Overview

Fellows are expected to pursue research that relates to the priorities of the Arctic Initiative: addressing the challenges and opportunities associated with the effects of climate change in the Arctic. A special focus is on exploring to what extent existing governmental and international policies, programs, laws, and regulations are adequate and appropriate to address the evolving challenges and opportunities in the Arctic, and to consider how they can be improved.

The Belfer Young Leaders (BYL) Student Fellowship Program helps prepare a community of high-achieving Harvard Kennedy School students to cultivate 21st century, global ideas and to gain the strong analytical and innovative leadership skills necessary to excel in the global affairs arena. The BYL fellowship program also aims to impart to students the importance of community, service, and leadership.  This fellowship includes the possibility of a financial award of up to $25,000.00 per academic year to be applied towards tuition; awards will be determined based on a student’s need, other financial awards, and academic performance of the student. 

Please contact Mackenzie Heather (mackenzie_heather@hks.harvard.edu) with any questions or concerns regarding the student fellowship.

Fellows will contribute to our ongoing research projects on energy policy, climate policy, climate finance, and energy technology innovation, including policy implementation options to scale new clean energy technologies in the United States, pathways and policies for decarbonization in China, the interactions between policies and technologies as we move toward a decarbonized energy system, agriculture and energy policy (food vs. fuel).

The Ernest May Fellowship in History and Policy of the Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs aims to help build the next generation of men and women who will bring professional history to bear on strategic studies and major issues of international affairs.

The Geopolitics of Energy Project Fellowship focuses on topics related to the intersection of international politics, security, and energy. 

The International Security Program develops and trains new talent in security studies by hosting pre- and postdoctoral research fellows. The International Security Program offers fellowships in the following research areas: U.S. defense and foreign policy; grand strategy; diplomacy; nuclear, chemical, and biological–weapons proliferation; managing nuclear technology and materials; chemical and biological weapons proliferation, control, and countermeasures; terrorism; regional security, internal and ethnic conflict; and international relations theory.

The Project on Managing the Atom offers fellowships for pre-doctoral and post-doctoral scholars, and mid-career professionals, for ten months. Research topics of interest include aspects of nuclear nonproliferation policy, nuclear weapons strategy, arms control, disarmament processes and verification, the future of nuclear energy, regional conflict and nuclear weapons, security for nuclear weapons and materials, and other issues of nuclear policy.

The Middle East Initiative offers one-year Emirates Leadership Initiative Fellowships for research related to governance and public policy in the Arab world and broader Middle East. These fellowships, all of which carry a stipend, are intended to support the next generation of policy-oriented scholars on the challenges and opportunities facing and emanating from the region. 

The National Security Fellowship is a 10-month research fellowship for U.S. military officers at the Lt Col/Colonel rank and their civilian counterparts who show promise of rising to the most challenging leadership positions within their organizations.

The Recanati-Kaplan Foundation Fellows Program educates the next generation of thought leaders in national and international intelligence and supports their research to develop policy-relevant knowledge for the most pressing security issues. Since 2012, the Belfer Center has hosted intelligence officers from the US and foreign intelligence services for a full academic year of study at Harvard University. Application is through direct invitation to participating services, and applicants are nominated by their organizations. Recanati-Kaplan Fellows develop a course of study and a research focus that suits their needs and meets the fellowship’s main goals of learning the tools of applied history, strengthening their skills and knowledge base, and preparing for senior leadership roles in the future.