Deadline: 31-Oct-22
The Council on Foreign Relations is pleased to announce the applications for International Affairs Fellowship (IAF) Program to bridge the gap between the study and making of U.S. foreign policy by creating the next generation of scholar-practitioners.
The program offers its fellows the unique chance to experience a new environment and gain a different perspective at a pivotal moment in their careers. Academics are placed in public service and policy-oriented settings and government officials in scholarly settings. The IAF program now has more than 650 alumni constituting a who’s who of the U.S. foreign policy community, and include a former secretary of state, several undersecretaries of state and defense, ambassadors, and many other influential leaders in government, academia, and the private sector.
Fellowship Award
- The fellowship runs for twelve months, preferably starting in September. The fellowship stipend is $120,000. Fellows are independent contractors rather than employees of CFR and are not eligible for employment benefits, including health insurance.
- CFR will assist selected fellows in finding a suitable placement for their fellowship year. However, all placements are made at the discretion of the host institution. CFR cannot guarantee placement at any particular agency, office, or organization.
- Fellows seeking to spend the fellowship year working at a U.S. government agency likely will need to obtain a security clearance. The process for obtaining a security clearance can be lengthy, and the U.S. government alone determines when a clearance can be granted. Because of the time needed to obtain a security clearance, affected fellows need to be flexible about their fellowship start date and/or be willing to begin their fellowships in a position that does not require a security clearance. Placements at international organizations, academic institutions, think tanks, and on Capitol Hill typically do not require security clearances.
- Each year, to ensure that national security remains a focus within the program, two or more awardees whose proposed research focuses on existing or emerging national security threats are given the special designation of International Affairs Fellow in National Security.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applicants must be U.S. citizens.
- Applicants must be mid-career professionals.
- Applicants must have a strong record of professional achievement and a firm grounding in the field of foreign policy.
- Applicants must hold at least a bachelor's degree or equivalent.
Note: A PhD is not required for university-based applicants, though successful candidates from academia typically hold an advanced degree. The program does not fund pre- or postdoctoral research, work toward a degree, or the completion of projects on which substantial progress has been made before the fellowship period. For candidates from academia and the private sector looking to go into government, preference is given to candidates with no significant work experience in the U.S. government or at an international organization.
Selection Process
Selection as an IAF is based on the following criteria:
- scholarly qualifications
- professional experience
- merits and feasibility of project proposal that relates to a relevant U.S. foreign policy topic
- contribution that the fellowship will make to the applicant's career development
The selection process is highly competitive. A selection committee reviews all applications and selects twenty applicants for interviews. The selection committee typically awards eight to ten fellowships each year.
For more information, visit IAF.
For more information, visit https://www.cfr.org/fellowships/international-affairs-fellowship