Date February 20, 2025

New Watson Ph.D. Fellows Program is accepting applications for pre-dissertation and dissertation fellowships

By Pete Bilderback

In July, Brown University's new school of international and public affairs will welcome its first cohort of Ph.D. Fellows in an expanded program. Watson is now accepting pre-dissertation and dissertation fellowship applications from Ph.D. students who are working on development, governance and security-related topics in its five core departments.

With the Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs transitioning into a school in July, its Ph.D. fellowship program will also expand. Watson's new Ph.D. Fellows Program, which will build on the success of the Graduate Program in Development (GPD), will continue to foster an environment in which scholars with diverse expertise across a range of academic disciplines can think through critical policy issues together. However, it will expand its scope beyond development to include the areas of governance and security.

According to Wendy Schiller, Howard R. Swearer Interim Director of the Watson Institute, "The new Watson Ph.D. Fellows Program will extend research funding and teaching opportunities to Ph.D. students working in all three of the major areas of Watson — development, governance and security. The new program will produce a broader scope of collaborative education and training for a wider range of graduate students."

The Watson Institute is internationally recognized for producing cutting-edge academic scholarship that crosses the boundaries that typically separate fields of study. The Watson Ph.D. Fellows Program will continue and expand upon this rich legacy of interdisciplinarity by fostering a community of scholars dedicated to exploring issues of development, governance and security in an intellectually rigorous environment.

The new program will offer fully funded year-long pre-dissertation and dissertation fellowships, as well as significant research and travel funding to support training and research for exceptional Brown University social sciences Ph.D. students in the areas of development, governance and security.

The new Watson Ph.D. Fellows Program will extend research funding and teaching opportunities to Ph.D. students working in all three of the major areas of Watson — development, governance and security. The new program will produce a broader scope of collaborative education and training for a wider range of graduate students.

Wendy Schiller Howard R. Swearer Interim Director of the Thomas J. Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs

The program's community of fellows will enroll in graduate courses taught by Watson faculty members, participate in seminars and speaker series, and engage with undergraduates and faculty in the International and Public Affairs (IAPA) concentration. In addition, Ph.D. students who are not fellows will be able to apply for funding to support research, travel and fieldwork through the program.

The Watson Ph.D. Fellows Program is designed to catalyze and reward high-potential scholarship in a setting that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries. This model allows Brown Ph.D. students in the social sciences to step outside their home departments and comfort zones to produce dynamic, cross-disciplinary research. All applicants must be in good standing in Ph.D. programs in anthropology, economics, history, political science or sociology.

Qualifying first- and second-year Ph.D. students can apply for pre-dissertation fellowships that provide a full year of support, including a stipend, tuition and health fees, as well as additional research and travel funds. The school will award up to six pre-dissertation fellowships. Fellowship recipients will serve as teaching assistants for foundational IAPA courses for one semester.

All Ph.D. students in the social sciences will also be eligible to apply for up to $5,000 in research or travel funding for work related to development, governance and security.

The program will also award two fully-funded dissertation fellowships to qualifying fifth- and sixth-year Ph.D. candidates. Students are expected to successfully defend their dissertation at the end of their fellowship year. Schiller said, "The addition of these advanced Ph.D. fellowships will bring an added dimension to the contributions that Watson makes to graduate education at Brown."

The Watson Ph.D. Fellows Program, which will be directed by Andrew Schrank, Olive C. Watson Professor of Sociology and International and Public Affairs, is currently accepting dissertation fellowship, pre-dissertation fellowship, and research and travel support applications for the 2025-2026 academic year via UFunds. The deadline for applications is Monday, March 10, 2025.

The current Watson Institute Graduate Program in Development (GPD) will sunset in June 2025. The new Ph.D. Fellows Program will build on its success and offer expanded opportunities to support graduate-level research at the school.