Apply Now:2020-2021 MEI Research Fellowships at Harvard Kennedy School

Applications Now Open for 2020-2021 Middle East Initiative Research Fellowships 

Deadline: Wednesday, January 15, 11:59 PM EST

Learn more and apply.

The Middle East Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School is now accepting applications for the 2020-2021 Middle East Initiative Research Fellowship Program. The application deadline is January 15, 2020 at 11:59 PM EST.

The Middle East Initiative Research Fellowship Program, part of the Emirates Leadership Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School, offers one-year fellowships for researchers at the pre-doctoral, postdoctoral, 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. Applicants for pre-doctoral fellowships 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. 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.

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

  • Improving Governance: Promoting the inclusivity, accountability, responsiveness, and efficiency of governing institutions and empowering the region’s citizens.
  • Building Peace: Addressing the sources of domestic and interstate conflict and generating durable political settlements.
  • 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.
  • Broadening Financial and Labor Markets: Working to ensure that financial and labor markets in the Middle East are open, competitive, and inclusive.
  • 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.
  • 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.

This program is made possible through funding from the Emirates Leadership Initiative at Harvard Kennedy School. All application materials must be submitted in PDF format through the official application portal. For more information regarding the program and application process, please visit: www.belfercenter.org/fellowship/middle-east-initiative

Please submit inquiries to Julia Martin, Assistant Director of the Middle East Initiative, by e-mail at Julia_Martin@hks.harvard.edu.