Research & Design Studio Fellowships
Applications are now closed.
Since its founding in 1986, Harvard University’s Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics has convened scholars and practitioners to confront pressing ethical questions of the time. Building on this tradition, the Center invites applications for the Research & Design Studio Fellowship, a new fellowship program at the heart of the Center’s innovation hub, helping a new generation of thinkers and practitioners translate ethical reflection and scholarship into practical contributions for academia and public life.
The Research & Design Studio:
The Research & Design Studio (R&DS) is an interdisciplinary network that bridges scholarship and practice. Its current theme and focus is the ethical and political dimensions of disagreement: when it proves productive, how to rebuild a culture of principled disagreement, and how to navigate difference. Through this work, the R&DS seeks to strengthen civil discourse in higher education and public life, bringing together faculty, students, researchers, and practitioners to explore how we can engage across differences more constructively. Fellows contribute to creating pedagogical resources, designing tools for dialogue, and testing models that help make engagement more inclusive and meaningful while also working on their own research projects. For more information, visit the Research & Design Studio page.
Community & Collaboration:
We aim to build cohorts where fellows find valuable intellectual partnerships to support and spur their work. The ideal candidates are those committed to furthering their own projects while also investing time and energy into building community with the other fellows in their cohort.
Fellowship Expectations:
Research & Design Studio Fellows will:
- Devote the majority of their time to advancing their individual research and design projects.
- Participate in regular seminars with their cohort and others at the Center.
- Engage actively with the Center’s broader programming, which includes public lectures, themed seminars and reading groups, conferences, workshops, and lunch discussions.
Residency Requirement:
This is a residential fellowship. Fellows are expected to live in the Boston area and be present at the Center at least three days per week, with four working days per week in the area overall. Occasional travel for conferences and professional commitments is permitted.
Learn More
Applicants must have a PhD, professional degree, or a minimum of 5 years of equivalent professional experience by September 1 of the fellowship year. Faculty, Postdoctoral Researchers, and Practitioners are all eligible to apply. Although applicants from any career stage will be considered, this Fellowship program is especially suitable for younger scholars.
Applicants from any discipline or professional field will be considered. Those who have previously held a yearlong residential Fellowship at the Center are not eligible; this limitation does not apply to former Undergraduate Fellows or former Graduate Fellows. The Research & Design Studio works over the course of the academic year, typically from the beginning of September through the end of May, and is open to all applicants who meet the above criteria, regardless of citizenship.
Please note that advanced language skills in both written and spoken English are required for Fellows at the Center. Fellows are expected to discuss and/or present their work in English and are encouraged to participate in informal discussions with faculty and students with related interests. Application materials, including writing samples, should be in English. If offered a fellowship, non-native English speakers who cannot demonstrate their proficiency through (1) completion of a degree from an English-speaking institution of higher education or (2) satisfactory TOEFL or IELTS scores will be contacted by the Center staff to arrange for further evaluation as needed.
Faculty:
We offer a stipend of one-half of your base academic year salary up to $80,000 and a research allowance of up to $3,000 for approved expenses directly related to your work, such as travel, books, and research assistance.
Post-Docs:
The stipend for post-doctoral fellows will be $7,000/month for 2026-27. We also provide a research allowance of up to $3,000 per academic year for approved expenses directly related to your work, such as travel, books, and research assistance.
Practitioner:
Practitioner stipends are determined on a case-by-case basis, commensurate with experience, up to a maximum of $80,000. We also provide a research allowance of up to $3,000 for approved expenses directly related to your work, such as travel, books, and research assistance.
Before beginning the application, you may wish to have the following information available:
- The title of your research proposal
- Names and contact information for 3 references (no letters are accepted at the application stage)
To apply, complete our online application form, which will request the information noted above. You will also be asked to upload the following documents:
- Cover letter stating your background and interest in the Fellows-in-Residence Program at the Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics
- Curriculum Vitae
- Research proposal, to include:
- A description of the central project you hope to pursue during your fellowship year. Please include its goals, methods, and potential impact
- Discussion of how your work connects to the themes of the Research & Design Studio, particularly around the ethical and political dimensions of disagreement
- What specific outputs or contributions (e.g., research, teaching tools, public engagement projects) do you anticipate producing by the end of your fellowship?
- How do you envision engaging with other fellows and contributing to the collaborative cohort environment?
- Recent writing sample representative of your work
Please note: Name and contact information for three professional references will be requested, but no letters will be accepted at this stage. Please prepare your references for the possibility that we will reach out to them for their assessment of your work. In that case, they will be asked to submit a letter and complete a form within a short turn-around period.
The deadline to submit an application is November 15, 2025, with decisions likely to be announced in March 2026. Please note that the application form will be saved automatically while in progress, but no edits or alterations will be allowed once you have submitted the application. Please direct questions regarding this application process to ethics_fellowships@fas.harvard.edu.
