The Weatherhead Scholars Program accepts approximately twenty-five affiliates annually through a competitive selection process. Affiliates may be visiting faculty members from other institutions, postdoctoral fellows who have earned their PhD within three years of applying, or practitioner fellows (mid-career or senior diplomats and other professionals). Please note that the application process and period for submitting applications varies by category.
Practitioner Fellows
Mid-career or senior diplomats, journalists, civil servants, businesspeople, and other professionals may apply as individuals or be nominated by their sponsoring institution. Interested individuals are welcome to contact the director of the Weatherhead Scholars Program to discuss candidacy and application process. The application for individual practitioner fellows for 2024–2025 is available here. Rolling deadline until March 1, 2024.
Visiting Scholars
The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs accepts six to ten visiting faculty members each academic year through the Weatherhead Scholars Program. Visiting faculty must hold tenured or tenure-track positions at another institution, from which they will be on leave during the time that they are at Harvard.
The application for 2024–2025 is available via Harvard's ARIeS online system; deadline is November 1, 2023. Required materials include: cover letter; resume or CV; three-page research statement; two letters of recommendation.
Postdoctoral Fellows
The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs accepts six to ten postdoctoral fellows each academic year through the Weatherhead Scholars Program. There is funding available for some but not all of the candidates. Candidates must have received their PhD within three years of acceptance to the Weatherhead Scholars Program. The application for 2024–2025 is available via Harvard's ARIeS online system; deadline is November 1, 2023. Required materials include: cover letter; resume or CV; three-page research statement; two letters of recommendation.
For 2024–2025, we are pleased to announced the following one-year postdoctoral fellowship opportunities:
- The Raphael Morrison Dorman Fellowship supports up to four postdoctoral fellows annually (stipend plus health insurance).
- The Hicham Alaoui Postdoctoral Fellowship to support research on the Middle East/North Africa region and/or climate change. One academic-year fellowships will be awarded in 2023–2024, 2024–2025, and 2025–2026 (stipend plus health insurance).
- Occasionally additional fellowship funding is available from the Weatherhead Center, which will be rolled into the normal selection process when applicable.
All WSP postdoctoral applications will be considered for funding unless the applicant indicates that they will obtain their own funding. It is not necessary to submit a separate funding application. The WSP postdoctoral stipend for 2023–2024 will be USD $65,000, payable over twelve months. The WSP postdoctoral fellowships are very competitive; in a typical year, about 7% of applicants are selected.
Alternatively, applicants are encouraged to seek external funding, which must be greater than or equal to USD $55,000 for one academic year. If the deadline for funding organizations falls before you have been notified of your acceptance to the Weatherhead Scholars Program, you may request a conditional letter of support by writing to the program director.