Apply to be a Visiting Researcher
Visiting Researcher positions are available for visits of five months as space permits and do not come with any Foundation financial support.
Applications Due: June 1, 2024. Apply Now
On an occasional basis, the Foundation has one or two available office spaces and considers applications for short-term fellowships by scholars who are conducting research relevant to the Foundation’s priority areas. These positions do not come with any Foundation financial support and are available for visits up to five months, between September 1 and June 30, as space permits. In rare circumstances, visits up to ten months may be considered. However, researchers interested in a full-year fellowship to complete a book or other major project that would necessitate a longer stay should consider applying to the Foundation’s Visiting Scholars Program.
RSF’s fellowships support the research and writing of individuals who are in residence at the foundation. Through these programs, RSF seeks to promote interdisciplinary dialogue among social scientists, journalists and the foundation staff and foster professional research collaborations. Fellows often remark on the professional benefits of daily lunch discussions, weekly seminars, and informal socializing with an interdisciplinary cohort. To foster this engagement and community building, RSF expects that Visiting Researchers will actively engage with their class and the RSF staff by attending all weekly seminars, being available for discussion at lunch, and interacting with other scholars and journalists in residence. Fellows are expected to spend at least 75% of their fellowship period at work at the Foundation’s offices. Limited travel for scholarly purposes is naturally anticipated, but extended trips (more than one week) are not allowed during periods when the foundation is open. If you have any questions about this policy, please let us know.
Visiting Researchers are provided with an office at the Foundation, computers and software, and library access. Applicants who reside outside of the greater New York City area may be provided with a partially-subsidized apartment near RSF, if available.
Visit our Fluxx online application portal and create a new account or log into an existing account, and complete the application form.*
Submit a letter describing the project to be undertaken while in residence at the Foundation through the portal. Your letter should also include an appendix of up to 20 pages that illustrates or include example(s) of prior work; you may also submit a short appendix with links to examples.
Submit an up-to-date abbreviated CV (maximum of 5 pages) through the portal.
*New accounts must be created at least one week before an application deadline. Activating a new account may take up to 5 business days.
Eligibility
Visiting Researchers must be several years beyond the PhD and have a publications record and current research project that is relevant to the Foundation’s program areas. Priority will be given to RSF-sponsored grantees and scholars who are seeking to complete existing work, although we welcome applications from scholars carrying out innovative work related to our current program areas.
- Visit our online application portal, create an account, and complete the application form;
- Submit a letter describing the work to be undertaken while in residence at the Foundation [No more than 5 pages describing the project, single-spaced, with standard 11 or 12-point font, and 1 inch margins];
- Submit an up-to-date abbreviated CV (maximum of 5 pages).
The application letter should outline the basics of the project to be carried out while in residence, how the project is relevant to RSF’s social science program areas, how the fellowship and interactions with the Foundation’s Visiting Scholars and staff would be beneficial to the project by incorporating social science, and the expected outcome of the work, e.g., a news story or series, a magazine article, book, etc.
In outlining the basics of the project they intend to carry out while in residence, applicants should (1) provide an overview of work already in progress or completed (e.g., is the project just beginning, mid-stage where field research is still occurring, or close to complete where time to write is essential?), (2) specify where and how field research will occur and information is to be collected or gathered, and (3) indicate how and why the project is at a stage where it would benefit from interactions with social scientists during a residency at the Foundation. The fellowship is designed to provide journalists with access to the most recent social science research and policy analysis that can provide context for a journalist’s reporting. The applicant must make the case for how the project could benefit from time at RSF and interactions with the resident social scientists.
Letters of recommendation are not accepted. All applications will be reviewed by a committee of journalistic peers and social scientists with topical expertise in the project proposed. Selected applicants are typically contacted within 45 days of the application deadline; acceptances cannot be deferred.
If you have questions about the program or the application process, please contact Program Director James Wilson at programs@rsage.org.
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