Academy Scholars Program

The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies is dedicated to promoting innovative social science hand-in-hand with deepening our shared knowledge of the experiences and practices of the worlds' regions and countries. The Academy Scholars Program identifies and supports outstanding researchers at the start of their academic careers whose work combines excellence in a social science discipline with a command of the language and knowledge or expertise of countries or regions outside of the United States or Canada. The scholarship of the group spans traditional disciplinary divisions and elucidates comparative, transnational, and domestic issues, past or present. Academy Scholars are appointed for a two-year, in-residence, postdoctoral fellowship at The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. They receive substantial financial and research assistance which permits them to undertake robust research projects and skills development in their chosen fields and areas. They meet at dinners, seminars, and informal get-togethers in order to pursue innovative interdisciplinary approaches to their work. They are mentored by the Harvard Academy Senior Scholars, a cohort of faculty members who act as a selection committee, participate in Harvard Academy events, and are committed to supporting the Academy Scholars as they work to achieve their potential. The Academy Scholars are a select community of individuals possessed of resourcefulness, initiative, and originality whose work shows promise as a foundation for careers in research universities or international institutions. Each year, five to six Academy Scholars are named for two-year in-residence appointments with an annual stipend of $80,000 and annual research support of $5,000, with the two years to be completed within a three-year window.