The Berkman Klein Fellowship at Harvard University accepts open-call fellowship applications for the 2024-2025 academic year. This opportunity is for researchers who want to spend 2024-2025 in residence in Cambridge, MA, as part of the Center’s lively community of study and activity and to engage in a collaborative, cross-disciplinary, and cross-sectoral examination of the Internet’s most pressing concerns.

The Berkman Klein Center Fellowship program brings inventive thinkers and change-makers to hone and share ideas, discover fellowship, and create new projects.

Fellows engage in community activities, encouraging exploration and risk-taking while identifying common themes among their diverse pursuits. The program facilitates collaboration between fellows and the Berkman Klein Center’s broader community, enriching perspectives and fostering new initiatives. Fellows selected through an open call bring diverse backgrounds and experiences, contributing fresh ideas, skills, and connections. During their time in Cambridge, they develop and share perspectives, extending their impact on their home networks, communities, and fields.

Key Details

Organized by: Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society

Host University: Harvard University

Application Deadline: January 22, 2024 (11:59 pm Eastern Time)

Program Duration: September 1, 2024–August 31, 2025

Fellows Workspace: Harvard University campus and Berkman Klein Center offices

Fellows Residency: Cambridge, MA Residency

Eligible Countries: All

Areas of Interest for 2024-2025:

Scholars advancing Internet & society studies in the public interest are most welcome.

• Fellows are expected to produce at least one public output impacting scholarly and public debates.
• Formats include technical prototypes, public writing, convenings, reports, websites, academic papers, etc.
• Active participation in weekly all-fellows sessions, working groups, skill-building sessions, workshops, and shared meals
• Engaging with the wider Berkman Klein Center community through events, dialogues, reading groups, and joint projects

Stipend and Financial Assistant 

Fellows will benefit from the Berkman Klein Fellowship Program as follows:

Please review these eligibility criteria before applying to the Berkman Klein Fellowship Program:

Application Scope:

• • The program invites applications from individuals whose work on the Internet and society aligns with ongoing Berkman Klein Center projects.
  • It encourages applicants to bring fresh perspectives, contributing to the community’s growth.

Diverse Backgrounds:

• • • The program welcomes scholars, practitioners, innovators, engineers, artists, and others dedicated to understanding and advancing the public interest.
    • They are embracing diversity across disciplinary spectrums and varied life paths.

Academic and Non-Academic Paths:

• • Berkman Klein Fellowship Program invites post-docs or professors to apply for the 2024-2025 year.
  • The program also accepts applications from PhD students and candidates.
  • It encourages those with non-academic careers, including technologists, entrepreneurs, lawyers, policymakers, activists, journalists, and educators.

Diverse Roles:

• • They emphasize the versatility of fellows who may wear multiple hats, engaging in various pursuits at the intersections of their capacities.
  • They acknowledge fellows at different career stages, including starting, rebooting, advancing, questioning, or pivoting from established careers.

Selection Priorities:

• • They prioritize fellows with a proven track record of contributing to public and scholarly dialogues in their respective fields.
  • Emphasizing commitment to collaborative engagement during the fellowship, guided by kindness, critical thinking, and generosity of spirit.

International Applicants:

• • Applicants will work closely with the Harvard International Office (HIO) to facilitate immigration paperwork for eligible international fellows.
  • Details on the visa application process and requirements are available on the HIO website: HIO Scholar Visa Process.

Selection Process

The selection process consists of a multi-dimensional Approach. The fellowship selection process combines art and science, considering individual applicant strengths and the overall class composition.

Required Documents

Please upload these required application documents:

PDF Attachments:

• Current resume or Curriculum Vitae (C.V.).
• Personal statement addressing specific questions (250-500 words each, total not exceeding 1500 words):
  1. 1. 1. Research proposal for the fellowship year, including problems to solve, research methods, and the public interest or communities targeted.
        2. The Berkman Klein Center is ideal for the proposed work, detailing engagement activities, collaboration plans, and unique contributions.
        3. Exploration of how personal background influences and informs the research.
• PDF containing 1-3 work samples for a public audience (articles, op-eds, events, etc.) connected to the project proposal. Ensure submission as one combined PDF; review is limited to the first three samples.

Application Tracker Questions:

• • Title of Fellowship Proposal.
  • Confirmation of research alignment with outlined areas of interest in the call for applications.
  • Identification of a Berkman Klein Faculty Director whose interests align, if applicable.
  • Briefly describe how work and interests connect with the selected Faculty Director (optional).
  • Current primary affiliation or organization.
  • Primary work sector.
  • Academic status for the 2024-2025 year.
  • Primary discipline, with an optional secondary discipline.
  • Country of national origin.
  • Current country of residency.
  • Funding pathway preference for consideration.
  • Amount of funding requested from the Berkman Klein Center (if applicable).
  • Contingency of fellowship acceptance on receiving requested funds (if applicable).
  • Description of external funding source and associated commitments (if applicable).
  • Previous involvement in Berkman Klein Center programs (optional).
  • Any additional information applicants wish to share (optional).
  • Optional demographic data.

How Do You Apply for the Berkman Klein Fellowship Program?

You can apply through the online application through the link below.

 

Apply Now 

 

 

Visit Harvard University’s official website for more information about the Berkman Klein Fellowship Program.

 

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