James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program

Candidate must

• be eligible to work in the United States for twelve months
• be a graduating senior or an alumnus who graduated during the past academic year and has not begun graduate school
  

Outline

The James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program provides a year-long fellowship at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. Junior Fellows are assigned to work with Carnegie’s experts on projects relating to the current work of the foundation. Below are the projects for 2019-2020. Please pay close attention to the project details found in the application.

Projects for 2018-2019

Democracy, Conflict, and Governance
U.S. Foreign Policy and Diplomacy – The Junior Fellow will support Carnegie Endowment President Ambassador William J. Burns on research and writing that seeks to shape American diplomacy. Applicants should have coursework in U.S. foreign policy, broad-gauged regional lens, an interest in policy analysis and formulation, and superb writing skills.
Nuclear Policy
Technology and International Affairs/Cyber Policy
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.
South Asia – A strong academic background in international relations theory, political theory, or international political economy is essential, along with an interest in military issues. The ability to perform quantitative data manipulation is required and a strong mathematical background is a plus.
China (Asia Program) – Mandarin Chinese reading skills a huge plus.
Japan (Asia Program) – Japanese reading skills required.
Economics (Asia Program) – Mandarin Chinese reading skills a huge plus. Strong background in economics essential.
Russia and Eurasia – Excellent Russian reading skills required.
Geoeconomics and Strategy

Selection Criteria

Members of the classes of 2018 and 2019 are eligible to apply, as long as they have not yet begun graduate studies. International students may apply as long as they are eligible to work in the USA for a full year following graduation (from August 1 through July 31), which typically means currently being in the USA on an F-1 visa. The average Junior Fellow has a minimum of a 3.8 GPA and significant coursework in international relations, history, political science, economics, Russian, Arabic, or Chinese. International experience is preferred, as are candidates who plan a career related to international relations. Previous work as a research assistant (especially in a field related to international relations) is also a great help but is not required.

According to the Carnegie website, “Applications are judged on the quality of the written essay, related academic study and/or work experience, grades, recommendations, and personal interviews.” The three-page essay is a key factor in being invited to an interview (assuming good grades and a demonstrated interest in international relations), and the interview is key to obtaining the Fellowship.

NYU Endorsement Process

NYU as a whole (including NYU Abu Dhabi and NYU Shanghai) many nominate two applicants for this fellowship. To apply for nomination, please send the following items, in this order, as a single PDF document in one email to nyu.globalawards@nyu.edu with subject line "NYU CARNEGIE NOMINATION APPLICATION" by 5:00pm Eastern on Monday, November 12.  The application form and essay prompts are available in this PDF.

• A completed James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program application form.
  A one-page, double-spaced essay explaining why you would like to become a Junior Fellow.
  
• A one- or two-page resume, including telephone number, address, extracurricular activities, and work experience.
• An official copy of your transcript.
• An essay of no more than three typewritten, double-spaced pages on a topic provided by the Carnegie Endowment. These topics are intended to test skills in analysis, logic, and written expression. The essays should be thought pieces, not research papers. You must respond to the question pertaining to the program to which you are applying, although the Carnegie Endowment may ultimately select an applicant for a program outside of his or her designated primary interest or make an assignment to more than one program.
• A completed and signed NYU Global Awards Nomination Permission Form and Waiver .  Because this document requires a signature, please scan your completed document.
• Additionally, you must have two letters of recommendation submitted on your behalf by the deadline.  These letters should be emailed directly to nyu.globalawards@nyu.edu by the November 12 deadline, and may be addressed to the James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program Selection Committee.
  

Our nominating committee will interview selected applicants in December and announce our two nominees shortly thereafter. Final applications are due to the Carnegie Endowment in mid-January. Candidates must apply through NYU and may not apply independently. Candidates should not contact the Carnegie Endowment directly.

Ethical Guidelines

All applicants are expected to adhere to these ethical guidelines.

Advice from Carnegie Junior Fellowship Finalist