Levitan Prize in the Humanities

Page Contents:01.About the Fund 02.Applying 03.Recipient Spotlight

The $30,000 Levitan Prize was inaugurated in 1990. It is awarded annually as a research fund to support innovative and creative scholarship in the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences.

This fund was established through a gift from the late James A. Levitan. Levitan was a 1945 MIT graduate in chemistry and also a member of the MIT Corporation.

To apply, download and complete the Proposal Cover Form. You’ll need to include information about your role at SHASS, an abstract of the proposed activity, and an itemized budget.

Proposals should be no more than 10 double-spaced pages, and should contain a description of the research and its significance as well as a budget indicating how the funds will be spent. Proposals should be submitted to your Director of Administration and Finance.

Costs of travel, research assistance, computers, and summer salary are appropriate for inclusion in the budget.

Send questions about the fund to levitanprize@mit.edu.

All regular tenure track SHASS faculty are eligible.

Applications open Fall 2025.

Héctor Beltrán ‘07, the Class of 1957 Career Development Associate Professor in Anthropology, has been awarded the 2025 James A. and Ruth Levitan Prize in the Humanities.

Beltrán describes his project as “a discursive and ethnographic analysis of ‘digital nomads’ in Puerto Rico and Mexico.” Its focus is those nomads who’ve wearied of the challenges specific to the lifestyle including shifting political allegiances, practical impediments to consistent internet connectivity, increased scrutiny as members of underrepresented groups, and a desire for increased stability. He pays special attention to communities who become nomadic due to circumstances beyond their control.

“I like to look at popular phenomena and follow how they make their way into everyday imaginaries and culture,” Beltrán continues. “This project will closely examine remote work; the social tiers into which remote workers are placed and why; related impacts; and, workers’ ability to take control of the narratives that can result.”

About the fund

Applying for the fund

How to apply

Eligibility

Important dates

2025 Levitan Recipient spotlight

Congratulations to Héctor Beltrán, associate professor of anthropology

Previous recipients