I. Program Overview

Each year, DRCLAS selects a cohort of distinguished academics (Visiting Scholars) and practitioners (Fellows) who wish to spend one or two semesters at Harvard working on their own research and writing projects. Visiting Scholars and Fellows are selected competitively by DRCLAS’ Executive Committee, in consultation with a broad range of Harvard faculty from varied disciplines. The selection is based on the applicant's qualifications, the quality of the applicant's research plans, and the relevance of both to the mission of DRCLAS and the Harvard community. 

Selected applicants are expected to be in residence during their fellowship period, which can last from a minimum of one academic term to a full academic year.

Visiting Scholars and Fellows are provided shared office space at DRCLAS, library borrowing privileges, access to Harvard’s facilities and events, and opportunities to audit classes and attend seminars in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and other Harvard professional schools.

II. Eligibility

To be considered, for the Visiting Scholar program, scholars require a Ph.D. and must have an appointment at a university or research institute at the time of the application. Note that this is not a postdoc program.

NOTE: Current Ph.D. students and recent Ph.D. graduates are not appropriate candidates for the Visiting Scholars Program at DRCLAS. 

The Visiting Fellows program accepts applications from practitioners with a strong scholarly bent who wish to work on a research-oriented project while at Harvard. A Ph.D. is not required to apply as a Fellow.  

Proficiency in English is expected of both Visiting Scholars and Fellows. Each Visiting Scholar or Fellow is expected to present a lecture on a topic related to their research and encouraged to be available for informal consultation by faculty and students with related interests. 

III. Application Requirements

The application deadline is September 18th, 2024. Results will be announced in mid to late January 2025.

You can find the application portal following this link: Application portal. The portal will take you through the application steps. After applying in the portal, you should submit a screenshot of your application, and the documents that you submitted, to the following e-mail: [email protected]

As part of your online application, you will be asked to submit the following documents in English: 

• Proposal. A 3-to-4-page description of the project you propose to conduct while at Harvard. Your proposal must be clearly defined and should address how the proposed project connects to and benefits from Harvard's unique resources (including libraries, departments, faculty, ongoing projects, special initiatives, etc.). Please upload your proposal as a PDF file, labeled Proposal_Lastname.
• CV. An updated CV in pdf format, labeled CV_Lastname.

• Two letters of Recommendation. The application portal will guide you on how to ask for letters of recommendation from two separate recommenders. Your recommenders should be able to speak to your trajectory, your proposed project, and the benefits you would derive from this opportunity. Letters should be submitted in PDF format from the recommenders after an invitation from the application system.  

• Letter of consent from your immediate supervisor

IV. Availablity of Funding

Recipients receive a taxable $35,000 living stipend while at Harvard. The duration of appointments typically spans one or two semesters based on the applicant's preference, yet the stipend remains fixed at $35,000, irrespective of the residency length.

The residential fellowship equally covers up to $4,000 as a taxable stipend to cover relocation expenses to and from the home state/country for both the recipient and any dependents joining them. This allocation encompasses expenses such as meals, luggage, and ground transportation associated with round-trip travelling. Finally, the fellowship includes health coverage for emergencies and urgent care for foreign Visiting Scholars and Fellows, and their immediate dependents.

V. More information

For more information about the call, please click here.

VI. Contacts

• Interested parties can contact [email protected]
• Phone: 560-3201
• In-person service at the Office of the Directorate of International Relations from Monday to Friday, 8 am to 4 pm
• Find us on social media at @dri_utp