James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program

About the program

Each year, the James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace holds a rigorous national competition to select approximately 15 graduating seniors to serve as research assistants. They are matched with senior fellows to work on a variety of international affairs topics. Junior Fellows have the opportunity to conduct research for Carnegie publications, participate in meetings with high level officials, contribute to congressional testimony and organize briefings attended by scholars, journalists and government officials.

James C. Gaither Junior Fellows spend 10-12 months (beginning September 1st) at the Carnegie Endowment in Washington, DC. Positions are full-time and include a salary and benefits package. We encourage you to review the Carnegie website – http://carnegieendowment.org/ – as well as the James C Gaither Junior Fellows Program pages – https://carnegieendowment.org/james-c-gaither-junior-fellows-program – for more information on the program and broader work of Carnegie.

As an organization dedicated to pursuing global engagement and peace, Carnegie believes that its work is enriched and should be informed by a diverse array of perspectives.

2027-28 Programs or Projects

• Democracy, Conflict, and Governance
• American Statecraft
• Nuclear Policy
• Technology and International Affairs – Strong writing skills and research skills are essential.
• Middle East – Strong reading fluency and the ability to perform academic as well as on-line research in Arabic essential. Strong background in Middle East and North African politics and/or history is a huge plus.
• International Security and Political Economy [to work with the International Security and South Asia Programs] – Quantitative data analysis and GIS skills are required. A strong mathematical background is a plus. Familiarity with South Asia is welcome but not required.
• Asia Program – Mandarin Chinese language skills, particularly reading comprehension, are essential. An additional foreign language is a plus.
• Russia and Eurasia – Excellent Russian and/or Ukrainian reading skills required.
• Africa Program
• Global Order and Institutions
• Sustainability, Climate, and Geopolitics – Data skills (such as helping create graphs or tables for Carnegie publications) are a plus. Applicants should have completed coursework related to sustainability and climate issues. A foreign language or regional expertise is a plus—the program seeks to bring an international perspective into US debates on climate change.
• Europe – Fluency and the ability to perform research in a European language other than English are a plus. Background knowledge of European politics is essential

Eligibility

• All applicants must be eligible to work in the United States for 10-12 months from September 1 through at least June 30 following graduation.
• Applicants must be graduating seniors or students who have graduated during the last academic year. Anyone who has started graduate studies is ineligible for consideration (except in cases where the student has completed a joint bachelor’s/master’s degree program).
• Strong academic credentials and co-curricular involvement (independent research, research assistantships, student organizations, etc.) in areas relevant to the chosen assignment field.
• Foreign language competency or even fluency is required for some of the project areas (as noted above).

Selection Criteria

Applications are judged on the quality of the written essays, related academic study and, work experience, research experience, grades, strong letters of recommendation, and interviews (for national finalists). The nomination committee will look for strong evidence of the applicant’s preparedness to conduct research in the proposed field. Excellent writing skills are essential, along with the specific criteria listed in the various programs described above.

The selection process for the program is very competitive. Accordingly, applicants should be of high academic quality.

Application Procedure

The Gaither Junior Fellows requires institutional nomination. To apply as a UW–Madison nominee, submit the following materials to mark.lilleleht@wisc.edu by the campus deadline:

1. Applicants must compile and submit the following as a single pdf to mark.lilleleht@wisc.edu by the deadline:
   • Completed James C Gaither Junior Fellows Program UW–Madison application form.
   • A personal statement of up to two pages; double-spaced. The statement should discuss why you are applying for this job, what you hope to learn from it, how you think your experience and working style would serve you well as a research assistant, and why you have chosen to apply for the program you are applying for.
   • Resume/CV (1-2 pages)
   • Undergraduate transcript/s (unofficial transcripts preferred).
   • A writing sample of three to five pages, double spaced. This sample may be either a full-length piece that falls within the size range or an excerpt from a longer work.
     • The writing sample must be accompanied by a brief explanation of no more than half a page explaining why you chose that sample. The explanation is not included in the three to five page limitation noted above.
     • The writing sample can be on any topic. However, we recommend that the student choose a writing sample that is relevant to the program they are applying for, either in subject matter or style of analysis. For more information on what each Carnegie research program is working on, we recommend visiting https://carnegieendowment.org/programs-and-projects.
     • A works cited page is not required. However, in-text citations (either footnotes/endnotes or parenthetical) should be included with the writing sample.
     • While candidates may indicate a second research program choice on the application, we strongly encourage candidates to tailor their application towards only their first choice.
   • Two letters of recommendations. These recommendations can come from anyone the student feels can best speak to their abilities as a potential Gaither Junior Fellow.
     • Junior Fellows provide essential research assistance to our senior scholars. This often requires sophisticated judgment and independent work. Recommendations will therefore be especially useful if they speak to the student’s analytical and writing skills, self-discipline and maturity, and, where relevant, subject matter expertise.
     • Writers should email their signed letters on letterhead directly to mark.lilleleht@wisc.edu by the deadline above.

Those considering applying for the James C Gaither Junior Fellows Program are encouraged to reach out to mark.lilleleht@wisc.edu to register your interest so that we can support you in the application process.

The deadline to submit your completed application packet for consideration for nomination by UW–Madison is Monday, December 21, 2026 at 2pm CST.