John Nicholas Brown Center for Advanced Study

Fellowship in University History

The Office of the Provost, in conjunction with the John Nicholas Brown Center for Advanced Study, sponsors year-long fellowships for Brown University faculty members to conduct research on Brown University's historical legacy.

Fellowship in University History

This fellowship in University History represents Brown's ongoing commitment to uncovering and understanding its institutional history through scholarly research and community engagement. One fellowship is awarded per year.

In support of work on their project, the fellow receives one-course release during the fellowship year, research funds of $2,500, and the support of one Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award (UTRA) to assist with research activities. Fellows become integral members of the JNBC scholarly community, participating in seminars and other intellectual activities.

Fellowship Expectations

Fellows are expected to present a lecture on their research to an open audience by the end of the fellowship year, with the intention of subsequent publication.

Fellows are also encouraged to curate a small exhibition at the John Nicholas Brown Center for Advanced Study or the John Hay Library using materials from Brown's archives (for display in the year following their fellowship).

Fellows may be called upon to present their research to at least one additional Brown community audience in the year following the fellowship (e.g., during Parents' Weekend).

Eligibility

The fellowship is open to Brown University faculty members who:

Are current full-time faculty members at Brown University;
Have secured endorsement of their application from their department Chair;
Can commit to the fellowship expectations outlined above.

Support Provided

Fellows receive:

One course release during the fellowship year;
Research funds up to $2,500 to support fellowship-related activities;
One Undergraduate Teaching and Research Award (UTRA) for research assistance;
Integration into the JNBC fellow programming;
Access to university archives and library resources.

Faculty Fellowship in University History

The FFUH is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the John Nicholas Brown Center for Advanced Study (JNBC). The fellowship enables Brown University faculty members to conduct original research on the university's institutional history through a year-long appointment. One fellow will be selected each year from among current Brown faculty.

Application Form

William Goedel, Assistant Professor of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health, has been awarded the first annual (2025-2026) Brown Faculty Fellowship in University History.

The Faculty Fellowship in University History is sponsored by the Office of the Provost and the John Nicholas Brown Center for Advanced Study (JNBC). The fellowship enables Brown University faculty members to conduct original research on the university's institutional history through a year-long appointment. One fellow is selected each year from among the current Brown faculty. The fellow contributes to Brown's understanding of its past through research that engages with university archives and special collections. The fellowship provides a one-course release, as well as research funding and undergraduate research assistance to support the project. Fellows become part of the JNBC's scholarly community and share their work through a public lecture and a potential exhibition. This initiative reflects Brown's commitment to exploring its historical legacy with scholarly rigor and fostering broader community engagement with institutional history.

Professor Goedel’s project focuses on "Exploring the Origins of Public Health Education at Brown University" and traces the roots of public health education and research at Brown to the late nineteenth century, specifically, to Providence’s responses to pandemic influenza that were led by Charles V. Chapin, a member of the Class of 1876. Relatively little is known about this early program, including about its students and faculty, the content of its curriculum, and how it evolved to address new threats to the public’s health in the century between the Great Influenza Pandemic and the COVID-19 pandemic. Professor Goedel proposes a fascinating and very timely project. He will present the results of his research in a public event to be held at Brown in the spring of 2026.

William C. Goedel, PhD, is an assistant professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the Brown University School of Public Health. He is a social epidemiologist with significant methodological expertise in the use of geographic information systems (GIS) to guide public health policy and practice. His research uses spatial analytical techniques to quantify the burden of many of the United States’ most pressing public health challenges across neighborhoods to identify areas that are overburdened and underserved. This applied research is often conducted in close collaboration with the Rhode Island Department of Health, covering a range of health conditions, including asthma, cancer, COVID-19, drug overdose, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), and vaccine-preventable infections. He is a faculty affiliate at the Pandemic Center, where he leads efforts to increase capacities for data-driven decision-making during public health emergencies among staff at local health departments and their community partners. In addition, he leads a program of research in historical epidemiology, which aims to leverage archival vital statistics records to improve our understanding of past public health challenges. His current work is examining the epidemiology of the Great Influenza Epidemic (1918–1920) in Rhode Island.