School: Faculty of Arts and Sciences

Department/Area: Weatherhead Center for International Affairs

Position Description

The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs invites applications for its 2027-2028 Predoctoral Fellowship in International Security, a one-year, residential opportunity for advanced PhD candidates working on international relations, international security, and related issues in the social sciences. The Predoctoral Fellow will be part of the newly established Program on International Relations and International Security (IRIS) and will be supervised by Joshua D. Kertzer, John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Government in the Department of Government at Harvard University.

The Predoctoral Fellow will join an interdisciplinary community of faculty, postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars, and practitioners in residence at Harvard University for the academic year. The program fosters a dynamic intellectual community through research seminars, workshops, and engagement with the broader Weatherhead Center and Harvard communities. Predoctoral Fellows are expected to be on campus from late August through mid-May and to actively participate in program activities.

About the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs
The Weatherhead Center is Harvard's largest international research center, supporting rigorous scholarship on global, comparative, transnational, and international issues. Founded in 1958, the Center brings together faculty, fellows, and students from across the University to address pressing global challenges, including conflict and governance, inequality, environmental change, migration, and international development. It serves as an interdisciplinary hub for research, exchange, and public dialogue.

About the Program on International Relations and International Security
The Program on International Relations and International Security (IRIS) supports rigorous research on national security, international conflict, and foreign policy decision making. As a newly established initiative at the Weatherhead Center for International Affairs, the program encourages innovative scholarship on topics such as diplomacy, interstate conflict, nuclear security, international institutions, political violence, emerging technologies and artificial intelligence, and other pressing challenges in international security, while advancing theoretical, historical, and empirical approaches to the study of world politics. Building on the Weatherhead Center's tradition of interdisciplinary scholarship, the program fosters research and intellectual exchange on fundamental questions of conflict, cooperation, and global order.

Benefits

The Predoctoral Fellow in International Security will receive a stipend of $50,000, payable over twelve months and a $5,000 research stipend.

Basic Qualifications

Applicants must be advanced PhD candidates in a relevant field, such as political science, public policy, security studies, international relations, or a related social science disciplines.

Special Instructions

Application deadline is January 15, 2027. Please see the Program on International Relations and International Security (IRIS) website for further information.

Letters of Recommendation
The application will ask for the name and contact information of your references. Once your application is submitted, the system will automatically email your recommender with instructions for uploading their letter. The deadline for letters of recommendation is January 22, 2027. You may track the status of your letter through the application portal. We recommend submitting your application in advance of the deadline to ensure your recommender has sufficient time.

Writing Sample
As the search progresses, selected candidates may be asked to submit a writing sample demonstrating their scholarly work. No new writing is required.

Contact Information

Walid Hammam Director, Weatherhead Scholars Program Weatherhead Center for International Affairs Harvard University

Contact Email: walid_hammam@wcfia.harvard.edu

Salary Range

$50,000

Keywords

International Relations, International Security, Security Studies, Strategic Studies, Foreign Policy, National Security, Defense Policy, Diplomacy, Grand Strategy, Statecraft, Geopolitics, Regional Security, International Organizations, International Institutions, Global Governance, International Law, Political Economy, Democracy and Governance, Public Policy, War and Peace, Conflict Resolution, Peacebuilding, Human Security, Military Affairs, Military Strategy, Intelligence, Nuclear Security, Nuclear Strategy, Arms Control, Nonproliferation, Terrorism, Counterterrorism, Cybersecurity, Emerging Technologies and Security, Artificial Intelligence and Security, Political Violence, Civil Conflict, Interstate Conflict, Deterrence, Alliance Politics.