Fung Global Fellows Program - AY 2027-28

Overview

Princeton University is calling for applications to the Fung Global Fellows Program at the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS) for the 2027-28 academic year. The programme selects early-career scholars from around the world to be in residence at Princeton for ten months and to work and talk around a shared theme. Fellows are appointed at the rank of Visiting Research Scholar and are expected to return to their home positions at the end of the fellowship.

The 2027-28 theme is Democracy in Crisis? Populism, declining trust in institutions, polarization, disinformation and democratic backsliding have raised doubts about how robust democracy's late twentieth-century advance really was, yet democracies have also shown resilience through grassroots mobilization, institutional safeguards, judicial independence and civic renewal. The programme invites scholars who study the challenges to democratic governance or the sources of democratic resilience. Projects might cover the dynamics of populism, the erosion of democratic norms, the role of media, technology and disinformation, inequality and democratic legitimacy, or how citizens and institutions defend or renew democratic practice, as well as the conceptual and normative foundations of democracy. Any region and both contemporary and historical approaches are welcome.

Who can apply

Fellowships go to scholars employed outside the United States who hold a faculty or professional research appointment and show outstanding scholarly achievement and unusual intellectual promise. Applicants must generally have received their PhD or equivalent after 1 September 2017. People currently enrolled in a PhD programme or working as postdocs are not eligible. Selection rests on the research project, its relation to the theme, the scholarly record and the ability to contribute to the programme's intellectual life.

What you get

The full-time, fixed-term fellowship pays $82,322.60 to $111,135.51 per annum and is held in person on the Princeton campus. The positions are not eligible for sponsorship of an H-1B visa requiring consular processing, though other visa sponsorship may be available.

How to apply

Applications are made online in English and include a cover letter of up to 1.5 pages, a CV with publications, a research proposal of up to three pages, one writing sample of up to 50 pages, and the names and email addresses of three referees who are invited to upload letters by the deadline.

Key dates

Applications are due on 16 November 2026 at 11:59 p.m. EST.