About the Gaither Junior Fellows Program

The James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace offers approximately 15 one-year fellowships to uniquely qualified graduating seniors and individuals who have graduated during the past academic year. They are selected from a pool of nominees nominated by several hundred participating universities and colleges. James C. Gaither Junior Fellows work as research assistants to Carnegie’s senior scholars.

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's 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. This fellowship is designed to provide a substantive work experience for students who have a serious career interest in the area of international affairs. Gaither Junior Fellows provide research assistance to scholars working on Carnegie Endowment's projects by conducting research, contributing to op-eds, papers, reports, and books, editing documents, participating in meetings with high-level officials, contributing to congressional testimony, and organizing briefings attended by scholars, activists, journalists, and government officials.

Assignments

James C. Gaither Junior Fellows spend one year (beginning September 1st) at Carnegie in Washington, DC working with Carnegie’s senior scholars in the following fields:

2025-2026 Programs or Projects

Democracy, Conflict, and Governance
American Statecraft
Nuclear Policy
Technology and International Affairs—Strong writing skills and research skills are essential.
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.
International Security and Political Economy [to work with the 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.
Asia Program—Mandarin Chinese language skills, particularly reading comprehension, are essential.
Russia and Eurasia—Excellent Russian and/or Ukranian reading skills required.
Africa Program
Global Order and Institutions
Sustainability, Climate and Geopolitics—Basic 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 US debates on climate change.
Europe—Fluency and the ability to perform research in a European language other than English are a plus. Background knowledge on European politics is essential.

How to Apply

The application consists of applicant information (address, participating university, language skills, graduation date, etc.) along with five core components. A resume, a one-page personal statement, two letters of recommendation, a three-page substantive essay, and your transcript.

For the resume, we prefer that it be one-to-two pages, and it should reflect your research and writing experience as much as possible.

For the personal statement, the applicant should describe why they are applying to their particular research program and how being selected by the junior fellows program would fit into their career aspirations.

For the substantive essay, for your research program of choice, the applicant must respond to the prompt while demonstrating their skills as it relates to analysis, logic, and written assessment.

For the transcript, please note that an unofficial transcript is preferred, though an official transcript is also acceptable. If you have transferred, please make sure to either submit a transcript from your first institution also or make sure that the information is reflected by your current transcript.

For the letters of recommendation, these can be submitted by anyone whom the applicant wishes. We recommend that applicants choose recommenders who can speak directly to the applicant’s ability to write and support research projects.

Application Process

Complete the Campus Application by December 1st at 11:59 pm. Applications will be reviewed by the Committee on Fellowships for nomination consideration. Applicants selected to advance in the process will have an opportunity to revise their materials with feedback from the committee before the national application deadline in January.

Please review the 2025 Competition Instructions for Applying, Projects, and FAQ in preparation for submitting the campus application.