JR Senior Fellowship Program

Application Process

• Eligible Candidates
• Selection Process
• Selection Criteria
• Fellowship Activities
• Fellowship Products
• Terms of the Award
• Duration of the Fellowship
• Other Programs

The JR Program for International Peace awards Senior Fellowships to outstanding practitioners, scholars, policymakers, journalists, and other professionals so they can conduct research on conflict and peace while in residence at the Institute. The Institute awards between 8 and 12 fellowships per year.

Priority is given to proposals deemed likely to make timely and significant contributions to the understanding and resolution of ongoing and emerging conflicts and other challenges to international peace and security.

Applications are invited from all disciplines in the humanities, natural sciences, social and behavioral sciences, and the professions.

Applicants should propose projects with clear policy relevance. 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 focus on conflict and its resolution, apply to other regions and cases, or both.

Senior Fellow awards may not be granted for projects that constitute policymaking for a government agency or private organization, focus to any substantial degree on conflicts within U.S. domestic society, or adopt a partisan, advocacy, or activist stance.

 Current Senior Fellows |  Former Fellows

Eligible Candidates

Citizens of any country may apply. Non-U.S. citizens without permanent resident status must obtain a J-1 exchange visitor visa to participate in the Fellowship Program. J-1 status requires recipients to reside in their home country for two years following the fellowship before applying for the H or L visa, or for permanent residency in the United States.

There is no specific educational degree requirement for Senior Fellowship candidates. Fellows come from a variety of professional backgrounds and from early, middle, and late stages of their careers.

Joint applications (that is, two or more applicants for a single project) will not be accepted.

The following examples suggest the range of eligible candidates:

• Governmental and nongovernmental practitioners in international security, peacebuilding, and public affairs, such as diplomats, negotiators, mediators, government policymakers and administrators, military officers, officials and professional staff of international organizations, international lawyers, community leaders, businesspersons, labor leaders, clergy, and leaders in health and humanitarian affairs;
• Scholars and researchers, such as college and university professors, policy analysts in governmental or nongovernmental research organizations, and independent consultants and writers;
• Media and communications specialists such as journalists, editors, and producers in print, television, radio, and other communications media.

Selection Process

Senior Fellow applications are vetted through a rigorous, multi-stage review that includes consideration by independent experts and professional staff at the Institute. The final authority for decisions regarding Senior Fellowship awards rests with the Institute's Board of Directors.

Selection Criteria

Selection of Senior Fellows is based on the following criteria:

• Project Significance. Does this project tackle an important topic of relevance to the USIP mandate and the field of international peace, conflict and security studies?
• Project Design. Is the project soundly conceived? Does it identify a key problem to be analyzed and does it have a clear methodology?
• Implementation. Can the project be completed according to the proposed design, timetable, and budget? What is the likelihood of the completion of a publishable book or report during or soon after the fellowship period?
• Track Record and Reputation. Does the candidate have a good track record and reputation for finishing projects on time? What is the candidate's standing in the field?
• Potential as a Fellow. What is the applicant's potential for participating in the Institute's collegial life and outreach efforts?

Fellowship Activities

Fellows contribute to the collegial life of the Institute by presenting their work and participating in workshops, conferences, and other events. The Institute relies on Senior Fellows to provide in-house expertise via the media and other public forums. In these ways Fellows play a major role in the Institute's mission of promoting research and public education on the peaceful resolution of international conflict.

To serve as collegial and intellectual resources within the Institute, Fellows must be in residence. Extensive fieldwork or archival research at other locations cannot be supported. In certain cases, the Institute may support limited travel when it is essential to the research project. The Institute favors applicants who propose projects that can be carried out primarily in the Washington Metropolitan area.

Fellowship Products

In keeping with its legislative mandate to support "scholarly inquiry and other appropriate forms of communication," the Jennings Randolph Program invites proposals that would produce Institute publications. The editorial staff of the Institute works closely with Fellows to develop manuscripts for consideration by the Institute Press or for publication as Institute reports. Fellowship products may include the following:

• Books or monographs published by USIP Press;
• Peaceworks reports or Special Reports published by the Institute;
• Articles for professional or academic journals;
• Op-eds and articles for newspapers or magazines;
• Radio or TV media projects;
• Demonstrations or simulations;
• Teaching curricula;
• Lectures, workshops, seminars, symposia, or other public speaking.

Terms of the Award

• The program attempts to match the recipient's earned income during the year preceding the fellowship, up to a maximum of $80,000 for 10 months.
• The Institute will provide coverage of 80% of health premiums for the Fellow and his/her eligible dependents, with a cap of $500 per month.
• The Institute will also cover travel to and from Washington, D.C. for Fellows and their dependents.
• Each Fellow is provided with a part-time research assistant during his/her fellowship.
• The Institute does not provide housing in Washington, D.C., but it provides information on housing, schools, and daycare.
• Fellows are expected to be at the Institute and participate in the daily life of the Institute.
• Fellows are expected to devote full attention to their fellowship work in order to complete their projects within the period of residency.
• The Institute requires first right of review for manuscripts produced as the result of fellowship support.
• An Institute fellowship may not be deferred or combined with any other major award.

Duration of the Fellowship

Fellowships are usually awarded for 10 months beginning in October. Shorter-term residencies are also available.

Other Programs

Click here to learn about other types of fellowship opportunities.