Predoctoral Fellowship Application

Eligibility

Applicants must be pursuing a Ph.D. in political science, public policy, history or a related discipline, and should have made substantial progress toward completion of a dissertation relevant to international security studies. Additionally, applicants must pass all qualifying exams and advance to the level of Ph.D. candidacy prior to the start of their appointment.

Award Information

Funded fellows receive a stipend of $40,000 over the course of their appointment, which will run from August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. Fellows also are assigned a computer and shared office space at the Institute, which is located in the heart of downtown Washington, DC.

Application Process

Necessary Materials

Applicants should complete the online application form with the following materials included in a single PDF document:

A curriculum vitae
A 5 page double-spaced dissertation prospectus that outlines the question and argument, explains the project’s contribution to the field of international security studies, and describes the research and writing to be undertaken during the fellowship year
A short writing sample (no longer than 40 pages)
Three confidential letters of recommendation attesting to the applicant’s scholarly promise and progress toward completion are required. Letter writers should email their recommendations directly to iscsgwu [dot] edu (iscs[at]gwu[dot]edu).

Deadlines

We have a limited number of funded fellowships available. Please let us know if you wish to be considered for an unfunded Visiting Scholar position in the event that you are not selected for a funded fellowship.

The application for the Predoctoral Fellowship Program is closed as of Friday, January 23, 2026 at 11:59 pm EST. Applicants will be notified of the Institute’s decision in February, 2026.

First name

Last name

Home institution

Cell phone number

Work phone number

Address

Address 2

City/Town

State/Province

ZIP/Postal Code

Country

Dissertation title

Dissertation committee

Create a numbered list please.
Example: 1. Dr. Charles Glaser, George Washington University, 212-999-9999, [email protected]

If not chosen for a funded fellowship, would you like to be considered for an unfunded Visiting Scholar position?

Yes

Please provide a numbered list of your THREE recommendations:

Please use the following format:
Dr. Charles Glaser, George Washington University, 212-999-9999, [email protected]

PDF Upload

Please upload in ONE complete PDF document, i.e. combine all documents into a single file containing the following:

A curriculum vitae;
A 4 to 5 page double-spaced dissertation prospectus that outlines the question and argument, explains the project’s contribution to the field of international security studies, and describes the research and writing to be undertaken during the fellowship year;
A short writing sample (no longer than 40 pages).

Please label as Lastname_PreDoc_2026 example: Farrell_PreDoc_2026

One file only.
256 MB limit.
Allowed types: txt, rtf, pdf, doc, docx, odt, ppt, pptx, odp, xls, xlsx, ods.

Have all three of your recommenders submitted letters DIRECTLY via email to [email protected]?

Yes

Recommenders must send letters directly to us.
Please ask their subject line read: “last name ISCS PreDoc LoR 2026 last name of recommender” Example: Farrell ISCS PreDoc LoR 2026 Mearsheimer.
Also ask that the attached file name read: lastname_LoR_recommender_26 Example: Farrell_LoR_Mearsheimer_26