Bajaj Fellowship on India and South Asia

The Lakshmi Mittal and Family South Asia Institute, Harvard University is pleased offer the Jamnalal Kaniram Bajaj Visiting Research Fellowship, a semester-long appointment based in Cambridge that supports doctoral scholars and advanced professional degree holders who focus interdisciplinary research on critical questions and issues related to India and South Asia.

About the Fellowship

The Bajaj Visiting Research Fellowship is a Cambridge-based Fellowship where the selected fellow will join the Mittal Institute community on Harvard’s campus for the duration of the Fall Academic Semester. The selected Bajaj Visiting Research Fellow will be expected to be in residence for the Fall 2025 Semester (please see Harvard’s Academic Calendar for more details).

While working directly with their selected Faculty Mentor on their personal research project (proposed in their application), Bajaj Visiting Research fellows will fully engage with the intellectual life at the Mittal Institute and Harvard. At the end of their residency, the Bajaj fellow will present their work in a Mittal Institute seminar moderated by their faculty mentor. Apart from their own research, fellows will participate in grant and fellowship review, mentor graduate students and help collaborate on other events and projects at the Institute. 

Fellowship Details

Scholars are expected to be in residence for the full academic semester of this fellowship. For Fall 2025, it will be September 2 to December 19, 2024. The selected fellow will be guaranteed a desk space for this term. 

The gross stipend for the Bajaj Fellowship is $33,800 for 6 months, equivalent to a monthly gross stipend of $5,633.33 USD paid on the last business day of the month. This amount is prorated based on the fellowship start and end dates. For nonresident aliens, Harvard may be required to take taxes out of the payment up front. Please contact the Nonresident Alien Tax Office with any questions.

Round-trip economy travel expenses and visa fees from South Asia to Boston will also be reimbursed (for participants residing in South Asia only). All reimbursements and stipends are limited to the dates of the appointment.

The Mittal Institute nor Harvard University does not sponsor, provide, nor procure housing for fellows during their residency. Fellows are expected to have at least temporary housing by the start date of their fellowship and arrival in Cambridge. More information and resources on housing in the Cambridge area can be found on the FAS Office of Postdoctoral Affairs: https://postdoc.fas.harvard.edu/housing 

Eligibility

Scholars must hold a PhD to be eligible. Those who have not had past opportunities to access Harvard’s resources and who have primarily been educated at institutions in South Asia will be prioritized. Scholars with a research interest in India will be prioritized.

Deadlines

Applications for the Academic Year 2025/26 Fellowship are due December 10, 2024.

Reference letters are due December 20, 2024.

Decisions will be made typically within 2 – 3 months of the application deadline.

How to Apply

All application materials should be uploaded and submitted via an online application form called ARIeS. To start, please create an account on the ARIeS site.

Once your account is active, you will be able to create and submit an application through this posting.

All applicants will need to submit the following through ARIeS:

• A five-page, double-spaced research plan
• An updated and current curriculum vitae, which lists your academic degrees (including disciplines and the dates the degrees were received), your publications and research presentations, and any previous grants and/or fellowships.
• A writing sample (no more than ten pages, double-spaced)
• Two letters of recommendation uploaded directly to ARIeS. NOTE: Recommenders will NOT be able to their letters until you have completed your application and will have until December 20, ten days after the application deadline, to submit their letters. If need be, letters can emailed directly to thomaselliott@fas.harvard.edu by December 20, with “Mittal Institute Fellowship Recommendation” and the applicant’s name in the subject line. They can be addressed to ‘Members of the Selection Committee.’

All materials must be received by the application deadline in order to be considered. If you have questions, please reach out to our program coordinator rather than to Harvard faculty.

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.