WASHINGTON – Following recent announcements of six Distinguished Fellows, the Wilson Center is expanding its updated fellowship program by announcing a new competition to select the 2026-2027 class of Research Fellows.  

“A strong nonpartisan fellows program has been central to the Wilson Center’s statutory mission to bridge deep scholarship and policy. Updating that program has been a top priority this year,” said Natasha Jacome, Wilson Center President and CEO. “This new competition for Research Fellows will provide the Wilson Center with an international platform for the brightest minds to come together to address the most complex foreign policy challenges and to share their research and insights with policymakers through our Congressional education program.”  

The Wilson Center previously announced its areas of research: strategic competition, economic statecraft, technology and innovation, and regional studies. The Wilson Center Research Fellows will be experts in these fields and will conduct deep research and write in their specific areas of interest, while interacting with policymakers in Washington and other fellows.  

“When policymakers and scholars work together and learn from each other, they better enable the United States to advance our interests around the world,” said Ambassador David Hale, Distinguished Fellow at the Wilson Center. “The Wilson Center remains the most significant fellows program in Washington and this competition represents an incredible opportunity to contribute to stronger policymaking.” 

The new competition for Research Fellows is open to scholars, practitioners, journalists, and public intellectuals. The Center will accept policy-relevant, nonpartisan fellowship proposals that address key challenges confronting the United States and the world. 

Fellowship applications, including letters of recommendation, must be submitted online by 11:59 pm ET on January 16, 2026. Applicants will be notified of the results of the selection process in early March 2026. Each fellowship will commence on June 1, 2026, and end on May 30, 2027. The Center offers a monthly stipend for the twelve-month fellowship. 

For more information on the competition eligibility, application, conditions, and selection process, please visit Wilson Center Research Fellowship | Wilson Center. 

The Wilson Center recently announced Ambassador David Hale, Ambassador (ret.) Philip Reeker, Jill Dougherty, Carrie Filipetti, Anka Lee, and Ken Westbrook as new Distinguished Fellows to lead mission-focused projects in four main areas: strategic competition; economic statecraft; technology and innovation; and regional scholarship.  

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