Gaither Overview | Inter/National Fellowships

What is the Gaither (Carnegie) JR Fellows Program?

Internal Deadline:

DEC 2, 2024 at NOON

Contact the Office of Fellowships for support at least one month before this deadline.

The James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (CEIP) is designed to provide a substantive work experience for students who have a serious career interest in the area of international affairs. Approximately 14-16 students will be hired to work as employees at the CEIP in Washington, DC on a full-time basis for a period of 10-12 months. These “junior fellows” are selected from a pool of close to 400 nominees from participating colleges, and are matched with senior associates—academics, former government officials, lawyers, and journalists from around the world—to work on a variety of international affairs issues. They conduct research; contribute to op-eds, papers, reports, and books; edit documents; participate in meetings; contribute to congressional testimony and organize briefings attended by scholars, journalists, and government officials.

Award Details

Who is eligible?

Who is eligible?

Applicants must be graduating seniors, or have graduated in the last academic year AND must not have begun graduate studies. Applicants do not have to be U.S. citizens however, all applicants must be eligible to work in the U.S. Candidates should have a very strong transcript overall GPA (at least 3.7+) and have substantial coursework in the topic for which they are applying. Some program areas, as noted above, require specific language or qualitative skills in addition to coursework in the research area topic. Fellows must be available to work beginning on or about September 1, 2024 and through June 30, 2025.

Does this application require endorsement by the college?

Does this application require endorsement by the college?

Yes. All applications will be reviewed by members of the faculty Committee on Student Fellowships. There is no interview for the Gaither nominee selection process. The committee will choose two nominees, who will then have a brief period of time to revise their materials before sending final versions to the Office of Fellowships staff who will forward them to the Gaither program.

How much funding is awarded and how can I use it?

How much funding is awarded and how can I use it?

Junior Fellows receive a monthly salary of $4,000, paid semi-monthly (equivalent to approximately $45,000 annually), (subject to federal, state, and local taxes) with a generous benefits package (including medical, dental, and life insurance as well as vacation leave). Although Fellows are responsible for their own housing arrangements, they can be provided up to $1,500 in relocation support. Fellowships begin on September 1st and last until June 31, 2026 or August 31, 2026 by mutual agreement between the research program and the junior fellow.

What are the research areas for this year's competition?

Below is a list of the research areas and specific skills needed (if any) for the program that will begin in September 2025. For all areas, a strong coursework foundation in the topic along with excellent analytical and writing skills are required.

A. Democracy, Conflict, and Governance (no specific skills named)

B. American Statecraft (no specific named)

C. Nuclear Policy (no specific skills named)

D. Technology and International Affairs – strong writing and research skills are essential

E. Middle East – Strong reading fluency and the ability to perform academic as well as on-line research in Arabic essential. Strong background in Middle East politics and/or history is a huge plus.

F. International Security and Political Economy [to work with International Security and South Asia Programs] -- Quantitative data analysis and GIS skills are required. A strong mathematical background is a plus. An academic background in international relations theory or international political economy along with an interest in military issues is essential.

G. Asia Program – Mandarin Chinese language skills, particularly reading comprehension, are essential.

H. Russia and Eurasia – Excellent Russian and/or Ukrainian reading skills required.

I. Africa Program (no specific skills named)

J. Global Order and Institutions Program

K. Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics Program -- Data skills (such as helping create graphs or tables for Carnegie publications) are a plus. Applicants should have completed coursework related to sustainability and climate issues. A foreign language or regional expertise is a plus -- the program seeks to bring an international perspective into U.S. debates on climate change.

L. Europe Program -- Fluency and the ability to perform research in a European language other than English are a plus. Background knowledge on European politics is essential.

What is the Gaither Junior Fellows Program's history and mission?

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace was founded in 1910 by Andrew Carnegie with a gift of $10 million, dedicated to advancing cooperation between nations and promoting active international engagement by the United States. It is now a global network of policy research centers in Russia, China, Europe, the Middle East, India, and the US. Their mission is to advance the cause of peace through analysis and development of fresh policy ideas and direct engagement and collaboration with decision-makers in government, business, and civil society.

A woman writing on paper in front of a computer

How do I apply?

Visit the Application Steps page for details about the application format and essays, choosing recommenders, and gathering supporting documents, as well as on how to receive in support from the Office of Fellowships staff.

Gaither Application Steps

For Recommenders

The Gaither Junior Fellows Program is a job that requires excellent academic skills (reading, writing, and content knowledge) as well as the ability to conduct oneself maturely and reliably in a professional environment. As much as possible, your letter should address all of the above. They are primarily interested in your assessment of the candidate’s analytical, writing, and research capability. If possible, comment on the breadth and depth of the candidate's academic background in the content area in which they will work as a research assistant. Depending on the program they have chosen, comments on their language or quantitative skill will also be helpful. If you would jump at the chance to have this student as your research assistant, tell them why. The candidate should provide you with the name of the research program area to which they are applying, a draft of the analytical essay (along with the prompt) that they must submit, their resume, and transcript.

Format and submission: Letters have no word limit. They should be presented on institutional (virtual is fine) letterhead, signed, and sent to Christine Overstreet, Director of Fellowships at coverstreet@amherst.edu by December 2, 2024. Please send the final version of your letter, as there is a short turnaround time from the internal endorsement/selection process to submission to the Gaither program. Please do not send secured letters as they cannot be uploaded to the Gaither portal.

Have questions? Please contact us.

Christine Overstreet, Director of Fellowships
212 Converse Hall
413-542-2536
coverstreet@amherst.edu

Suzanne Spencer, Fellowships Assistant
Main contact for AC Fellowships questions
Remote; sspencer@amherst.edu

Evan Clark, Assistant Director of Fellowships
213 Converse Hall
413-542-5079
evclark@amherst.edu

Physical address: 100 Boltwood Avenue, Amherst, MA 01002

Mailing address: AC #2214, PO Box 5000, Amherst, MA 01002

Office of Fellowships Gaither Overview