Deadline: January 18, 2019.

The Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society at Harvard University is now accepting fellowship applications for the 2019-2020 academic year through our annual open call. This opportunity is for those who wish to spend 2019-2020 in residence in Cambridge, MA as part of the Center’s vibrant community of research and practice, and who seek to engage in collaborative, cross-disciplinary, and cross-sectoral exploration of some of the Internet’s most important and compelling issues.

Fellows appointed through this open call come into their fellowship with a personal research agenda and set of ambitions they wish to conduct while at the Center. These might include focused study or writing projects, action-oriented meetings, the development of a set of technical tools, capacity building efforts, testing different pedagogical approaches, or efforts to intervene in public discourse and trialing new platforms for exchange. Over the course of the year fellows advance their research and contribute to the intellectual life of the Center and fellowship program activities; as they learn with and are influenced by their peers, fellows have the freedom to change and modify their plans.

 

ELIGIBILITY

1. They welcome applications from people who feel that a year as a fellow in our variegated community would accelerate their efforts and contribute to their ongoing personal and professional development.

2. Fellows come from across the disciplinary spectrum and different life paths. Some fellows are academics, whether students, post-docs, or professors. Others come from outside academia, and are technologists, entrepreneurs, lawyers, policymakers, activists, journalists, educators, or other types of practitioners from various sectors. Many fellows wear multiple hats, and straddle different pursuits at the intersections of their capacities. Fellows might be starting, rebooting, driving forward in, questioning, or pivoting from their established careers.

3. Fellows are committed to spending their fellowship in concert with others guided by a heap of kindness, a critical eye, and generosity of spirit.

4. The fellowship selection process is a multi-dimensional mix of art and science, based on considerations that are specific to each applicant and that also consider the composition of the full fellowship class.

BENEFITS

• Fellow’s may request for a range of stipend, they are as follows:
  • $1-$11,999
  • $12,000-$23,999
  • $24,000-$35,999
  • $36,000 -$48,000
• Access to University Resources

 

APPLICATION

1. A current resume or C.V.
2. A personal statement that responds to the following three questions. Responses to each question should be between 250-500 words; the personal statement should not exceed 1500 words total.
   • What is the research you propose to conduct during a fellowship year? Please
     • describe the problems are you trying to solve;
     • outline the methods which might inform your research; and
     • tell us about the public interest and/or the communities you aim to serve through your work.
   • Why is the Berkman Klein Center the right place for you to do this work? Please share thoughts on:
     • how the opportunity to engage colleagues from different backgrounds — with a range of experiences and training in disciplines unfamiliar to you — might stimulate your work;
     • which perspectives you might seek out to help you fill in underdeveloped areas of your research;
     • what kinds of topics and skills you seek to learn with the Center that are outside of your primary research focus and expertise; and
     • the skills, connections, and insights you are uniquely suited to contribute to the Center’s community and activities.
   • How does your personal background inform and influence your research?
3. A copy of a recent publication or an example of relevant work. For a written document, for instance, it should be on the order of a paper or chapter – not an entire book or dissertation – and should be in English.
4. Two letters of recommendation sent directly from the reference.
5. Applicants will be asked in the Application Tracker to select two of the following topic areas explored at the Berkman Klein Center that resonate with their interests and research. This initial selection will help us to support building connections among fellows and between fellows and ongoing work at BKC but is of course not meant to constrain future research and exploration. The topic areas from which to choose: Education, Libraries, & Digital Humanities; Ethics and Governance of AI; Governance of Technology & the Internet; Internet Health; Justice, Equity, & Inclusion; Media, Democracy, & Public Discourse; Privacy & Security; and Technology & the Law

 

OFFICIAL LINK

 

Berkman Klein Center Fellowship