Wilson Center Fellowship Program – Pakistan

The Wilson Center Pakistan Fellow may come from academia, journalism, the business or policy worlds, or any category of thought leader or public intellectual. The fellow will conduct research and write in her/his areas of interest (which must focus on public policy issues in Pakistan and/or US-Pakistan relations), publish research through the Wilson Center and beyond, and will have the opportunity to interact with policymakers and thought leaders in Washington.

The fellow will also contribute substantively to the Wilson Center’s Pakistan programming and research. Upon completion of the fellowship, the fellow will be expected to have finished a substantive research product resulting in a monograph, a series of articles, or a book.

Funding Information

• The Wilson Center will offer a monthly stipend of $9,000 for nine months, with a total payment of $81,000. Fellows are responsible for their own health insurance and research-related travel expenses. In addition to the stipend, the Wilson Center will provide a suitable work space and computer.

Length of Appointment

• Fellows are expected to be in residence for a nine-month period. This will typically be from September to May.
• However, dates may be subject to change depending on visa processing factors and other possible considerations.
• Even when there are exceptions on start and end dates, the fellowship will always have duration of nine months. Fellowships may not be deferred.

Expectations

• While at the Wilson Center, the Pakistan Fellow will be expected to carry out a full schedule of rigorous research and writing based on the topic outlined in the research proposal submitted at the time of application. They will also be expected to participate in workshops, seminars, conferences, and broadcasts organized by the Wilson Center’s Asia Program, and in other ways to participate in the intellectual life of the Wilson Center and the larger community of South Asia observers in Washington.

Eligibility Criteria

• This competition is open to people from, and based in, Pakistan. Applications will be accepted from individuals in academia, business, journalism, government, law, and related professions. Candidates must be currently pursuing research on key public policy issues facing Pakistan and/or US-Pakistan relations—research designed to bridge the gap between the academic and the policymaking worlds.
• The Wilson Center typically expects its visiting fellows to possess the terminal degree in their field. For academics, such as university professors, the terminal degree generally means a PhD but other professions have different terminal degrees; for journalists or businesspeople, it could well be a bachelor’s degree. In exceptional cases, the Wilson Center will waive the terminal degree requirement for highly qualified and unusually talented applicants.
• Applicants must also have at least eight years of professional or research experience. Preference will be given to applicants who have published scholarly books or substantial articles in academic or policy-related journals or newspapers, and whose work demonstrates original thinking on policy-oriented issues of interest to Pakistan and the United States.
• Applicants must be completely fluent in both written and spoken English.

Ineligible

• The Wilson Center will not accept:
  • Applicants working on a graduate degree, a PhD, or JD degree (even if the degree is to be awarded prior to the proposed fellowship year).
  • Proposals of a partisan or advocacy nature.
  • Projects that are the rewriting of doctoral dissertations.

For more information, visit Wilson Center.