Fung Global Fellows Program AY2027-2028

Princeton University is pleased to announce the call for applications to the Fung Global Fellows Program at the Princeton Institute for International and Regional Studies (PIIRS). The program will select early-career scholars from around the world to be in residence at Princeton for an academic year (10 months) and to engage in research and discussion around a common theme. The fellowships will be awarded to those employed outside the United States who have a faculty appointment or a professional research appointment, and they will be expected to return to their positions at the conclusion of the fellowship. Lastly, they must have demonstrated outstanding scholarly achievement and unusual intellectual promise. Early-career scholars will be appointed at the rank of Visiting Research Scholar.

Democratic governance faces mounting pressure around the world. The rise of populist movements, declining trust in institutions, polarization, disinformation, and democratic backsliding (including in democracies once considered as consolidated) have prompted renewed debate about whether democracy's ascendance in the late 20th century was more fragile than assumed. At the same time, democracies have proven resilient in unexpected ways—through grassroots mobilization, institutional safeguards, judicial independence, and civic renewal—raising the question of what, precisely, allows some democratic systems to weather crisis while others erode or collapse.

During the 2027-28 academic year, the program theme will be "Democracy in Crisis?" We invite applications from scholars who study the challenges confronting democratic governance and/or the sources of democratic resilience. Projects might explore the drivers and dynamics of populism; the erosion of democratic norms and institutions; the role of media, technology, and disinformation in shaping political life; the relationship between economic inequality and democratic legitimacy; or the strategies through which citizens, civil society, and institutions have defended or renewed democratic practice. We are equally interested in work that interrogates the conceptual and normative foundations of democracy itself – what it means, who it serves, and how it has been imagined and contested across different political and cultural traditions.

Applicants may address any region of the world and can bring contemporary and/or historical perspectives to bear. We welcome scholars from across the humanities and social sciences and hope to bring together a cohort whose comparative and interdisciplinary conversations will deepen our understanding of democracy's vulnerabilities and its capacity for renewal.

Applicants must apply online. Applications are due on November 16, 2026 (11:59 p.m. EST).

Should an offer be made, successful candidates who hold faculty appointments or professional research appointments will be required to submit an official letter from their current employer affirming that they would be permitted to accept the offer and to spend the academic year at Princeton University.

The work location for these positions is in-person, on campus at Princeton University. These positions are not eligible for sponsorship of an H-1B visa requiring consular processing; other visa sponsorships may be available, as appropriate.

To be eligible, applicants must have received their Ph.D. (or equivalent) generally after September 1, 2017. Candidates who are currently enrolled in a Ph.D. program or employed as postdocs are not eligible to apply. Fellowships will be awarded on the strength of a candidate's proposed research project, the relationship of that project to the program's theme, the candidate's scholarly record, and their ability to contribute to the intellectual life of the program. For more information, see: .

The following items must be submitted by the applicant, in English, by November 16, 2026:

- Cover letter (1.5 pages maximum)

- Curriculum Vitae (including publications)

- Research proposal (maximum of 3 pages, single spaced)

- One writing sample (article or book chapter, maximum of 50 pages)

- The names and email addresses for three referees, who will be contacted automatically by the online application system with an invitation to upload their letter of recommendation to the system by the application deadline. (*Please note: all letters of reference should be submitted by your referees before the November 16, 2026, deadline.*)