Harvard Academy Scholars Program 2027-2028 (Two-Year Postdoctoral Fellowship) at Harvard University, USA [Stipend USD 80,000/Year]: Apply by 18 September

The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies sits within the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is dedicated to promoting innovative social science hand-in-hand with deepening shared knowledge of the experiences and practices of the world's 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. Harvard describes the group's scholarship as spanning traditional disciplinary divisions and elucidating comparative, transnational and domestic issues, past and present.

The 2027-2028 application season is open. Applications close on 18 September 2026 and the appointment begins on 1 August 2027.

• Annual stipend of USD 80,000
• Annual research support of USD 6,000
• A two-year, in-residence postdoctoral appointment at The Harvard Academy, Harvard University
• Mentoring by the Harvard Academy Senior Scholars, the cohort of faculty members who also act as the selection committee
• Dinners, seminars and informal get-togethers built around interdisciplinary approaches to the scholars' work
• Scholars may be invited to teach a Harvard class during the course of the appointment

Five to six Academy Scholars are named each year. The programme's own terms state an annual stipend of USD 80,000; the Harvard posting for the position lists a salary range of USD 80,000 to USD 90,000.

The appointment runs for two years, that is four terms of residence, to be completed within a three-year window. Year 1 must be taken up no later than the fall immediately following the offer. Delays and deferrals in the start of Year 1 are not permitted.

Scholars are expected to be in residence and to be full participants in the scholarly community during the formal programming period, late August through the end of April, with the exception of the winter, spring and summer breaks. Extensive fieldwork away from Cambridge must be carried out during those breaks. Short trips to attend conferences and other academic engagements may be permitted so long as they do not conflict with Harvard Academy obligations.

Between Years 1 and 2 an Academy Scholar may apply for a one-time leave of up to 12 months, but only to accept or continue a tenure-track teaching appointment and for no other professional reason. Academy Scholars may not accept outside funding, awards or obligations during their appointment.

• Open to scholars from all countries and citizenships. Harvard states that it welcomes applications regardless of nationality or place of graduate study, though the language of research is normally English. Of the Academy Scholars named across AY2007 to AY2026, 58 of 124 were non-US citizens, and the application form asks whether the applicant will require visa support.
• Recipients of a PhD or equivalent degree, with DPhil and SJD expressly included, granted within two years of the 1 August 2027 start date. For this deadline the degree must have been completed on or after 1 August 2025.
• Advanced doctoral candidates in the social sciences nearing dissertation completion, provided they can submit degree conferral documentation issued by their university registrar's office by 30 June 2027.
• Individuals who hold or have completed another postdoctoral fellowship are not eligible to apply.
• Finalists must be available for a personal interview on the 4 December 2026 interview date.

Law is named on Harvard's list of accepted fields of study, and the SJD is expressly recognised as an equivalent doctoral degree. The eligible social science fields are anthropology, economics, ethnic studies, geography, government, history, history of science, international relations, law, political economy and government, political science, psychology, public policy, social policy, social studies, sociology, and women, gender and sexuality.

In every case the regional focus must lie outside of the United States or Canada. Harvard also welcomes applications from regional studies fields, South Asia Studies among them, as long as the applicant's research is clearly designed in terms of one or more of the social science fields above.

Harvard publishes a non-exhaustive list of fields it does not accept: anything related to the United States or Canada, archeology, architecture, art history, business, classics, global health, linguistics, literature, management, medieval studies, musicology, philosophy, public administration, religion, Sanskrit and Indian studies, social work and urban studies.

• Curriculum vitae, including a list of publications
• Research proposal of no more than 2,000 words, covering intellectual objectives and planned methodological and disciplinary work. Footnotes, endnotes and bibliographies are optional and do not count towards the word limit
• One scholarly writing sample in English, no longer than fifty pages, equivalent to a single PhD dissertation chapter or a peer-reviewed journal article. Co-authored texts are acceptable provided each author's contribution is clearly specified and authorship is not shared with an academic advisor. Only one writing sample may be submitted
• A copy of the PhD programme transcript. Applicants at universities outside the United States should provide as much official registrar documentation as their institution can supply, covering all graduate work at both Master's and PhD level
• Three letters of recommendation, uploaded directly and confidentially by the recommenders through the online application

All parts of the application, including the letters of recommendation, are submitted online as PDF documents.

Applications are made through the online application reached from the APPLY ONLINE button on The Harvard Academy's homepage, which opens the official Harvard posting for Academy Scholar at the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Weatherhead Center for International Affairs.

Submit the application first. The upload link for recommenders is only sent once the application has been submitted, so applicants should plan the sequence accordingly. All materials except the letters of recommendation must be received by 18 September 2026, 11:59 PM EDT, and the letters no later than 28 September 2026, 11:59 PM EDT. Late applications are not accepted, and applicants whose materials are incomplete are at a disadvantage when considered by the selection committee.

The selection process begins immediately after the deadline. The Harvard Academy makes all arrangements for finalists to interview with the selection committee on 4 December 2026, and awards are anticipated to be announced in December 2026.

Harvard publishes its own admission numbers. In the Fall 2025 round, 522 completed applications produced five selections. Across AY2007 to AY2026 the annual number of completed applications has ranged from 246 to 716, with four to six scholars named each year.