The National Bureau of Asian Research (NBR) is pleased to announce the Next Generation Leadership in Asian Affairs Fellowship for 2010-2011. This year-long program, based in Seattle, focuses on bridging the gap between scholarship and policymaking. Fellows support NBR research projects and collaborate with leading scholars to conduct independent research and share research findings with the policymaking community in Washington, D.C.
Fellowship Description
The Next Generation Fellowship Program will grant a one-year award to two to four fellows
annually. Next Generation fellows will work on NBR research projects and participate in the
effective delivery of that research to the policy community. The four major components of the
Next Generation Fellowship are:
- Publication. A signature element of the program is the completion by the fellow of at
least one journal-quality article that could be published by either NBR or an outside
scholarly journal.
- Bridging the gap between research and policy. Because NBR believes that writing alone is not adequate to inform policy, the fellow will also participate in NBR's active
outreach toward the policy community in Washington, D.C., through participation in
conferences, briefings, and private meetings.
- Gaining in-depth knowledge of U.S. foreign policymaking. Fellows will engage the policymaking community through association with current and former U.S. government
officials on the program's advisory board, the program orientation, and briefings to
policymakers.
- Guidance and mentoring. The Next Generation fellows will be incorporated directly
into NBR's substantive policy research projects. Responsible to and guided by the
relevant project director, the fellows will be embedded in the workings of an organization
that expresses in daily practice the high ideals of the fellowship's goals.
As part of the fellowship, each new class of fellows will participate in an orientation in
Washington, D.C., which includes meetings with government officials, members of Congress
and their staffs, and senior academics who have themselves successfully bridged the scholarship-
policy gap. The Next Generation orientation session immerses the fellows in the program's
vision, allowing them to meet with American political and academic leaders and providing
opportunities for them to discuss their research with representatives of their intended audiences.
NBR conducts advanced research on politics and security, economics and trade, and health and
societal issues, with emphasis on those of interest to the United States. Drawing upon an
extensive network of the world's leading specialists and leveraging the latest technology, NBR
bridges the academic, business, and policy arenas. At any given time, NBR directs 20-30 major
research projects involving 150 scholars at universities and research centers worldwide. Each
fellow will be placed on projects that best match his/her qualifications and research interests.
NBR organizes its research around three broad topics: politics and security, economics and trade,
and societies and health. Our current research initiatives within these topics include:
- Politics and Security: The Political and Security Affairs (PSA) group advances NBR's
mission of informing and strengthening policy by engaging in innovative, forwardlooking
policy research on political and security issues in Asia of critical importance to
U.S. interests. The group's research focuses on three broad areas: Asian Security, Politics
in Asia, and Muslim Asia.
- Economics and Trade: The Economic and Trade Affairs (ETA) group leads NBR's
efforts to conduct policy research on the rising economic importance of Asia to the
United States. The group's research initiatives focus on Energy and the Environment and
Trade, Investment, and Economic Engagement Issues.
- Health and Society: The mission of the Center for Health and Aging (CHA) is to
facilitate dialogue between science, industry, and policy for a healthier world. Toward
this end, CHA coordinates innovative research and dialogue on the demographic,
economic, social, political, and medical trends related to health and aging across the
globe.
Application Instructions
Applications for 2010-2011 fellowships will be accepted beginning December 1, 2009.
Applicants are required to submit the following:
- Curriculum vitae/resume
- 750-word essay stating their qualifications for and interest in applying for the fellowship,
a particular topical and regional research area, and how their research within that area
would contribute to NBR's research agenda
- Three written references (one professional and two academic) highlighting the applicant's
strengths and weaknesses, leadership potential, and other relevant information, emailed
directly by those writing them to NBR with subject line "applicant name, application," by
January 15, 2010
- Application Form (http://www.nbr.org/Downloads/pdfs/NBR/application.pdf)
Please email the above materials to nextgen@nbr.org. Should you have any questions about the
application process, please email Kailani Chin-Hidano, also at nextgen@nbr.org. It is the
applicant's responsibility to ensure all application materials, including reference letters,
are received by January 15, 2010.
Fellowship Eligibility
U.S. citizenship or permanent residence status (by time of application deadline) is required. The
applicant must have completed a master's or equivalent degree by the time the fellowship begins.
Individuals who have received their master's degree diplomas up to twelve months prior to the
application deadline may apply to the program. Prospective fellows should apply only for the
year that they expect to participate. No deferrals are permitted.
Fellowship Benefits
For each fellow, regardless of his or her career trajectory, the program provides an extraordinary
opportunity. Fellows who go on to specialize in Asia scholarship will have been exposed to the
policy relevance of research. Those who choose a policy-related career will have been exposed
to the importance of quality scholarship. Fellows who choose other career paths, whether in the
private, nonprofit, or media sectors, will have been exposed to the dynamic intersection of policy
and scholarship.
One thing will hold true for all alumni of The Next Generation Leadership Program: They will
be young leaders capable of making a significant difference in how the United States relates to
Asia. Their engagement in critical efforts to ensure that policy is well-informed by the best
academic research available will shape their contributions as leaders and strengthen their impacts
in their various fields. Fellows will acquire or refine skills in
- analysis, research, and writing
- written presentation of research in a format that is useful to policymakers
- briefing skills
- team collaboration
- project management
- understanding U.S. foreign policy processes
Each fellow will receive a $32,500 fellowship award (with benefits), as well as reimbursement
for some relocation expenses.
Timetable
January 15, 2010 Applications due at nextgen@nbr.org
January--February
2010:
Applications reviewed and evaluated by NBR Program Committee and
Selection Committee
March 2010: Finalist interviews
April 2010: Awards made
June 1, 2010: Fellowship anticipated start date
September 2010: Next Generation orientation session in Washington, D.C.
May 31, 2011: Fellowship concludes
Advisory Board
The Next Generation Leadership Advisory Board comprises a select group of respected
academics and policymakers who have demonstrated commitment and success in the practical
work of bridging the academic and policy worlds. The board will provide inspirational leadership
to the program and meet individually, as possible, with program fellows in Washington, D.C. to
share their vision for the need to strengthen the development of a cohort of young Americans
with expertise on Asia.
- Senator Chuck Hagel (Ret.), Distinguished Professor, Georgetown University
- Senator Joe Lieberman (ID-CT)
- Representative Norm Dicks (D-WA)
- Dr. Richard Bush, Director of Northeast Studies Program, The Brookings Institution
- Ambassador Carla A. Hills, Chairman and CEO, Hills & Company
- Dr. Karl Jackson, Director of Asia Studies, Johns Hopkins SAIS
- Mr. Richard Lawless, President and CEO, Richard Lawless and Associates
- Dr. Kenneth Lieberthal, Professor, University of Michigan
- Ambassador Stapleton Roy, Managing Director, Kissinger Associates
For further information, please visit NBR's website here or or contact
Kailani Chin-Hidano at nextgen@nbr.org.