Pre- and Postdoctoral Fellowships 2027-28 at CISAC, Stanford University, incl. AI and Laws of Armed Conflict Fellowship (9 to 12 Months, In-Residence)

The Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), part of the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, has opened its fellowship application for the 2027-2028 academic year. CISAC fellows spend the academic year in residence at Stanford engaged in research and writing, take part in seminars, and work with leading faculty and researchers. Every fellow is mentored one-on-one by CISAC and/or FSI faculty.

Fellows may work on a range of security topics, including nuclear weapons policy and nonproliferation, nuclear energy, digital security (cyber, artificial intelligence and autonomous systems), biosecurity and global health, insurgency, terrorism and civil conflict, national security strategies and global governance. CISAC also welcomes other research proposals and considers applicants from the U.S. and abroad.

Applicants are considered for every fellowship for which they are deemed eligible. Current opportunities are:

• Artificial Intelligence and Laws of Armed Conflict Fellowship: a one-year, project-specific postdoctoral policy fellowship asking whether the human or the machine is more likely to follow the laws of armed conflict (LOAC) during war. The fellow works under Tom Dannenbaum (Frank Stanton Professor of Nuclear Security, Professor of Law), Scott Sagan and Jacquelyn Schneider. The ideal candidate holds a JD or LLM and/or a PhD in a relevant discipline, has experience with experiments and/or behavioural data analysis, and is familiar with AI agent prompt development and analysing large-n data generated by AI agents.
• Geopolitics of Artificial Intelligence Fellowship: a one-year, project-specific postdoctoral fellowship; the ideal candidate holds a PhD in a relevant discipline or a JD and can work across social science, law and technology policy.
• India-U.S. Security Studies Fellowship: for early career scholars (predoctoral, postdoctoral and junior faculty) researching Indian foreign and defence policy, U.S.-India-China security relations, security threats in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific, or the India-U.S. strategic partnership. Sponsored by the Motwani Jadeja Family Foundation.
• Artificial Intelligence in Strategic Stability and Military Competition Fellowship (one-year, project-specific postdoctoral policy fellowship).
• Natural Sciences or Engineering International Security Fellowship.
• Nuclear Security Fellowship.
• International Security Fellowship, co-sponsored with the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

• The fellowship is open to anyone currently enrolled in a PhD program; CISAC notes that it is rare for predoctoral applicants who are not in the final year of their program to be accepted, as predocs are evaluated in the same pool as postdocs. DPhil degrees are accepted as PhD equivalents.
• Postdoctoral applicants may apply if they expect to complete the PhD before the fellowship begins; the offer, stipend and title are contingent on finishing the PhD before the start, and those finishing during the year should apply as predoctoral fellows.
• Junior faculty and professionals may apply (a transcript is optional for them).
• International applicants: the FAQ states that candidates do not have to be U.S. citizens, that every year there are quite a few foreign nationals, and that CISAC sponsors fellows for visas through Stanford's Bechtel International Center. CISAC welcomes applications without regard to citizenship.

• Predoctoral fellows receive stipends comparable to those awarded by the Stanford Graduate Fellowships program. The Center pays non-matriculated student tuition as Stanford requires, and predoctoral fellows are enrolled in Stanford's student medical insurance plan (Cardinal Care).
• Postdoctoral fellows receive stipends commensurate with experience, with consideration given to Stanford's established minimums, and are provided health benefits.
• Junior faculty and professional stipends are commensurate with experience.
• Housing is not provided; CISAC 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.

Fellows are expected to be fully present and engaged at CISAC. Requirements include:

• Completing an Individual Development Plan and meeting the faculty mentor at least once a month.
• Attending CISAC's weekly research seminar, coordinating one panel and hosting one fellowship dinner.
• Participating in the Fellows' Policy Workshop (typically 2 to 3 sessions per month) and producing at least one policy-focused document.
• Making tangible progress on the research project: several dissertation or book chapters and/or at least one peer-reviewed journal article.
• Writing a short op-ed or other media piece and completing brief quarterly fellowship reports.

• Completed online application form.
• Resume/CV.
• Graduate school transcript (unofficial accepted; required for all pre- and postdoctoral applicants, optional for junior faculty and professionals).
• Research project prospectus or description of dissertation (1,500 words max, excluding footnotes/endnotes).
• Research abstract (200 words max).
• Writing sample (50 pages max).
• Three confidential letters of recommendation, uploaded by the referees directly to SlideRoom (services such as Interfolio cannot use the online recommendation system). The FAQ states that recommenders have up to 5 days after the application deadline to submit their letters.

All materials, including recommendations, must be in English.

Open the CISAC SlideRoom portal, click "Sign up to get started", create a username and password, choose "Stanford University Center for International Security and Cooperation Fellowship Program", complete all required fields and submit. You may indicate a particular fellowship in the application. Applicants are responsible for ensuring that all materials, including letters of reference, arrive by the deadline. No application fee is stated.

The application for 2027-2028 is open now and closes on 2 December 2026 (no closing hour is stated). The FAQ states that applicants are notified in mid-February.