This program is open to recent Ph.D. recipients and doctoral candidates in the social sciences.
The Academy Scholars Program of The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies identifies and supports outstanding scholars at the start of their academic careers whose work combines excellence in a social science discipline with a command of the language and knowledge or expertise of countries or regions outside of the United States or Canada. Their scholarship should span traditional disciplinary divisions and elucidate comparative, transnational, or domestic issues, past or present.
The Academy Scholars are a select community of individuals with resourcefulness, initiative, and originality whose work shows promise as a foundation for careers in research universities or international institutions.
Academy Scholars are appointed for a two-year in-residence postdoctoral fellowship at The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. They receive substantial financial and research assistance which permits them to undertake robust research projects and skills development in their chosen fields and areas. They meet at dinners, seminars, and informal get-togethers in order to pursue innovative interdisciplinary approaches to their work. They receive mentorship from the Harvard Academy Senior Scholars, a cohort of faculty members who act as a selection committee, take part in Harvard Academy events, and are committed to supporting the Academy Scholars as they work to achieve their potential.
The Harvard Academy is dedicated to building an inclusive community of scholars with an array of experiences, perspectives, and methods and welcomes a diverse pool of applicants.
The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies is dedicated to increasing your knowledge of the culture, history, and institutions of the world’s major regions and countries. The Academy Scholars Program identifies and trains social scientists in area studies, focusing on areas of the world outside of the US and/or Canada. Academy Scholars are supported by The Harvard Academy to undertake research and writing for two years at Harvard University. Each year The Harvard Academy receives over 500 applications for scholarships and selects five or six scholars for two years in residence as Academy Scholars. They receive substantial stipends and support for their research and writing at Harvard. The Harvard Academy also undertakes research projects, supports faculty research, organizes seminars and conferences, and sponsors publications on international themes.
Location:
United StatesBenefits
- Two-year in-residence appointments with an annual stipend of $75,000, with the two years to be completed within a three-year window.
- Year 1 of the fellowship must be taken up no later than the fall immediately following the postdoctoral fellowship offer.
- Delays or deferrals at the start of Year 1 are not permitted.
- Between Years 1 and 2, Academy Scholars may apply for a one-time leave (up to 12 months), either to accept or to continue with a tenure-track teaching appointment but for no other reason.
- Academy Scholars may not accept other sources of funding, awards, or obligations during their appointment.
Eligibilities
- These awards are open to recipients of Ph.D. or comparable doctoral degrees (within two years of the August 1, 2024, start date) and advanced doctoral candidates in the social sciences.
- Scholars nearing dissertation completion must be able to submit degree conferral documentation issued by their university registrar’s office by June 30, 2024, for an August 1, 2024, start date.
- Individuals who hold or have completed another Harvard postdoctoral fellowship are not eligible to apply.
Application Process
The completed application should include:
- Curriculum vitae (CV); including a list of publications
- Research proposal (2000 words maximum); including intellectual objectives and planned methodological and disciplinary work
- One scholarly writing sample (e.g., Ph.D. dissertation chapter or single-authored peer-reviewed academic journal article; 50 pages maximum; in English)
- A copy of your Ph.D. program transcript
- Three letters of recommendation (uploaded to the online application directly and confidentially by the recommender by September 22, 2023)
- All parts of the application, including the three letters of recommendation, should be submitted online as pdf documents.
- All materials must be received by September 22, 2023. The selection process begins immediately thereafter. Applicants whose materials are incomplete are at a disadvantage when considered by the Selection Committee.
- Announcement of the awards will be made in December 2023.
- You may include footnotes, endnotes, and/or bibliographies in your proposed research statement, but they are not required.
- If you do give references, they will not count towards the 2000-word maximum for the research statement.
- Regarding transcripts from foreign universities: their reviewers read many applications from those at foreign universities and request as much transcript-like official documentation as the Registrar at your university can provide, for all graduate work—both for the Master’s and PhD programs in which you have been or are currently enrolled. Your institution most likely gets these requests often and can provide the required paperwork to you upon request.
Application Deadline: September 22, 2023
Application ClosedOfficial link
