Harvard Academy Scholars Program 2025-2026
🌟 About Harvard Academy Scholars Program
The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies is dedicated to promoting innovative social science research while deepening knowledge of the world's regions and countries. This program identifies and supports outstanding researchers at the start of their academic careers whose work combines excellence in a social science discipline with expertise in countries or regions outside of the United States or Canada.
Academy Scholars are appointed for a two-year, in-residence, postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. They receive substantial financial and research assistance to undertake robust research projects and skills development in their chosen fields. Scholars are mentored by Harvard Academy Senior Scholars, a cohort of faculty members committed to supporting them in achieving their potential.
📅 Opportunity Details
- Date Published: August 18, 2025
- Application Deadline: September 19, 2025
- Category: Fellowship, Postdoctoral
💰 Benefits of Harvard Academy Scholars Program
- Annual stipend: $80,000
- Annual research support: $5,000
✅ Eligibility Criteria
- Open to recipients of PhD or equivalent degrees granted within two years of the August 1, 2026 start date.
- Advanced doctoral candidates in the social sciences nearing dissertation completion must submit degree conferral documentation by June 30, 2026 for an August 1, 2026 start date.
- Individuals who hold or have completed another postdoctoral fellowship are not eligible to apply.
📜 Terms of Fellowship
- Duration: Two years, completed within a three-year window.
- Start Date: Year 1 must begin no later than the fall immediately following the postdoctoral fellowship offer.
- Leave Policy: Scholars may apply for a one-time leave (up to 12 months) between Years 1 and 2 for tenure-track teaching appointments only.
- Scholars may not accept other sources of funding, awards, or obligations during their appointment.
📝 Application Process
Deadline: September 19, 2025
Late applications will not be accepted.
Required Documents:
- Curriculum Vitae (CV): Including a list of publications.
- Research Proposal: Maximum 2000 words, detailing intellectual objectives and planned methodological and disciplinary work.
- Scholarly Writing Sample: PhD dissertation chapter or single-authored peer-reviewed academic journal article (maximum 50 pages, in English).
- PhD Program Transcript: A copy of your transcript.
- Three Letters of Recommendation: Uploaded confidentially by the recommender through the online application system.
Submission Guidelines:
- All parts of the application, including letters of recommendation, must be submitted online as .pdf documents.
- Letters of recommendation must arrive no later than September 29, 2025.
- Incomplete applications are at a disadvantage during the selection process.
📅 Selection Process
- The selection process begins immediately after the application deadline.
- Announcement of awards will be made in December 2025.
📧 Contact Information
For inquiries, email: applicationinquiries@wcfia.harvard.edu
🔗 Application Portal
- View details of the program: Harvard Academy Scholars Program
- Apply here: Harvard Academy Scholars Program Application
📌 Additional Notes
- Footnotes, endnotes, and bibliographies in the research statement are optional and do not count towards the 2000-word maximum.
- Applicants from foreign universities should provide transcript-like official documentation for all graduate work.
Application Deadline: September 19, 2025
- Annual stipend of $80,000
- Annual research support of $5,000
