Prospective Applicants

Alexander Görlach, CES Visiting Scholar (2016-2017)

The CES Visiting Scholars Program offers post-doctoral social scientists and historians the opportunity to spend up to one year at Harvard for independent research on Europe or transatlantic relations. Successful candidates benefit from the Center’s programs and Harvard’s intellectually stimulating environment, additionally, they gain access to the university's extensive library resources. Applicants range from postdoctoral fellows to senior scholars.

Before submitting an application, please review all instructions below. Questions about the program should be addressed to Roumiana Theunissen.

Application Deadlines

Waltraud Schelkle, CES Visiting Scholar (2015-2016)

Visiting Scholars Program Deadline: December 15, 2017 (11:59 PM EST)

Applications will be accepted for the 2018-2019 academic year via the online application portal starting in September 2017. Late or incomplete applications will not be accepted.
Visiting Scholars Off-Cycle Deadline: 30 days prior to fellowship deadline

The Center considers applications prior to the January deadline for the 2018-2019 academic year only for candidates applying for specific fellowships or grants that require a statement of affiliation with an American institution (for example Fulbright grants) and whose deadline is prior to the Center’s December 2017 deadline. Eligible candidates may submit an off-cycle application by emailing all required documents to Roumiana Theunissen. Complete applications must be received at least 30 days prior to the fellowship or grant deadline.
John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellowship (for German Citizens) Deadline: November 15, 2017

This fellowship is administered by the DAAD and is available only to German scholars. Application materials must be submitted directly to the DAAD. For more information, view John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellowship.
German Kennedy Memorial Fellowship (for EU Citizens) Deadline: December 15, 2017 (11:59 PM EST)

One fellowship per year gifted by the German government is available to scholars from EU countries. Application materials for the 2018-2019 academic year must be submitted to CES via the online application portal. For more information, view German Kennedy Memorial Fellowship.

Application Details

CES Visiting Scholars will be able to:

Expand their research by accessing Harvard University’s resources including the world's largest university library and private library system.
Receive a Harvard University research appointment and have a Harvard email account and ID card granting full access to Harvard’s facilities.
Present research in a weekly Visiting Scholars Seminar and receive feedback on work-in-progress from colleagues in their field.
Participate in the Center’s robust program of talks, study group sessions and conferences. View the CES Events Calendar.
Have a desk in a shared office space at CES. Most of our visitors are placed in a two-person office. Office space for visitors is determined by semester needs and is not guaranteed, though we make every effort to provide office space for all visitors.
Receive IT support from CES Technical Support Staff and have wireless and ethernet internet access. Please note that computers are not provided in offices and Visiting Scholars are encouraged to bring a laptop.
Audit courses on campus with the permission of the instructor. For the list of course offerings, please visit the Harvard course catalog directory.

Applicants to the CES Visiting Scholars Program must:

Pursue an independent project on modern Europe in the social sciences, including history.
Possess a Ph.D. at the time of application. Please note that applications from students in a degree program at the time of application submission will not be considered.
Commit to be in residence at CES for a minimum of three months (at least two of these during the academic year); applicants may not hold concurrent appointments.
Be able to secure their own funding from sabbatical salary or external grants. A minimum of $2,500 per month is required for scholars without dependents (J-1 visa regulations).
Applicants outside of academia who are well established in their profession with a minimum of seven years professional experience, such as journalists, may also apply. They should contact Roumiana Theunissen for further information.

Terms and Conditions:

Visiting Scholars are expected to reside in the Boston area and to have their primary office at CES so that they can participate fully in the life of the community. They must remain in residence locally for a minimum of three months (at least two of these during the academic year) to hold an appointment and should not be absent for more than one week at a time during the academic terms. Please view the FAS Academic Calendar for the term dates.
Visiting Scholars are required to participate in the weekly Visiting Scholars Lunch Seminar, which takes place every Wednesday during the academic term. This seminar is open to the public and is an opportunity to present work in progress and obtain feedback from colleagues at the Center and the University at large.
While CES does not charge an application fee, all accepted Visiting Scholars will be assessed a $500 processing fee per semester, or per four-month period, if dates of residence are outside of normal term times, with a maximum of $1,000 per academic year. In addition, international visitors who apply for J-1 visas are also responsible for paying all associated visa fees.
Visiting Scholars are responsible for purchasing their own health insurance. We recommend that you review the Harvard International Office’s pages on health insurance options.
Visiting Scholars are expected to be free of their regular commitments so they may devote themselves full time to the work outlined in their research proposal.
While there are no teaching requirements for this program, visitors are expected to make themselves available to consult with Harvard graduate and undergraduate students who are writing their theses.
CES expects that visitors will contribute more generally to the intellectual life at the Center, such as attending lectures, study groups and weekly Friday Lunches.

CES possesses very limited funding for Visiting Scholars. Approximately 90 percent of our Visiting Scholars are self-funded from sources such as sabbatical salary, grants from their home governments, or other private organizations.

CES hosts a small number of scholars from specific countries or institutions who receive support from CES or partner organizations. With the exception of the German Kennedy Memorial Fellowship, which is available to EU scholars, these fellowships are administered by our partner organizations with their own deadlines, and applicants must receive final approval by the CES Steering Committee in order to be invited into the Visiting Scholars Program. Candidates applying for these fellowships may also apply directly to the CES Visiting Scholars Program as a non-stipendiary candidate. These include:

The John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellowship (for German scholars)
Administered by the DAAD, this 10-month fellowship is restricted to German scholars with a preference for those who will return to Germany following the fellowship. For more information, see John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellowship.

German Kennedy Memorial Fellowship (for EU scholars)

Administered by CES, this 10-month fellowship is restricted to citizens of EU countries (other than Germany). Five fellowships will be given within a 10-year time frame. For more information, see German Kennedy Memorial Fellowship.

The Sciences Po Fellowship
Administered by the Centre des Amériques de Sciences Po, this fellowship is restricted to faculty and researchers employed at Sciences Po. Please contact Caroline Guény Mentré for further information.

Below are some additional recommendations for potential funding sources that are not affiliated with CES, from which past Visiting Scholars have benefited.