Wilson Center Pakistan Fellowship Eligibility & Guidelines

Eligibility

This competition is open to people from, and based in, Pakistan. Applications will be accepted from individuals in academia, business, journalism, government, law, and related professions. Candidates must be currently pursuing research on key public policy issues facing Pakistan and/or US-Pakistan relations—research designed to bridge the gap between the academic and the policymaking worlds.

The Wilson Center typically expects its visiting fellows to possess the terminal degree in their field. For academics, such as university professors, the terminal degree generally means a PhD But other professions have different terminal degrees; for journalists or businesspeople, it could well be a bachelor’s degree. In exceptional cases, the Wilson Center will waive the terminal degree requirement for highly qualified and unusually talented applicants.

Applicants must also have at least eight years of professional or research experience. Preference will be given to applicants who have published scholarly books or substantial articles in academic or policy-related journals or newspapers, and whose work demonstrates original thinking on policy-oriented issues of interest to Pakistan and the United States.

Applicants must be completely fluent in both written and spoken English.

Ineligibility

The Wilson Center will not accept:

Applicants working on a graduate degree, a PhD, or JD degree (even if the degree is to be awarded prior to the proposed fellowship year)
Proposals of a partisan or advocacy nature.
Projects that are the rewriting of doctoral dissertations.

If you have questions regarding your eligibility or the suitability of your project, please contact the Pakistan Fellowship team at pakistanfellowship@wilsoncenter.org.

Selection Process

All applications that meet the eligibility requirements will be evaluated by a fellowship review committee overseen by the Wilson Center.
The basic criteria for selection are:

Significance of the proposed research, including the importance and originality of the project;
Relevance of the project to contemporary public policy issues in Pakistan and/or US-Pakistan relations (proposals focused on non-security issues in Pakistan are especially encouraged);
Relevance of the project to the Wilson Center’s work on Pakistan;
Quality of the proposal in definition, organization, clarity, and scope. A clear hypothesis or argument is essential, as is a description of the project’s methodology—how and why is your approach the best way to deal with the issue at hand, and what archives, sources, and techniques do you plan to employ?
Capabilities and achievements of the applicant and the likelihood that the applicant will accomplish the proposed project;
Potential of the applicant to actively contribute to the life, priorities, and mission of the Wilson Center by making expert research accessible to a broader audience.

Projects should involve fresh research-in terms of both the overall field and the author’s previous work. Special consideration will be given to proposals involving topics that are understudied, unconventional, unique, emerging, or new within academic and policy discussions.

Stipend

The Wilson Center will offer a monthly stipend of $9,000 for nine months, with a total payment of $81,000. Fellows are responsible for their own health insurance and research-related travel expenses. In addition to the stipend, the Wilson Center will provide a suitable work space and computer.

Length of Appointment

Fellows are expected to be in residence for a nine-month period. This will typically be from September to May. However, dates may be subject to change depending on visa processing factors and other possible considerations. Even when there are exceptions on start and end dates, the fellowship will always have a duration of nine months. Fellowships may not be deferred.

Expectations During Residency

While at the Wilson Center, the Pakistan Fellow will be expected to carry out a full schedule of rigorous research and writing based on the topic outlined in the research proposal submitted at the time of application. They will also be expected to participate in workshops, seminars, conferences, and broadcasts organized by the Wilson Center’s Asia Program, and in other ways to participate in the intellectual life of the Wilson Center and the larger community of South Asia observers in Washington.

Deadline for Applications

The Wilson Center holds one round of competitive selection per year. For the current competition, applications must be submitted by February 1, 2024.

The Application

All applications must be completed online—the Wilson Center will not accept materials submitted via email (with the exception of letters of reference) or by other means. A complete application must be submitted in English, and will include the following:

the Fellowship Application Form, submitted online;
a Project Proposal (not to exceed five single-spaced typed pages, using 12-point type);
a current CV
two letters of reference.

The Project Proposal

The proposal should not exceed five single-spaced typed pages using 12-point type. It should be submitted in PDF or MS-Word format. The following elements should be addressed in the proposal:

Detailed description of the topic and its importance;
Originality of the proposed study (explain what makes the project distinctive);
Basic ideas and hypotheses;
Methods, approaches, sources, and materials to be used (including the activities you will undertake to gather the data you need for your project and the techniques that you will use to analyze the data in order to prove your thesis or argument);
Present status of your research, including how much has already been done in relevant collections and archives, and what you would hope to accomplish through this Fellowship;
Importance of Washington-area resources;
Why you chose the Wilson Center for your project;
Relevance of the project to contemporary policy issues in Pakistan and/or U.S.-Pakistan relations; and
Relevance of the project to the programmatic goals of the Wilson Center.

Applicants who would like suggestions on preparing the proposal can read “The Art of Writing Proposals,” published by the Social Science Research Council.

Letters of Reference

Two letters of reference must be submitted by the application deadline. It is the applicant’s responsibility to ensure that we receive the references letters. Applicants are asked to provide information about their two referees in the online application, but the letters themselves should be sent to pakistanfellowship@wilsoncenter.org by the application deadline. Applications missing reference letters will be considered incomplete.

Referees should be familiar with the applicant and their work, and applicants should send them a copy of their project description so that the referees can comment specifically upon the quality and significance of the proposed study; the applicant’s capabilities and achievements and potential to pursue and complete the project; the relevance of the project to contemporary Pakistan-related policy issues and/or U.S.-Pakistan relations; and how the applicant and their work would contribute to the Center’s goal of bridging the gap between the world of learning and the world of public affairs. Reference letters must be written in English. Applicants are strongly encouraged to follow up with their referees to confirm that they have sent their letters to the Wilson Center. Letters of recommendation should be sent by the referees to pakistanfellowship@wilsoncenter.org.

If you have any questions, write to pakistanfellowship@wilsoncenter.org.