Senior Fellowships

Overview

Senior fellows play an important role in helping to advance understanding on issues related to the prevention, management, and resolution of international conflicts. Each year, fellows come from the ranks of outstanding policymakers, scholars, journalists, and foreign affairs professionals to conduct research at the Institute. During their term, fellows are integrated into the Institute's ongoing work to enhance the Institute's other research, education, and training programs.

Senior Fellowship Applications Deadline: September 15, 2004 Notification: May 2005 SPECIAL NOTE FOR POTENTIAL APPLICANTS The application deadline for the 2005-2006 competition has passed. Notification on selections for the 2004-2005 competition were sent out in May 2004. Learn More About the Selection Process

A key tool in the Institute's efforts to help bridge the gaps between government and academia, the NGO and IGO community, and the media, fellows often serve as a resource for policymakers in both the legislative and executive branches of the U.S. government. Fellows also assist in the Institute's public education and outreach activities through participation in public events, authoring of books and reports, and serving as a resource for members of the press.

All fellows reside at the Institute for a period of up to ten months to conduct research on their projects, consult with staff, and contribute to the ongoing work of the Institute. Projects which demonstrate relevance to current policy debates will be highly competitive. The fellowship award includes a stipend, an office with computer and voicemail, and a part-time research assistant. The award also covers partial reimbursement of health insurance premiums and travel to and from Washington for fellows and dependents. The competition is open to citizens of all nations.

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About the Selection Process

Senior fellows are selected through a rigorous annual competition, for which the selection process begins each September and ends the following March. Senior fellows are selected by the Institute's Board of Directors through a process designed to identify balanced and objective projects of the highest quality.

The Institute funds projects related to preventive diplomacy, ethnic and regional conflicts, peacekeeping and peace operations, peace settlements, post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation, democratization and the rule of law, cross-cultural negotiations, U.S. foreign policy in the 21st century, and related topics. The competition favors applications that demonstrate a project's consistency with the Institute's congressional mandate, which is to serve the American people through research, education, training, and the dissemination of information about the nature of interstate or civil conflict and peaceful ways to manage and resolve it.

Project proposals that deal with the sources and nature of interstate or civil conflict, with ways to prevent, limit, or end violent conflict, and with post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation are welcome. Proposals should present a research agenda with a clear relevance to policy issues, although a policy dimension need not be the main thrust of the project. Historical topics are appropriate if they promise to shed light on contemporary issues. Area studies projects and single-case studies will be competitive if they demonstrate a focus on conflict and its resolution, as well as the applicability of the research to other regions around the world.

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Online Application

The Senior Fellowship application materials are in PDF format. To view or print them you need Adobe Acrobat. The software can be downloaded for free from Adobe's web site.

• Download Senior Fellowship Instructions and Application

  The Senior Fellowship Application is available online in PDF format (92K). You can download your own copy of the application, which includes all necessary application forms and instructions.
  Once you have opened the application in Adobe Acrobat Reader you can choose to either:

  1. Print the application and then fill in the blanks either by writing clearly (in English) or using a typewriter.
     
     OR
  2. Click on the lines above entry fields which appear within the Adobe Acrobat PDF; type your information directly into the application; and then print and sign the completed form.

     Download application and instructions (92K)

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Request an Application Booklet

If you prefer a hard copy of the application booklet please e-mail us at fellows@usip.org, call 202-429-3886 or write to:

United States Institute of Peace
Jennings Randolph Program for International Peace
1200 17th Street, NW Suite 200
Washington, DC 20036-3011
(202) 429-6063 Fax

All application materials must be received in our offices by September 15, 2004.

SPECIAL NOTE FOR POTENTIAL APPLICANTS: The application deadline for the 2005-2006 competition has passed. Notification on selections for the 2004-2005 competition were sent out in May 2004.