Academy Scholar; postdoctoral fellow

Overview

The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies is dedicated to promoting innovative social science in collaboration with a deepening understanding of regions and countries worldwide. The Academy Scholars Program identifies and supports outstanding researchers early in their careers whose work combines excellence in a social science discipline with a command of the language, knowledge, or expertise of countries or regions outside the United States or Canada.

The scholarship spans traditional disciplinary divisions and elucidates comparative, transnational, and domestic issues, past and present.

Scholarships are appointed for a two‑year, in‑residence, postdoctoral fellowship at the academy in Cambridge, MA. Scholars receive a stipend of $80,000 per year and research support of $6,000 per year, and the two years must be completed within a three‑year window. Year 1 must begin no later than the fall immediately following the offer. Scholars may apply for a one‑time leave of up to 12 months between Years 1 and 2 to accept or continue a tenure‑track teaching appointment, but cannot accept outside funding or obligations.

They may be invited to teach a Harvard class during the appointment.

Applicants must hold or receive a PhD (or equivalent) within two years of August 1, 2027, or be advanced doctoral candidates in the social sciences. Advanced doctoral candidates must submit degree conferral documentation by June 30, 2027. Scholars who have completed another postdoctoral fellowship are ineligible.

• Curriculum vitae (CV) including a list of publications.
• Research proposal (2,000 words maximum) detailing intellectual objectives and planned methodological and disciplinary work.
• One scholarly writing sample—e.g., a PhD dissertation chapter or peer‑reviewed journal article—no longer than fifty pages and in English.
• A copy of the PhD program transcript.
• Three letters of recommendation submitted directly and confidentially by the recommender through the online application.

All materials, except letters of recommendation, must be submitted by September 18, 2026. Letters of recommendation must arrive no later than September 28, 2026. The selection process begins immediately after the deadline, and announcements of awardees will be made in December 2026.

Further information and the online application can be accessed at (Use the "Apply for this Job" box below)..