Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships 2027-28 at CDDRL, Stanford University, incl. Gerhard Casper Fellow in Rule of Law (Fully Funded, 9 Months, Residential)

The Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law (CDDRL), part of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, has opened its call for pre- and postdoctoral fellows for the 2027-28 academic year. It welcomes applications from pre-doctoral students at the write-up stage and from post-doctoral scholars working in any of its four programme areas: democracy, development, evaluating the efficacy of democracy promotion, and rule of law.

Fellows spend the academic year at Stanford working on their research and data analysis as they finalise and publish their dissertation research, taking part in seminars and working alongside the Center's resident faculty and research staff. The Center offers 2 to 4 fully funded residential fellowships each academic year.

Alongside the regular call, CDDRL invites applications for the Gerhard Casper Fellow in Rule of Law for 2027-28. The Center welcomes research on any aspect of the rule of law, including judicial politics, criminal justice and the politicisation of judicial institutions. It is an interdisciplinary centre, and candidates from any relevant field, including law and the social sciences, may apply.

This is a 9-month residential fellowship, and the Casper Fellow joins CDDRL's wider cohort of pre- and postdoctoral fellows. There is no separate form: apply through the regular CDDRL fellowship application and indicate that you would like to be considered for the Gerhard Casper Rule of Law Fellowship.

CDDRL is also inviting applications for a Jan Koum Israel Studies Program Fellow (research on modern Israel, including its politics and constitutionalism) through the same application.

• Pre-doctoral fellows must be currently enrolled in a doctoral programme or equivalent through the time of the intended residency at Stanford, and must be at the dissertation write-up (post-coursework) phase.
• Post-doctoral fellows must have earned their PhD within 3 years of the start of the fellowship, or plan to have successfully defended their dissertation by 31 July 2027.
• The programme is open to applicants from outside Stanford. CDDRL's FAQ states that it accepts applications from around the world and that U.S. citizenship is not required; international postdocs are sponsored on J-1 Research Scholar visas.

• Pre-doctoral fellows receive stipends comparable to those awarded by the Stanford Graduate Fellowships programme, and the Center pays non-matriculated student tuition as Stanford requires. Pre-doctoral fellows are enrolled in Stanford's student medical insurance plan (Cardinal Care).
• Post-doctoral fellows receive stipends or salaries commensurate with experience, with regard to university-established minimums, for a 9-month term, and are provided health benefits.
• Housing is not provided; the Center refers fellows to Stanford's housing information.
• Applicants who do not need funding should still apply; non-stipendiary applicants are considered in the same pool.

This is a residential fellowship, and fieldwork or extended travel cannot be accommodated. Fellows are expected to:

• Complete an Individual Development Plan and review it with their mentor within the first month.
• Meet their faculty mentor at least once a month.
• Attend the weekly Thursday noon research seminars and take an active part in the Center's conferences and workshops.
• Make tangible progress on the proposed project, such as several dissertation or book chapters and/or at least one article for a peer-reviewed journal.
• Write a short op-ed or other media piece drawn from their scholarly work.
• Submit a CDDRL working paper by the end of the fellowship.

Applications are made through CDDRL's SlideRoom portal. Applicants must submit:

• A completed application form.
• A letter of application of no more than 3 typed pages.
• A current CV.
• A statement of proposed research (5 to 10 pages).
• Three letters of recommendation, submitted by the referees through SlideRoom.
• A complete set of undergraduate and graduate transcripts (unofficial copies may be uploaded).
• An official PhD transcript, sent electronically by the university registrar to cddrl_fellowship@stanford.edu.

All materials, including recommendations, must be in English. Only complete files are reviewed.

Open the SlideRoom application portal, click "Sign up to get started" to create an account, choose "Stanford CDDRL Pre and Postdoctoral Fellowship Program", complete all required fields and submit. Casper Fellowship applicants should state in the application that they wish to be considered for the Gerhard Casper Rule of Law Fellowship. There is no application fee stated.

The application cycle for 2027-28 opened on Monday, 21 September 2026 and closes on Monday, 30 November 2026 (Stanford is on U.S. Pacific time). Notifications will be sent in mid to late February 2027. The fellowship runs for 9 months, September to June.