Important Dates

The application process typically begins in early October when nominating officials at participating universities receive the application materials. Then, over the next few months, participating colleges and universities undergo their own internal nomination process. Nominations are due to the James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program by January 15th, and acceptance announcements are typically made by the end of March.

First week of October

Application materials sent via email to nominating officials

October through mid-January:

Schools conduct internal nominating process. Application deadlines vary by school.

January 15

Applications must be received by the James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program.

February through early March

Selected applicants are interviewed.

End of March

James C. Gaither Junior Fellow selections made and candidates notified.

Assignments

James C. Gaither Junior Fellows spend one year (beginning August 1st) at Carnegie in Washington, DC working with Carnegie’s senior scholars in the following fields:

2020-2021 Projects

• Democracy, Conflict, and Governance
• U.S. Foreign Policy and Diplomacy—The Junior Fellow will support Carnegie Endowment President Ambassador William J. Burns on research and writing that seeks to shape American diplomacy. Applicants should have coursework in U.S. foreign policy, broad-gauged regional lens, an interest in policy analysis and formulation, and superb writing skills.
• Nuclear Policy
• Technology and International Affairs (including the Cyber Policy Initiative)
• Middle East—Strong reading fluency and the ability to do academic as well as online research in Arabic essential. Strong background in Middle East politics and/or history is a huge plus.
• South Asia—A strong academic background in international relations theory, political theory, or international political economy is essential, along with an interest in military issues. The ability to perform quantitative data manipulation is required and a strong mathematical background is a plus.
• China (Asia Program)—Mandarin Chinese reading skills a huge plus.
  Japan (Asia Program)—Japanese reading skills required.
  Economics (Asia Program)—Mandarin Chinese reading skills a huge plus. Strong background in economics essential.
  
  Please note: Applicants for the Asia program with skills in two or more of the above areas (Chinese language skills, Japanese language skills, strong economics background) will be at an advantage when applying, regardless of their essay selection.
• Russia and Eurasia—Excellent Russian reading skills required.
• Geoeconomics and Strategy—The Junior Fellow will support the senior fellows with research and writing that seeks to shed light on how the future of U.S. foreign policy is shaped by economic challenges at home and abroad. The Junior Fellow will also provide program coordination support, including budgets, travel, and events. Applicants should have coursework related to U.S. foreign policy and international economic policy, as well as a strong interest and skills in research, data collection and analysis, and program coordination/administration.