provides a variety of professional development and networking activities for fellows, including alumni mentorship, career coaching, and virtual and in-person events designed to help translate the experiences of their two-year placements into post-fellowship career opportunities. Fellows join an engaged alumni community of PhDs working across a variety of sectors. 

Applicants for the Leading Edge Fellowship competition must have a PhD in the humanities or social sciences officially conferred by their university on or after September 1, 2021, and no later than August 31, 2026. All scholars must be authorized to work legally in the United States.

The Benton Institute for Broadband & Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that all people in the U.S. have access to competitive, High-Performance Broadband regardless of where they live or who they are. We believe communication policy - rooted in the values of access, equity, and diversity - has the power to deliver new opportunities and strengthen communities.

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