Gaither Junior Fellows Program

James C. Gaither Junior Fellows provide research assistance to scholars working in Carnegie programs. You may learn more about their programs by visiting Carnegie's homepage. Gaither 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.

Fellows are selected from a pool of candidates nominated by several hundred participating universities and colleges. Positions are paid, full-time positions for one year. The semi-monthly salary is $1,875 (equivalent to $45,000 annually) subject to federal, state and local taxes. A generous benefits package is provided, including medical, dental and life insurance as well as vacation leave. Gaither Junior Fellows are responsible for their own housing arrangements. Gaither Junior Fellows will be provided up to $1,500.00 (grossed up for taxes) in relocation support but are otherwise responsible for their own housing arrangements. The fellows begin work September 1, 2023 at Carnegie in Washington, DC working with Carnegie’s senior scholars in the following fields for the 2022-23 fellowship year:

• 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. An academic background in international relations theory or international political economy along with an interest in military issues is essential.
• Asia Program - Mandarin Chinese language skills are essential. Proficiency in another Asian language is a plus.
• Russia and Eurasia—Excellent Russian and/or Ukranian 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.
• Global Order and Institutions — An academic background in international institutions and the management of transnational challenges is strongly preferred.
• Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics—Basic data skills (such as helping create graphs or tables for Carnegie publications) are a plus. Applicants should have completed coursework related to sustainability and climate issues.
• Europe—Fluency and the ability to perform research in a European language other than English are a plus. Background knowledge on European politics is essential.

Eligibility Criteria

• Graduating seniors or students who have graduated during the last academic year
• Anyone who has started graduate studies is ineligible for consideration (except in cases where the student has completed a joint bachelor’s/master’s degree program)
• Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States for a full twelve months from approximately August 1 through July 31 following graduation. Students on F-1 visas who are eligible to work in the United States for the full year may apply for the program.

Selection Criteria

• The quality of the written essay
• Related academic study and/or work experience
• Grades
• Recommendations
• Personal interviews
• Additional selection criteria related to the specific research program may apply (such as language skills)

• An application form
• Essay of one page or less, double-spaced on why the student would like to become a Junior Fellow
• Résumé or CV (preferably 1-2 pages)
• Essay of no more than three (3) typewritten, double-spaced pages written in response to the prompt pertaining to the program to which they are applying
• Transcript of undergraduate records (official or unofficial)
• Letters of Recommendation (2) from anyone the student feels can best speak to their abilities as a potential Gaither Junior Fellow

• In the fall, attend an NCA Learning Series session on the Gaither Junior Fellows Program.
  
• Complete two NCA forms:
  • Intake form
  • Records Release Form and submit to nca@uc.edu
• Confirm your intent to apply with NCA by the Intent-to-Apply Deadline: November 1, 2023.
• Submit your application to NCA by the Campus Deadline: December 1, 2023.
• Those selected for campus interviews will meet with the committee in December or early January. UC may endorse 2 candidates each year.
• Endorsed candidates submit revised application to an NCA representative by National Deadline in mid-January. The NCA representative will submit your application on your behalf via Embark.

• Information on this page is intended to supplement, not supplant, your own careful review of the official Gaither website. If you find any discrepancy between the two, the Gaither website takes precedence.
• UC’s Student Code of Conduct applies to this application process.