Call for Applications: 2021-2022 Middle East Initiative Research Fellowship Program

The Middle East Initiative Research Fellowship Program offers one-year fellowships for researchers at the pre-doctoral, post-doctoral, and junior faculty level for research related to Middle Eastern governance and public policy. All fellowships carry a stipend. Eligible candidates include advanced doctoral candidates, recent recipients of a Ph.D. or equivalent degree, and untenured faculty members. We welcome applications from political scientists, historians, economists, sociologists, and other social scientists. We also encourage applications from women, minorities, and citizens of all countries.

• Applicants for pre-doctoral fellowships: Applicants must have passed general examinations, advanced to candidacy, received dissertation prospectus approval, and concluded all necessary fieldwork for the dissertation by the time of application. The strong expectation is that pre-doctoral fellows will defend their dissertations at the end of their residency with us.
• Applicants for post-doctoral fellowships: Applicants who expect to complete their Ph.D. program prior to the fellowship can apply for a postdoctoral appointment, noting that postdoctoral fellowship offers are contingent upon submitting proof of Ph.D. completion prior to the September 1st fellowship start date.

Priority will be given to applications pursuing one of these six primary areas of focus:

1. Improving Governance: Promoting the inclusivity, accountability, responsiveness, and efficiency of governing institutions and empowering the region's citizens.
2. Building Peace: Addressing the sources of domestic and interstate conflict and generating durable political settlements.
3. Revitalizing the State: Improving the capacity of state institutions and reforming social service delivery systems, with a special emphasis on health, education, and social protection.
4. Broadening Financial and Labor Markets: Working to ensure that financial and labor markets in the Middle East are open, competitive, and inclusive.
5. Governing Technology: Assessing how governments in the Middle East adapt to and integrate technological changes such as the growth of cyberspace, automation, and artificial intelligence, as well as how these advances in technology have shaped governance.
6. Adapting to Environmental Challenges: Exploring how the governments of the region can cope and are coping with the challenges of water scarcity and climate change.

The fellowship application period for the 2021-2022 academic year is now open.

The application period will close on January 15, 2021.
Recommendations will be due on February 3, 2021.
Decisions will be announced by March 30, 2021.
 

All application materials must be submitted in PDF format through the official application portal.

CV/ Resume

• Unofficial transcript (pre-doctoral fellow applicants only)

• Research statement (3-5 pages) and Abstract (2-3 sentences)
• Writing sample (less than 50 pages) with abstract of 300 words or less
  • Should be one published or unpublished piece written by the applicant (co-authored pieces not accepted) in English that will demonstrate his/her English-language writing ability
  • Can be a journal article, book chapter, dissertation chapter, white paper, etc. you have produced in your field
• Contact information for 3 recommenders submitting letters on your behalf

This program is made possible through funding from the Emirates Leadership Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School. For more information regarding the program and application process, please visit 

www.belfercenter.org/fellowship/middle-east-initiative.

Please submit inquiries to Mikaela Bennett, Coordinator for Research Programs and Student Engagement,
 by e-mail at:mbennett@hks.harvard.edu.

[2021/01/04]