Harvard University Academy Scholars Program 2020 for International PhD Students

Applications are open for interested and suitably qualified international PhD students for the Havard University Academic Scholar Program 2020.

Each year, four to six Academy Scholars are named for two-year appointments at the Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA.

Harvard University Academy Scholars Program

The Academy Scholars are a select community of individuals with resourcefulness, initiative, curiosity, and originality, whose work in cultures or regions outside of the US or Canada shows promise as a foundation for exceptional careers in major 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. They receive substantial financial and research assistance to undertake sustained projects of research and/or acquire accessory training in their chosen fields and areas. The Senior Scholars, a distinguished group of senior Harvard University faculty members, act as mentors to the Academy Scholars to help them achieve their intellectual potential.

Harvard University Academy Scholars Program Eligibility

• Applications are welcome from qualified persons without regard to nationality, gender, or race.
• The competition for these awards is open only to recent PhD (or comparable professional school degree) recipients and doctoral candidates in the social sciences or law.
• Those still pursuing a PhD should have completed their routine training and be well along in the writing of their theses before applying to become Academy Scholars. If you have completed a PhD program, the PhD completion date must be within three years of the October 1 application deadline. For applicants applying for the October 1, 2020 deadline, you must have completed your PhD or equivalent after September 30, 2017.
• The Selection Committee considers all applicants in one applicant pool.

Value of Award

Postdoctoral Academy Scholars will receive an annual stipend of $70,000. If selected before earning the PhD, the Scholars will receive an annual stipend of$31,000 until awarded the PhD. This stipend is supplemented by funding for conference and research travel, research assistants, and health insurance coverage. Some teaching is permitted but not required.

How to Apply for Harvard University Academy Scholars Program

All application materials need to be submitted by the deadline of October 1. We do not accept late applications.

The completed application will include:

1. Cover letter which succinctly states the applicant’s academic field, country or region of specialization, and proposed research topic
2. Curriculum vitae (CV) or resumé; including list of publications
3. Research proposal (2500 word maximum); including intellectual objectives and planned methodological and disciplinary work
4. A copy of your PhD program transcript
5. Three letters of recommendation (uploaded through the online application)

Letters should be addressed to the “Selection Committee.”
Letters of recommendation need to be uploaded by the deadline of October 1.

All parts of the application, including the three letters of recommendation, are submitted online as pdf documents. The online application is accessed through the homepage of The Harvard Academy’s website. To access the application, click on the APPLY ONLINE button.

Questions should be emailed to:
applicationinquiries@wcfia.harvard.edu.

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 2500-word maximum for the research statement.

We require no copies of published papers or abstracts as part of our application process. Do not include them in your application.

Regarding transcripts from foreign universities: our 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.

For more information, visit the Harvard University Academy Scholars Program.

Application Deadline: 1st October 2020