Academy Scholars Program — Fellowship

The Academy Scholars Program is run by The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies at Harvard University. It supports early-career social scientists whose research combines disciplinary strength with deep expertise in regions outside the United States or Canada.

Five to six scholars are appointed each year for two years in residence in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Scholars conduct research and writing, join interdisciplinary activities, and receive mentoring from Harvard Academy Senior Scholars.

Benefits & funding

An annual stipend of $80,000 for each of the two appointment years.
Annual research support of $6,000.
Two years of residence completed within a three-year window, with a possible one-time leave of up to 12 months between years only for a tenure-track teaching appointment.
Research assistance, skills development, interdisciplinary activities, and mentoring from Harvard Academy Senior Scholars.

Eligibility

Open to applicants from all countries and citizenships.
Applicants must be advanced doctoral candidates in the social sciences or hold a PhD or equivalent degree awarded on or after August 1, 2025.
Doctoral candidates must provide official degree-conferral documentation by June 30, 2027.
Research must be grounded in an accepted social science discipline and focus on countries or regions outside the United States or Canada.
Anyone who holds or has completed another postdoctoral fellowship is ineligible.
Finalists must be available for the December 4, 2026 personal interview, and selected scholars must start on August 1, 2027 without deferral.

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PhD Enrolled · PhD

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Application process

1
Review Harvard Academy’s accepted and excluded fields of study to confirm disciplinary and regional fit.
2
Prepare a CV with publications, a research proposal of up to 2,000 words, one English scholarly writing sample of up to 50 pages, and a PhD-program transcript.
3
Submit the application through Harvard Academic Positions; submission triggers confidential upload links for three recommenders.
4
Submit all applicant materials by September 18, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT and ensure all three recommendations arrive by September 28, 2026 at 11:59 PM EDT.

Program timeline

Application deadline
September 18, 2026, 11:59 PM EDT
Recommendation-letter deadline
September 28, 2026, 11:59 PM EDT
Finalist interviews
December 4, 2026
Awards expected to be announced
December 2026
Degree-conferral documentation deadline for doctoral candidates
June 30, 2027
Fellowship starts
August 1, 2027