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-ISP 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-ISP 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-ISP, 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-ISP PhD and Postdoctoral fellows.

The fellows are resident at UNU-IAS in Yokohama or UNU-ISP 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 UNU-IAS and UNU-ISP. 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 170 young scholars, 70% of which from the developing world, have benefited from collaboration with UNU-IAS/UNU-ISP and Japanese scholars in this way.

To Apply

The application period for the 2009 fellowship programms has closed. The advertisement for next year's Fellowship programme will be available in January 2010, including the new application forms and the full details.  Please bookmark this link and make sure to check this page again in January 2010.

Applications will be invited for the following three fellowship types:

1. UNU-IAS PhD Fellowship (10 months, starting in September)
2. UNU-IAS Postdoctoral Fellowship (10 months, starting in September)
3. JSPS-UNU Postdoctoral Fellowship (12-24 months, starting in September)

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-ISP. Applicants are evaluated on the following criteria:

(i)     The research objectives of the applicant and the quality of the 
        research proposal;
(ii)    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-ISP;
(iii)   the applicant's academic merit and the potential for successful research
        while at UNU-IAS or UNU-ISP.

Prospective applicants are encouraged to contact the relevant Research Programme representatives while preparing their application to discuss research options and programme fit.

Please take careful note of the different eligibility criteria, conditions and funding details for each fellowship.

Besides the completed application form, the research proposal, and key supporting documents, applicants also need to ensure two letters of reference are sent to the Fellowship Committee before the application deadline. All information submitted will be held in confidence. Applications will only be considered if fully completed and all required documentation has been received.


Review

Review of applications by the Fellowship Committee will begin immediately after the application deadline. Short-listed candidates will be contacted for a telephone interview.


Contact Details

Questions regarding the different fellowships should be directed to:

UNU-IAS Fellowship Committee
fellowships@ias.unu.edu