Visiting Fellowship

Basic Function

Brookings’s Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies (CNAPS) has substantially restructured its Visiting Fellows program. Beginning in August 2009, CNAPS will host two classes of Visiting Fellows per academic year. The Autumn class will be in residence at Brookings during August 17-December 18, 2009 and will include one Fellow each from China, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia or Russia. The Spring session is scheduled for March 1-June 30, 2010 and will include one Fellow each from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore or Vietnam. CNAPS is currently accepting applications for the Autumn 2009 session and the Spring 2010 session, and will give preference to applications that include research proposals focused on energy security.

Fellows are drawn from mid- to senior ranks of the governments, think tanks, universities, media, and business communities in East Asia. Fellows are selected on a highly competitive basis, following a careful review of all applications. Applicants selected for the fellowship are eligible for a living stipend of up to $20,000 for the four-month term. Brookings will withhold taxes from Fellows’ stipends according to U.S. tax guidelines.

During the four-month Fellowships, Visiting Fellows conduct individual research and collaborative activities, interact with the U.S. policymaking community, and take part in the rich array of policy seminars and discussions available at Brookings. The Brookings Institution’s location and convening power give Visiting Fellows the opportunity to hear views from and interact with policy scholars and opinion leaders, the diplomatic community, U.S. government officials, journalists, and others. Visiting Fellows also have the opportunity to meet frequently with experts outside Brookings at major universities and other policy organizations in Washington, D.C.

About CNAPS

Established in 1998 as part of the Brookings Institution’s Foreign Policy program, CNAPS is a center for research, analysis, and exchange on the compelling policy challenges facing the Northeast Asia region and U.S.-Asia relations. CNAPS features three program areas: a Visiting Fellowship which targets Northeast Asia’s future political and opinion leaders; an active series of events on political, economic and security issues; and scholarly research and publication. Drawing on the Brookings Institution’s long-standing ties to the region, CNAPS is a leading venue for transpacific policy dialogue as well as research and publication devoted to Northeast Asia.

The Center is directed by Dr. Richard Bush, a senior fellow in Brookings’s Foreign Policy Studies program. Dr. Bush has extensive experience in both the executive and legislative branches of the United States government, most recently as chairman of the board and managing director of the American Institute in Taiwan under both the Clinton and Bush administrations. He also advised the then-Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Lee Hamilton, on Asian affairs; and has written and lectured extensively on Asian politics and policy.

Visiting Fellowship Program Information

The Brookings Institution’s CNAPS Visiting Fellows program is a competitive residential fellowship that offers mid-career scholars and professionals from East Asia the opportunity to carry out substantive research and interact with a wide range of actors in the Washington policy community, from U.S. government officials and foreign diplomats to journalists to scholars of U.S.‑Asia relations. Fellows usually receive a modest stipend and limited reimbursement for moving expenses and transportation to and from the United States.

Beginning in August 2009, there will be two separate sessions of the Visiting Fellows program each year:

Autumn 2009

Term: August 17-December 18, 2009

Application deadline: February 16, 2009 (results announced April 2009)

Eligible regions: China, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia or Russia

Preferred research theme: Energy security

Spring 2010

Term: March 1-June 30, 2010

Application deadline: September 1, 2009 (results announced November 2009)

Eligible regions: China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore or Vietnam

Preferred research theme: Energy security

Applicant Requirements

• A Ph.D. in political science, international relations, economics, or a discipline related to energy security is preferred but not required.
• Applicants holding a Ph.D. should have 6-8 years of professional experience in one or more of the following fields: think tanks/academia, government, the media, or business, with practical or scholarly exposure to current political, economic, or security trends in the region.
• Applicants without a Ph.D. should have 12-14 years of professional experience in one or more of the fields listed above.
• Applicants with a professional interest in energy security, relations among East Asian nations, and in U.S.‑East Asian relations are highly desirable; CNAPS tends to focus more on international issues than domestic ones.
• Applicants must have a demonstrated ability to conduct professional, in-depth research and deliver presentations in English.

Program Requirements

• Fellows must be available for a full-time affiliation with The Brookings Institution for the entire four-month program (e.g., August 17-December 18, 2009 or March 1-June 30, 2010).
• Fellows are required to research and write a working paper (minimum 6000 words, maximum 10,000 words) on an approved policy topic. Papers are due in final form at the end of the four-month program; each Fellow may present his or her paper at a Brookings seminar during the course of the Fellowship.
• Each Fellow is expected to be an active participant in Brookings and CNAPS activities, including but not limited to regularly organized Visiting Fellow discussions and attending CNAPS discussions, seminars, presentations, press briefings, and other CNAPS and Brookings events.
• Fellows may participate in a group research trip outside Washington, possibly visiting one city for three or four days. Fellows are expected to give short presentations on their research and engage in discussions with scholars at major universities and think tanks; meetings will be organized by CNAPS staff.

Please refer to Application Information for details on the selection process. Questions not addressed on the Application Information page may be directed to Kevin Scott at kscott@brookings.edu.

Mr. Kevin Scott
Assistant Director
Center for Northeast Asian Policy Studies
The Brookings Institution
1775 Massachusetts Avenue, NW
Washington, DC 20036
Fax: 202.797.2485