The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies

Founded in 1984, The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies is dedicated to promoting innovative social science hand-in-hand with deepening our shared knowledge of the experiences and practices of the world’s regions and countries.

The mission of the Academy Scholars Program is to train social scientists in area studies—focusing especially on areas of the world outside of the United States or Canada.

The Harvard Academy’s premise is that the scholarly world needs individuals who combine thorough disciplinary and area specializations. The Academy Scholars Program was established to facilitate this goal. The Harvard Academy also organizes seminars and conferences, and supports Harvard University faculty research and publications.

The Academy Scholars Program of The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies identifies and supports outstanding scholars at the start of their academic careers whose work combines excellence in a social science discipline with a command of the language and knowledge or expertise of countries or regions outside of the United States or Canada. The scholarship of the group spans traditional disciplinary divisions and elucidates comparative, transnational, and domestic issues, past and present.

The Academy Scholars are a select community of individuals possessed of resourcefulness, initiative, and originality whose work shows promise as a foundation for careers in research universities or international institutions.

Academy Scholars are appointed for a two-year, in-residence, postdoctoral fellowship at The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies at Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA. They receive substantial financial and research assistance which permits them to undertake robust research projects and skills development in their chosen fields and areas. They meet at dinners, seminars, and informal get-togethers in order to pursue innovative interdisciplinary approaches to their work. They participate actively in the intellectual life of the University, engaging in seminars, workshops, and conferences. During the course of the fellowship, each Academy Scholar presents his or her work at a seminar to colleagues, Harvard Academy Senior Scholars, and other interested faculty and graduate students. Many Academy Scholars, in addition, present their book manuscript for intensive discussion at The Harvard Academy-sponsored author's conferences, to which a small number of colleagues from Harvard and other universities are invited.

They are mentored by the Harvard Academy Senior Scholars, a cohort of faculty members who act as a selection committee, participate in Harvard Academy events, and are committed to supporting the Academy Scholars as they work to achieve their potential. The Harvard Academy Senior Scholars are David R. Armitage, Emily Breza, Melani Cammett, Timothy J. Colton, Melissa Dell, Sarah Dryden-Peterson, Grzegorz Ekiert, Rema Hanna, Nicholas Harkness, Eliana La Ferrara, Ya-Wen Lei, Steven Levitsky, Mary D. Lewis, Elizabeth J. Perry, Jocelyn Viterna, Yuhua Wang, and Malika Zeghal.

In addition, the Harvard Academy Seminar brings distinguished scholars to campus. Meeting several times a year to explore new developments in social science research that are pertinent to a direct understanding of the culture, history, and institutions of specific countries or regions, the seminar—a thirty- to forty-minute presentation followed by discussion—takes place over dinner at the Harvard Faculty Club.

The Academy Scholars Program has been made possible through the generous support of Dr. Ira Kukin, founding benefactor of The Harvard Academy, and Albert and Celia Weatherhead and the Weatherhead Foundation.

The application deadline for the Academy Scholars Program is September 18, 2026.

The Harvard Academy is dedicated to building an inclusive community of scholars with an array of experiences, perspectives, and methods.