Wilson Center Research Fellowship Program

The Wilson Center invites scholars, practitioners, journalists, and public intellectuals to take part in its flagship Research Fellowship Program. Fellows conduct research and write in their areas of interest, while interacting with policymakers in Washington and other fellows. The Center accepts policy-relevant, nonpartisan fellowship proposals that address key foriegn policy challenges confronting the United States and the world.

About the Center

The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars aims to unite the world of ideas to the world of policy by supporting pre-eminent scholarship and linking that scholarship to issues of concern to policymakers in Washington. The Wilson Center promotes nonpartisan research as a commitment to evidence-based scholarship that seeks to inform, but not advocate for a particular political viewpoint.

Congress established the Center in 1968 as the official, national memorial to President Wilson. Unlike the physical monuments in the nation's capital, it is a living memorial whose work and scholarship commemorate “the ideals and concerns of Woodrow Wilson.” As both a distinguished scholar and national leader, President Wilson felt strongly that the scholar and the policymaker were “engaged in a common enterprise.” Today, the Center takes seriously the need to bridge the gap between the world of ideas and public policy, bringing them into creative contact, enriching the work of both, and enabling each to learn from the other. This continuing dialogue between public policy and scholarship makes the Center unique.

Details of the Fellowship

The Wilson Center invites scholars, practitioners, journalists, and public intellectuals to take part in its flagship Research Fellowship Program and to take advantage of the opportunity to engage actively in the Center’s mission. The Center will award a series of fellowships for the 2026-2027 class. Fellows are encouraged to interact with policymakers in Washington, D.C. and other scholars who are working on similar research and topics.

Stipend and Duration

The fellowship will commence on June 1, 2026 and end on May 30, 2027. The Center offers a stipend of $10,000 per month for a twelve-month fellowship.

Conditions of Award

Fellows will work remotely during their tenure with the Wilson Center. The program will include a trip to Washington D.C. at the start and end of the fellowship, as paid for by the Wilson Center.

The focus of each fellow’s tenure will be their research project. The project must be a policy-relevant, nonpartisan project that addresses key foreign policy challenges confronting the United States and the world. Refer to the Applicant Eligibility section for additional information regarding the fellowship projects.

Fellows are required to complete their project as proposed. They are also required to give a Work in Progress presentation, which is an internal meeting where fellows can speak about their work, share ideas, and receive feedback from their peers. Fellows will attend the Work in Progress presentations given by their colleagues. The Wilson Center Library provides loan privileges with the Library of Congress and access to digital resources, its book and journal collections, and to university and special libraries in the area, and other research facilities.

Fellows will be expected to actively contribute to the goals and mission of the Wilson Center during their tenure. The Center will work with all fellows to share their expertise with the Washington policy community. These interactions may range from a deep background briefing for a federal agency to an informal roundtable discussion with members of Congress and their staffs. They may deliver more formal presentations to the public, including colloquia, seminars, workshops, or other coordinated events with the Center. Fellows will also be encouraged to produce policy reports, op-eds, and other short written products during their tenure and engage with the broader Washington community of scholars working on similar topics. The Center will provide guidance for all fellows on translating academic research into policy-relevant content.

Deadline for Applications

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.

Applicant Eligibility

Eligibility Requirements for Applicants

Applicants must meet the following criteria at the time of application to be eligible for a fellowship:

• Applicants from academia must have a PhD and have published a book or monograph beyond the PhD dissertation.
• Applicants from government, policy, or the nonprofit sector must have achieved a level of professional distinction and experience equivalent to advanced academic standing. This is typically at least 10 years of relevant experience and a record of substantial policy impact, publication, or leadership in their field.
• Applicants must be proficient in English, as the Center is designed to encourage the exchange of ideas among its fellows and provide educational opportunities to Congress.

You do not need an institutional affiliation to apply. Scholars and practitioners who previously held research awards or fellowships at the Wilson Center are not precluded from applying for a fellowship. However, the nature and recency of the prior award may be among the factors considered during the selection process.

Fellows may take leave from their current positions or maintain additional affiliations during their Wilson Center Research Fellowship. Applicants will be required to describe how they will balance other responsibilities while actively contributing to the goals and mission of the Wilson Center. Additional details are included in the Instructions for Applicants section.

Eligibility Requirements for Project Proposals

Project proposals must meet the following criteria to be considered:

• Projects must be nonpartisan in nature.
• Projects must focus on at least one of the following scholarship pillars of the Wilson Center: strategic competition, economic statecraft, technology and innovation, and regional scholarship.
• Primary project outputs may include but are not limited to a book manuscript, series of long-form articles, or a briefing roundtable series for policymakers. Additional projects demonstrating a high-level of scholarship may be considered.
• Primary project outputs may not include rewriting or completion of doctoral dissertations; projects in the visual arts, dance, or musical composition; editing of texts, papers, and documents; or preparations of textbooks, anthologies, translations, or memoirs.

Selection Process

Applications that satisfy the eligibility requirements are subsequently subjected to a multi-stage review process involving evaluations by Wilson Center experts and external specialists with relevant expertise. Final decisions about all grant awards are contingent on the approval of the Center’s Board of Trustees and subject to available funding.

The basic criteria for selection are: 

1. Significance of the proposed research, including the importance and originality of the project. Explain the urgency and importance of your work to resolve a larger problem in foreign policy.
2. The relevance of the project to contemporary policy issues and policymakers, with the aim of bridging the worlds of scholarship and policy.
3. Quality of the proposal in definition, organization, clarity, and scope. Describe what the reviewers will learn from your project, why it is important, and how the reviewer will know your conclusions are valid.
4. Capabilities and achievements of the applicant and their propensity to accomplish the proposed project. The proposal should convince the reviewer that something is genuinely at stake with your inquiry and your project will yield interesting results.
5. Potential of a candidate to actively contribute to the priorities and mission of the Center by making expert research accessible to policymakers and a broader audience.

The Center accepts policy-relevant, non-advocacy fellowship proposals that will address key foreign policy challenges confronting the United States and the world. The Center encourages projects that transcend narrow specialties to connect to broader policy and global issues. Fellows should want to, and be prepared to, interact with policymakers in Washington, other Wilson Center fellows, and scholars within DC and the world working on similar issues.

It is essential that projects have relevance to public policy and at least one of the four pillars of scholarship of the Wilson Center: strategic competition, economic statecraft, technology and innovation, and regional scholarship. Projects should involve fresh research in terms of both the overall field and the author’s previous work.