2024 The International Wilson Centre Fellowships For International Students

The Wilson Center invites scholars, practitioners, journalists and public intellectuals to take part in its flagship international Fellowship Program and to take advantage of the opportunity to engage actively in the Center’s national mission. The Center awards approximately 15-20 residential fellowships each year.

Fellows conduct research and write in their areas of interest, while interacting with policymakers in Washington and Wilson Center staff and other scholars in residence.  The Center accepts policy-relevant, non-advocacy fellowship proposals that address key challenges confronting the United States and the world.  

Type: Fellowship

Application Deadline: October 1, 2023

Number of Awards:

Value & Duration of Award: The Center offers a stipend of $90,000 for a nine-month fellowship. Fellows are responsible for their own health insurance and travel expenses. 

Eligible Field of Study:

Eligible Countries: All Countries

Scholarship Requirements:

Eligibility: To be considered for the International Wilson Center Fellowships:

• Citizens or permanent residents from any country (applicants from countries outside the United States must hold a valid passport and be able to obtain a J-1 visa even if they are currently in the United States).  (Read more information on visas.)  Please contact the Center if you have any questions about your eligibility to obtain a J1 visa.
• Citizens or permanent residents from any country (applicants from countries outside the United States must hold a valid passport and be able to obtain a J-1 visa even if they are currently in the United States).
• Academic candidates must be at the post-doctoral level and have published a book or monograph beyond the Ph.D. dissertation.
• Practitioners or policymakers with an equivalent level of professional achievement
• English proficiency as the Center is designed to encourage the exchange of ideas among its fellows

How To Apply: Applicants may submit their applications online here.

A complete application must include the following:

1. the Fellowship Application Form;
2. a current CV (not to exceed three pages); The Center will only accept the first three pages; please list your publications separately. Please feel free to include an explanation for any lapses in your CV. You may also add a section on any awards or opportunities you were offered but were not able to accept for personal or other reasons. We understand that these things do occur and that not every CV will look the same.
3. a list of your publications that includes exact titles, names of publishers, dates of publication and status of forthcoming publications (not to exceed three pages);
4. a Project Proposal (not to exceed five single-spaced typed pages, using 12-point type); The Center reserves the right to omit from review applications that are longer than the requested page length;
5. a bibliography for the project that includes primary sources and relevant secondary sources (not to exceed three pages);
6. two letters of reference.

All application materials must be submitted in English.

The Project Proposal: It is essential to make your project clear to individuals outside your own field and to explain its broader implications. The following elements should be addressed in the proposal:

1. a detailed description of the topic and its importance;
2. the originality of the proposed study (explain what makes the project distinctive);
3. the basic ideas and hypotheses;
4. the methodology to be used (including the activities you will undertake to gather the data you need for your project and the techniques that you will use to analyze the data in order to prove your thesis);
5. the present status of your research, including how much has already been done in relevant collections and archives, and what you would hope to accomplish at the Center;
6. the materials that will be used and the importance of Washington-area resources;
7. explain why you chose the Wilson Center for your project;
8. the relevance of the project to contemporary policy issues; and
9. the relevance of the project to the programmatic goals of the Center.

Selection Criteria: The basic criteria for selection are:

a) significance of the proposed research, including the importance and originality of the project;

b) the relevance of the project to contemporary policy issues; try to convince the reader that there is some urgency or importance in your work that can resolve a larger problem.

c) the relevance of the project to the programmatic work of the Center;

d) quality of the proposal in definition, organization, clarity, and scope; describe what the reviewers will learn from your project, why it is important, and how the reviewer will know your conclusions are valid.

e) capabilities and achievements of the applicant and the likelihood that the applicant will accomplish the proposed project; not only should your proposal demonstrate how you have the technical know-how and ability to reach some conclusion, but that the conclusion is not preconceived. 

f) potential of a candidate to actively contribute to the life, priorities, and mission of the Center by making expert research accessible to a broader audience; remember that one of the Center’s main goals is to help inform policymakers to make well-informed decisions.

Source: https://www.wilsoncenter.org