An Wang Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chinese Studies at Harvard

For academic year 2024-25 the Fairbank Center is offering two post-doctoral fellowships to support participants in an interdisciplinary research group that will focus on China’s global engagements and its effect on the global political economy. The theme of the research will be “Global Firms and Rival States: Business, Transnational Commerce, and China’s Rise.” The research group will be led by Meg Rithmire, F. Warren McFarlan Associate Professor of Business Administration, and David Yang, Professor of Economics. 

We welcome applications from junior scholars who have research interests in any of the following areas:    

• The causes and consequences of the internationalization of Chinese firms  
• Chinese technology ambitions and investments, within and beyond China’s borders  
• The political economy of national security in China and in relation to China  
• The political economic consequences of US-China rivalry   
• State-business relations in China and in the context of China’s emergence as global economic power.  

These topics span several disciplines (political science, history, sociology, and economics) and geographies, and we welcome applications from a diverse pool of scholars with different methodological approaches.   

The deadline to apply is January 16, 2024.

Expectations

The one-year An Wang Fellowship period is from August 1, 2024, to July 31, 2025.  An Wang Fellows are expected to reside in the Greater Boston area for the duration of the fellowship.  

As part of the interdisciplinary research group, the primary responsibility of the An Wang postdoctoral fellows will be to conduct their proposed research project under the mentorship of Professors Rithmire and Yang. Using the balance of their available time, they will have the opportunity to participate in a range of activities to be decided upon by the group. These activities may include co-organizing a small workshop on a focused topic related to firms and China’s role in the global political economy, and/or engaging with Professors Rithmire and Yang on several ongoing research projects addressing, broadly, how China’s economic rise is affecting the global political economy.  

Over the course of the 2024-2025 academic year, the An Wang postdoctoral fellows will be invited to share their research with a growing community of Harvard researchers working on China and the global political economy. 

Total annual stipend for An Wang Postdoctoral Fellows: $65,000, plus you will be eligible for Harvard University’s subsidized comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and other benefits.  In addition, $3,000 in research funding for scholarly activities will be available to each fellow.  

The fellowships will be subject to all rules and regulations of Harvard University.

Qualifications

A strong working knowledge of Chinese and English is required.

A doctoral degree is required by one month prior to the start of the fellowship. Candidates must provide confirmation of successful completion of their terminal doctoral degree, in the form of a diploma or a certificate of completion from the degree-granting institution’s Registrar, by July 1, 2024, at the latest.  

Applicants may not be more than five years beyond the receipt of their doctoral degree at the start of the fellowship. Harvard University doctoral degree recipients are not eligible for this fellowship.

Applicants must notify the Fairbank Center of any changes to the information provided in their application that may impact eligibility. Failure to communicate such changes may result in disqualification.

How to Apply

To apply, you are required to submit an online application, available here: https://academicpositions.harvard.edu/postings/13118

Application deadline: January 16, 2024

All application materials must be in English. Please submit:

• CV
• A one to two-page cover letter that briefly states your interest in the program, your background, and a summary of your research project.
• A five-page, double-spaced research proposal
• A writing sample (academic paper or dissertation chapter)
• Two or three academic references who have agreed to provide a recommendation letter.

At least two and no more than three academic recommendation letters are required, to be submitted directly to the application portal by each recommender.

If you have not received your doctorate degree at the time of application, please ask your dissertation advisor to submit the An Wang Postdoctoral Fellowship Advisor Confirmation Form. This form must be completed by your advisor and emailed to fairbankcenter@fas.harvard.edu within two weeks of application submission.

Contact fairbankcenter@fas.harvard.edu if you have any questions regarding the application.

The fellowships will be subject to all rules and regulations of Harvard University. Harvard is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, protected veteran status, disability, genetic information, military service, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or other protected status.