For those of you interested in Japan and government policy that have just finished your Master’s degree, the National Bureau of Asian Research offers a one year research fellowship for 2 to 4 research individuals. The competition is now open, and the deadline is January 15, 2011.

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The National Bureau of Asian Research is offering a fellowship to students who desire knowledge about foreign policy decisions between Asia and the United States. The Next Generation Leadership in Asian Affairs Fellowship is year-long program, based in Seattle, focuses on bridging the gap between scholarship and policymaking. Fellows support NBR research projects and collaborate with leading scholars to conduct independent research and share research findings with the policymaking community in Washington, D.C. This one-year fellowship is designed to further the professional development of Asia specialists in the year just after the completion of their master’s degree. Successful fellows will gain further knowledge of Asia and an understanding of the U.S. foreign policymaking process by: conducting independent research under the guidance of the NBR Editor; collaborating with senior scholars on academic publications; and traveling to Washington, D.C., to participate in the briefing of research findings to relevant constituents within the policy community.

Fellowship Description

The Next Generation Fellowship Program will grant a one-year award to two to four fellows annually. 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, the Leadership Forum, 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. Each fellow will be placed on projects that best match his/her qualifications and research interests. NBR organizes its research around three broad topics:

• Politics and Security: The Political and Security Affairs (PSA) group advances NBR’s mission of informing and strengthening policy by engaging in innovative, forward-looking policy research on political and security issues in Asia of critical importance to U.S. interests. The group’s research focuses on three broad areas: Asian Security, Politics in Asia, and Muslim Asia.

• Economics and Trade: The Economic and Trade Affairs (ETA) group leads NBR’s efforts to conduct policy research on the rising economic importance of Asia to the United States. The group’s research initiatives focus on Energy and the Environment and Trade, Investment, and Economic Engagement Issues.

• Health and Society: The mission of the Center for Health and Aging (CHA) is to facilitate dialogue between science, industry, and policy for a healthier world. Toward this end, CHA coordinates innovative research and dialogue on the demographic, economic, social, political, and medical trends related to health and aging across the globe.

Application

Applicants are required to submit the following:

• Curriculum vitae/resume
• 750-word essay stating their qualifications for and interest in applying for the fellowship, particular topical and regional research area, and how their research within that area would contribute to NBR’s research agenda.
• Three written references (one professional and two academic) highlighting the applicant’s strengths and weaknesses, leadership potential, and other relevant information, emailed directly
• Application Form

Please email the above materials to nextgen@nbr.org.

Fellowship Eligibility
U.S. citizenship or permanent residence status 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; exceptions may be permitted on a case-by-case basis. No deferrals are permitted.

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

Applications due at nextgen@nbr.org:  January 15, 2011

For more information, visit the Next Generation Fellowship page (http://www.nbr.org/about/nextgenfellowship.aspx) or contact:

Kailani Chin-Hidano
Director, Human Resources
nextgen@nbr.org

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Photo by o palsson