Visiting Research Scholar - Fung Global Fellows Program

About this position

• Princeton University is pleased to announce the call for applications to
• the Fung Global Fellows Program at the Princeton Institute for
• International and Regional Studies (PIIRS). The program will select
• early-career scholars from around the world to be in residence at
• Princeton for an academic year (10 months) and to engage in research
• and discussion around a common theme. The fellowships will be awarded
• to those employed outside the United States who have a faculty
• appointment or a professional research appointment, and they will be
• expected to return to their positions at the conclusion of the
• fellowship. Lastly, they must have demonstrated outstanding scholarly
• achievement and unusual intellectual promise. Early-career scholars
• will be appointed at the rank of Visiting Research Scholar. Democratic
• governance faces mounting pressure around the world. The rise of
• populist movements, declining trust in institutions, polarization,
• disinformation, and democratic backsliding (including in democracies
• once considered as consolidated) have prompted renewed debate about
• whether democracy's ascendance in the late 20th century was more
• fragile than assumed. At the same time, democracies have proven
• resilient in unexpected ways through grassroots mobilization,
• institutional safeguards, judicial independence, and civic renewal,
• raising the question of what, precisely, allows some democratic
• systems to weather crisis while others erode or collapse. During the
• 2027-28 academic year, the program theme will be "Democracy in
• Crisis?" We invite applications from scholars who study the challenges
• confronting democratic governance and/or the sources of democratic
• resilience. Projects might explore the drivers and dynamics of
• populism; the erosion of democratic norms and institutions; the role
• of media, technology, and disinformation in shaping political life;
• the relationship between economic inequality and democratic
• legitimacy; or the strategies through which citizens, civil society,
• and institutions have defended or renewed democratic practice. We are
• equally interested in work that interrogates the conceptual and
• normative foundations of democracy itself, what it means, who it
• serves, and how it has been imagined and contested across different
• political and cultural traditions. Applicants may address any region
• of the world and can bring contemporary and/or historical perspectives
• to bear. We welcome scholars from across the humanities and social
• sciences and hope to bring together a cohort whose comparative and
• interdisciplinary conversations will deepen our understanding of
• democracy's vulnerabilities and its capacity for renewal. Applicants
• must apply online at https://apply.interfolio.com/191685. Applications
• are due on November 16, 2026 (11:59 p.m. EST). To be eligible,
• applicants must have received their Ph.D. (or equivalent) generally
• after September 1, 2017. Candidates who are currently enrolled in a
• Ph.D. program or employed as postdocs are not eligible to apply.
• Fellowships will be awarded on the strength of a candidate's proposed
• research project, the relationship of that project to the program's
• theme, the candidate's scholarly record, and their ability to
• contribute to the intellectual life of the program. For more
• information, see: https://funggfp.princeton.edu/applications. The
• following items must be submitted by the applicant, in English, by
• November 16, 2026: Cover letter (1.5 pages maximum) Curriculum Vitae
• (including publications) Research proposal (maximum of 3 pages, single
• spaced) One writing sample (article or book chapter, maximum of 50
• pages) The names and email addresses for three referees, who will be
• contacted automatically by the online application system with an
• invitation to upload their letter of recommendation to the system by
• the application deadline. (Please note: all letters of reference
• should be submitted by your referees before the November 16, 2026
• deadline.) Should an offer be made, successful candidates who hold
• faculty appointments or professional research appointments will be
• required to submit an official letter from their current employer
• affirming that they would be permitted to accept the offer and to
• spend the academic year at Princeton University. The work location for
• these positions is in-person, on campus at Princeton University. The
• work location for these positions is in-person, on campus at Princeton
• University. These positions are not eligible for sponsorship of an
• H-1B visa requiring consular processing; other visa sponsorships may
• be available, as appropriate. Princeton University is an Equal
• Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive
• consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color,
• religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression,
• national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any
• other characteristic protected by law.