SCHOLARSHIPS WORLDScholarships | Fellowships | Financial Aid | Research Positions

2010-2011 Next Generation Leadership in Asian Affairs Fellowship (Deadline January 16, 2010)

The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR)offers fellowships to master’s level students and professional degree holders to work at the NBR headquarters in Seattle for one year.

The Next Generation Fellowship Program will grant a one-year award to three or four fellows annually. Next Generation fellows will work on NBR research projects and participate in the effective delivery of that research to the policy community. The four major components of the Next Generation Fellowship are:
•Publication. A signature element of the program is the completion by the fellow of at least one journal-quality article that could be published by either NBR or an outside scholarly journal.
•Bridging the gap between research and policy. Because NBR believes that writing alone is not adequate to inform policy, the fellow will also participate in NBR’s active outreach toward the policy community in Washington, D.C., through participation in conferences, briefings, and private meetings.
•Gaining in-depth knowledge of U.S. foreign policymaking. Fellows will engage the policymaking community through association with current and former U.S. government officials on the program’s advisory board, the program orientation, and briefings to policymakers.
•Guidance and mentoring. The Next Generation fellows will be incorporated directly into NBR’s substantive policy research projects. Responsible to and guided by the relevant project director, the fellows will be embedded in the workings of an organization that expresses in daily practice the high ideals of the fellowship’s goals.

As part of the fellowship, each new class of fellows will participate in an orientation in Washington, D.C., which includes meetings with government officials, members of Congress and their staffs, and senior academics who have themselves successfully bridged the scholarship-policy gap. The Next Generation orientation session immerses the fellows in the program’s vision, allowing them to meet with American political and academic leaders and providing opportunities for them to discuss their research with representatives of their intended audiences.

Application Instructions:
Applicants are required to submit the following:
•Curriculum vitae/resume
•750-word essay stating their interest in applying for a particular topical and regional research area, and how their research within that area would contribute to NBR’s research agenda
•Three written references (one outside of academia), emailed directly by those writing them to NBR with subject line “applicant name, application,” by January 16, 2010.
•Application Form

Please email the above materials to nextgen@nbr.org. Should you have any questions about the application process, please email Kailani Chin-Hidano, also at nextgen(AT)nbr.org. All application materials, including reference letters, must be received by January 16, 2010.

Fellowship Eligibility:
U.S. citizenship or permanent residence status (by time of application deadline) is required. The applicant must have completed a master’s degree by the time the fellowship begins. Individuals who have received their master’s degree diplomas up to twelve months prior to the application deadline may apply to the program. Prospective fellows should apply only for the year that they expect to participate. No deferrals are permitted.

Fellowship Benefits:
For each fellow, regardless of his or her career trajectory, the program provides an extraordinary opportunity. Fellows who go on to specialize in Asia scholarship will have been exposed to the policy relevance of research. Those who choose a policy-related career will have been exposed to the importance of quality scholarship. Fellows who choose other career paths, whether in the private, nonprofit, or media sectors, will have been exposed to the dynamic intersection of policy and scholarship.

One thing will hold true for all alumni of The Next Generation Leadership Program: They will be young leaders capable of making a significant difference in how the United States relates to Asia. Their engagement in critical efforts to ensure that policy is well-informed by the best academic research available will shape their contributions as leaders and strengthen their impacts in their various fields. Fellows will acquire or refine skills in:
•analysis, research, and writing
•written presentation of research in a format that is useful to policymakers
•briefing skills
•team collaboration
•project management
•understanding U.S. foreign policy processes

Each fellow will receive a $32,500 fellowship award (with benefits), as well as a stipend for relocation expenses.