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Transatlantic Post-Doc Fellowship for International Relations and Security (TAPIR)

The Transatlantic Post-Doc Fellowship for International Relations and Security (TAPIR) is open to candidates who have recently received their doctorate in social and political sciences or economics and whose research focuses on topics of international relations and/or international peace and security issues. Fellowships are granted for a duration of 24 months to prepare fellows for a career in policy-oriented and international research at renowned think tanks and political consulting research institutes. Fellows spend three eight-month stays at research institutions or think tanks participating in the program - at least one on the Eastern, and one on the Western side of the Atlantic.

Conceived to strengthen transatlantic ties on key policy challenges facing the United States and Europe, the TAPIR program is now in its second decade. Many fellows have moved from the fellowship into influential positions in think tanks, universities, and government. The fellowship continues to offer a unique entree into the world of in depth, but practical and objective policy analysis at a time when such analysis has never been greater.

Participating institutes include: Center for Security Studies (CSS), Zurich; Chatham House, London; Finnish Institute of International Affairs (FIIA), Helsinki; German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF), Washington, D.C., Berlin, Paris; Institut français des relations internationales (IFRI), Paris; Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies (IFS), Oslo; RAND Corporation (RAND), Washington, D.C.; SAIS Center for Transatlantic Relations (SAIS), Washington, D.C.; United States Institute of Peace (USIP), Washington, D.C.; and German Institute for International and Security Affairs/Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (SWP), Berlin.

Fellows will be supervised by a researcher at each host institute, while being integrated into the relevant research units or projects. Fellows will have the opportunity to work on issues of major and immediate political significance and to publish their work in journals or paper series that will be read by decision-makers worldwide. The fellowship aims to involve fellowsactively in the work and research of leading international think tanks. It is not intended to primarily fund the completion of major individual publications or of academic peer-reviewed journal articles.

The fellowship consists of

A monthly stipend of Euro 1.800,00
A monthly allowance for health insurance of Euro 200,00
And a one-time travel allowance of Euro 3.500,00 for travel to and from the host institutions.

Fees for residence permits are not included.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Transatlantic Post-Doc Fellowship, candidates must have successfully defended their Ph.D. by the start of the program (October 1, 2018). Candidates must have a strong interest in working in a policy-oriented international environment and must demonstrate their ability to do so by excellence in academic work on relevant international issues.

Applicants must either be citizens of the U.S., Canada or Europe (in a broader geographical definition) OR must have resided in the U.S., Canada or Europe at least for two-and-a-half years in the five years prior to the application deadline.

Application procedure

Applications should contain

A 2500 word (maximum) research statement (excluding footnotes) that outlines a proposal for a project that would offer policy relevant insights into a key international policy question using a clear analytical framework. The statement should also touch on therelationship with the candidate's past academic work (research proposal). This does not have to be limited to transatlantic issues.
A letter of motivation, maximum 1 page / 400 words.
A concise Curriculum Vitae with a list of principal publications (max. four pages in total). Please state your citizenship if you are U.S., Canadian or European citizen OR details about your residency there (see above).
Two letters of recommendation (attached to your application or separately sent by your referees)

All files, including letters of recommendation, should be sent in English language and in PDF format to tapir(at)swp-berlin.org by Thursday, February 1, 2018 (00.00 h MEZ). Incomplete, faulty, or late applications will not be considered. Successful candidates will be informed by May, 2018 and will start their fellowship on October 1, 2018. Please note: the nature of this fellowship requires that fellows be fully prepared to move overseas.

Selection

Fellows will be selected by a jury composed of members of the participating institutes. Selection criteria are the academic excellence of the candidate, policy consultancy experiences and the quality of the research statement and reference letters.

The decision of the jury is final and no appeal is possible. All candidates are informed of the outcome of their applications by e-mail.