Apply for Visiting Research Fellowships

Each year, the Kroc Institute’s Visiting Research Fellows Program brings outstanding scholars focused on peace research to the University of Notre Dame for a semester or a full academic year. We provide fellowships to academic and alumni scholars with substantial research experience who will connect their research to ongoing Kroc Institute research initiatives. The deadline for submitting applications is January 31, 2024.

Applications for the 2024-25 academic year are now closed. Applications for the 2025-26 academic year will open this fall.

Academic Fellows

We invite research proposals that focus on one or more of the following themes:

  • Intersection of Gender, Race, Class and Peacebuilding. We are interested in interdisciplinary approaches and qualitative, participatory, and/or feminist methodologies. Thematically, we are interested in questions of intersectionality in relation to identity, power, representation, and direct and structural violence.
  • International Mediation. We are interested in international mediation, preventive diplomacy and national dialogue as strategies for preventing and ending high intensity conflict.
  • Media, Technology and Peacebuilding. We are interested in the impact of digital platforms on conflict dynamics and peace processes; the use of technology to support democratic inclusion in governance; and technology to support peacebuilding (peacetech).
  • Afghanistan Peace and Development Program. We are interested in intra-Afghan political dialogues, the Doha agreement, peacebuilding in Afghanistan, and ways to help Afghans raise their perspectives and ideas in international forums.
  • Peace Accords Matrix (PAM). We are interested in the design and implementation of peace accords, with special attention to inclusive peace processes that involve civil society, transitional justice, and country contexts currently negotiating or implementing a peace accord.

In all the above categories, the applicant should present a clear and concise description of the planned research project, its significance, why the Kroc Institute is an ideal place for the researcher to complete a fellowship, and how the project will build on existing research in a given field.

Applicants must indicate whether they seek a fellowship for a single semester or the full academic year.

Alumni Fellows

We invite Kroc Institute alumni who graduated prior to 2016 and hold an advanced degree to apply for a one-semester (fall or spring) visiting research fellowship. This fellowship targets alumni who have pursued careers as peacebuilding practitioners and seek time to reflect on and write about their work while in residence at the Institute.

The successful alumni visiting fellow will be expected to be involved in the intellectual life of the Institute, and to produce a tangible result from the fellowship. This could include producing a publishable written work that brings to bear their practical experience in conversation with innovative peace research in their field, hosting a workshop or mini class while on campus, or another creative product developed during the fellowship.

Application Process

The deadline for submitting applications is January 31, 2024.

A Kroc Institute faculty committee will review the applications and make recommendations to the Institute Director. Selection criteria include evidence of academic excellence; clarity of the link to existing research at the Institute; and anticipation of participation in the intellectual life of the Institute. Scholar-practitioners with high standing and leadership in their field will be considered.

Results will be announced in March 2024.

Qualifications

Non-alumni applicants must have completed a doctoral, or equivalent, degree. If you are currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program, you must have completed your doctoral degree before the beginning of the fellowship. If you have previously been a Kroc Visiting Research Fellow, please wait seven years before applying again.

Applicants applying for the alumni category must have graduated from one of the Kroc Institute’s academic programs (undergraduate or graduate) prior to 2016. Alumni of the Kroc undergraduate program must have completed a graduate degree (a masters, doctoral or professional degree).

Fellowships begin at the start of the University of Notre Dame’s semester (August or January) and can run for one semester or an academic year. Junior (untenured) fellows receive a stipend of $25,000 per semester; senior (tenured) fellows receive $30,000 per semester. Housing is provided in furnished Institute apartments at no cost. Fellows have library and Internet access and document retrieval services.

Application Instructions

A complete application consists of:

  • A cover letter (no longer than 2 pages) that indicates whether you are applying for one semester or two as well as clearly identifies the field to which you are applying (Intersection of Gender, Race, Class and Peacebuilding; International Mediation; Media, Technology and Peacebuilding; Afghanistan Peace and Development Program; Peace Accords Matrix (PAM); Alumni).

  • A research project proposal (maximum 10 pages, including bibliography) that concisely describes the basic elements of the research project (sources, data, methodology, and analysis), a timetable, and expected products. The bibliography should include citations relevant to your proposed research.

  • An up-to-date Curriculum Vitae

  • Two confidential letters of recommendation

If you have further questions about the application process, please contact: Juan Flores Ramirez, (574) 631-6483, jfloresr@nd.edu.

View current Visiting Research Fellows >>>