Postdoctoral Fellows Program

The Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs at Brown University aspires to promote a just and peaceful world through research, teaching, and public engagement. Central to this mission is the Watson Postdoctoral Fellows Program, which supports young social scientists conducting research related to the Institute’s three core thematic areas: development, governance, and security. Participants in this program will join an interdisciplinary community of scholars engaged in theoretically and substantively important research addressing the most pressing global issues of our time.

How to apply

The application for the Watson Institute Postdoctoral Fellows Program 2022-2024 is now open on Interfolio here: https://apply.interfolio.com/92450

Qualifications: The fellowship competition is open to candidates from across the social sciences on issues that can be understood in a comparative global context.

The selection process, open with regard to nationality and geographic area of research, is highly competitive and typically generates over 500 applications for 4 or 5 places.

Scholars who have received their PhDs within two years of the application deadline are eligible to apply. Individuals who are currently – or have previously been – postdoctoral fellows in other programs are not eligible to apply.

Fellows receive two years of support, to be taken within a three-year period, with the expectation that they will pursue research and participate fully in the intellectual life of the Institute. Fellows will also teach one course per year in the Institute or in an affiliated Brown University social science department, and are required to be in residence during the academic year.

Please contact watson_applications@brown.edu with questions about the application process.

Current Fellows

Rawan Arar

Postdoctoral Fellow in International and Public Affairs, 2018-2019, 2021-2022

Assistant Professor in the Department of Law, Societies, and Justice at the University of Washington

Areas of Interest: International migration, refugee studies, law, human rights, race and ethnicity, gender, inequality, conflict and post-conflict societies.