During the 2018-19 academic year, the Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, which is part of the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University, will offer postdoctoral fellowships for social scientists.

Scholars in a broad range of fields, including anthropology, economics, education, history, international relations, law, political science, public health, public policy, and sociology, are invited to apply.  A knowledge of the Japanese language is not required. The award is for $50,000, health insurance coverage for the grantee, and up to $5,000 for research/travel funds. The application deadline is January 16, 2018, and the recipient must hold a doctoral degree by August 1, 2018.

The Fellowship Grant

Fellows spend a ten-month period in residence at Harvard that typically begins in September. The award is for $50,000 paid in monthly installments, health insurance coverage for the grantee, and up to $5,000 for research/travel funds.

Awardees must complete all requirements of their doctoral degree to receive a fellowship. If a successful applicant has not already earned a Ph.D. at the time of his or her application, the applicant’s advisers must submit a formal letter to the effect that he or she “has completed all the requirements of the Ph.D.” by August 1. The letter must include that precise wording, and no mitigating circumstances will be considered. Because advisers may not be prepared to confirm this until they have collectively approved the dissertation and all required changes have been made to put it in its final (deposit) form, we strongly urge you to schedule your defense, if it is still pending, by July 1. No funds can be disbursed until such a letter is received, and the fellowship will be reduced by one-tenth for each month’s delay. Depending on the length of the delay, a prospective fellow may be asked to begin the Program in the second semester, and in extreme cases, the Program on U.S.-Japan Relations reserves the right to revoke the fellowship altogether.
Eligibility

Candidates must hold a doctoral degree in a discipline bearing on the Program’s research areas. Research projects that focus on Japan or Japan’s international role from a comparative, historical, or global perspective are welcome. A knowledge of the Japanese language is not required.

For more details and the application form, please visit: http://programs.wcfia.harvard.edu/us-japan/apply.