Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - Junior Fellows Program

The James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program is competitive and, as such, the program relies on participating universities to nominate uniquely qualified students. We are unable to accept applications directly from students. Students should consult their university on the nomination process.

Junior Fellows have the opportunity to conduct research for books, co-author journal articles and policy papers, participate in meetings with high-level officials, contribute to congressional testimony, and organize briefings attended by scholars, journalists, and government officials.

Assignments

James C. Gaither Junior Fellows spend one year (beginning August 1st) at Carnegie in Washington, DC working with Carnegie’s senior scholars in the following fields:

2025–2026 Projects

• Democracy, Conflict, and Governance
• American Statecraft—Background in history, international relations theory, or international economics is essential, along with an interest in military issues and U.S. foreign policy process.
• Nuclear Policy
• Technology and International Affairs—Strong writing skills (ability to write well and assimilate feedback in a timely manner), diverse research skills (e.g., ability to find and distill content from scholarly and gray literature, ability to use Excel to organize and analyze information), attention to detail, and ability to communicate effectively with a diverse team are essential.
• Middle East—Strong reading fluency and the ability to perform academic as well as on-line research in Arabic essential. Strong background in Middle East politics and/or history is a huge plus.
• International Security and Political Economy [to work with the International Security and South Asia Program] —Quantitative data analysis and GIS skills are required. A strong mathematical background is a plus. Ideal candidates will have a strong academic background in international relations theory, political theory, or international political economy along with an interest in military issues.
• Asia Program (China)—Mandarin Chinese reading skills required.
  Asia Program (Japan)—Japanese reading skills required.
  Asia Program (Economics)—Mandarin Chinese reading skills a huge plus. Strong background in economics essential.
  Please note: Applicants for the Asia program with skills in two or more of the above areas (Chinese language skills, Japanese language skills, strong economics background) will be at an advantage when applying, regardless of their essay selection.
• Russia and Eurasia—Excellent Russian reading skills required.
• Africa Program—The program examines the economic, social, political, and external factors shaping Africa today, with the aim of helping regional and international policy actors strengthen their contributions to a prosperous and stable African future.

Important Dates

The application process typically begins in early October when nominating officials at participating universities receive the application materials. Then, over the next few months, participating colleges and universities undergo their own internal nomination process. Nominations are due to the James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program by January 15th, and acceptance announcements are typically made by the end of March.

• Early October: Application materials sent via email to nominating officials
• October through mid-January: Schools conduct internal nominating process. Application deadlines vary by school.
• January 15: Applications must be received by the James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program.
• Mid-March: Selected applicants are interviewed.
• End of March: James C. Gaither Junior Fellow selections made and candidates notified.