Applications Now Being Accepted for 2017 Pardee Center Graduate Summer Fellows Program

Application deadline: Monday, March 13, 2017
Download application instructions

Applications are now being accepted for the 2017 Pardee Center Graduate Summer Fellows Program, which offers graduate students from across Boston University an opportunity for intensive interdisciplinary research and writing on topics aligned with the broad research interests of BU’s Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future.

The Pardee Center conducts interdisciplinary, policy relevant and future-oriented research that can contribute to long-term improvements in the human condition. The Center is especially interested in rigorous analysis relating to longer-range human development. We especially encourage proposals for research that has the potential to identify actions that can be taken today to make our collective global tomorrow better.

The 10-week fellowship (May 30 – August 4, 2017) includes a financial stipend of $6,000, structured interaction with Pardee Center affiliated faculty and research fellows, and a collegial atmosphere that fosters peer support and intellectual growth. Summer Fellows occupy workspace provided at the Pardee House while they conduct independent research, and produce a substantive research paper that may be considered for publication by the Pardee Center. Fellows are expected to work at the Pardee House each Monday through Friday for the duration of the Fellowship and to participate fully in Pardee Center activities and all Summer Fellows’ events.

The Graduate Summer Fellowships are open to all Boston University graduate students. First-year master’s and early to mid-stage doctoral students, including ABDs, are especially encouraged to apply. (Students completing degrees in May 2017 are not eligible.) Research proposals that link positively to the student’s own and/or BU faculty’s ongoing research are especially desirable.

Proposals for any research topic related to the Pardee Center’s longer-range global human development mandate will be considered, especially including (but not limited to) those relating to (a) sustainability issues related to rapid urbanization, especially in developing countries, (b) issues related to large-scale global environmental change, (c) a “systems perspective” of development programs, incorporating issues related to sociology, ecology, and economics, and (d) improved understanding of how academic knowledge connects to policy decision-making at various scales (i.e. local to global). Successful proposals will clearly convey how the research is related to improving quality of life; clearly articulate how the research is relevant to the longer-range future; and explain why and how it can be completed in a 10-week period. Applications are especially encouraged from fields such as global public health, engineering, the humanities, and natural sciences.

The deadline for applications is close of business on Monday, March 13 and candidates will be notified of the outcomes in mid-to-late April. Detailed application instructions are available here.

Questions regarding the Summer Fellowship Program may be directed to gsfellow@bu.edu.