UNU-IAS Fellowship Programmes

Every year UNU-IAS offers PhD and Postdoctoral fellowships to provide young scholars and policy-makers, especially from the developing world, with a multi-disciplinarily context within which to pursue advanced research and training that is of professional interest to the successful applicant and of direct relevance to the research agenda of their selected UNU-IAS or UNU programme.
The fellowship programme provides the successful applicant with a unique opportunity to:

• develop and advance their research under the supervision of a UNU-IAS or UNU faculty member and contribute to the overall research agenda of the Institute,
• widen their research interests and professional networks by working in the international and multi-disciplinary context of the UNU-IAS and UNU, and with its wider network of Japanese universities and research institutes, as well as international collaborators,
• become exposed to the workings of the international and multilateral policy process and the broader UN system, and
• link with other UNU-IAS and UNU PhD and Postdoctoral fellows.

The fellows are resident at UNU-IAS in Yokohama or UNU in Tokyo, Japan for the full term of the fellowship. This gives the PhD and Postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to gain from the broader research programme of lectures, seminars, workshops and conferences arranged by the UNU-IAS and UNU. UNU's close institutional links with Japanese affiliated professors and visiting professors from key universities and think tanks in Japan also allows fellows to link into the broader Japanese academic and research community. Since the start of the fellowship programme at UNU-IAS in 1996, more than 160 young scholars, 70% of which from the developing world, have benefited from collaboration with UNU-IAS/UNU and Japanese scholars in this way.

To Apply

An essential part of the application for both the PhD and Postdoctoral fellowships is a research proposal outlining the intended work at UNU-IAS and UNU. Applicants are evaluated on the following criteria:

1. The research objectives of the applicant and the quality of the research proposal;
2. the relevance of the research proposal to the ongoing or planned research activities of the applicant's selected Research Programme at UNU-IAS or UNU;
3. the applicant's academic merit and the potential for successful research while at UNU-IAS or UNU.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the relevant Research Programme representatives while preparing their application to discuss research options and programme fit.
The application deadline is 25 April 2008 (17h00 Tokyo time). For official notification click here