The NRI offers fellowship programs that target both established and emerging scholars whose work shows promise of making a substantial contribution to the public policy debate.

NRI Fellowships

The NRI fellowship program is designed to promote sound policy research by enabling talented students to spend an academic year in residence at AEI, pursuing domestic public policy research under the direction of an AEI scholar.      NRI Fellow John L. Chapman       The fellowship program targets recent graduates interested in spending a postdoctoral year at AEI, as well as doctoral students engaged in dissertation research. We also encourage recent law school and business school graduates wishing to pursue public policy to apply. NRI is looking for students whose areas of study are economics, political and social science, law, or public policy; we will give priority to students whose research interests are closely aligned with those of a resident AEI scholar. The program focuses on U.S. domestic public policy, therefore candidates whose research centers on foreign or international policy will not be considered. Applicants participate in a competitive selection process based on academic performance, writing ability, and references. Fellowship recipients spend nine to twelve months in residence at AEI, with roughly half of their time devoted to conducting research for an AEI scholar, and the rest dedicated to finishing a dissertation or pursuing independent research and writing. While in Washington, NRI fellows are immersed in a rich public policy environment. The program exposes them to a breadth of scholarship within AEI, as well as at other D.C. institutions engaged in policy debate. Fellows are expected to produce a paper of publishable quality during their time at the Institute. Along with financial support, recipients are given office space and access to all AEI facilities.

Brady Fellowship

The W. H. Brady Doctoral Fellow in Social and Political Studies will explore issues pertaining to freedom and culture in contemporary American public policy and society. The Brady Fellow will also work with a scholar affiliated with the W. H. Brady Program in Culture and Freedom, which is dedicated to reconciling individual freedom with the cultural values and habits that make life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness possible. Examples of issues Brady scholars and fellows have addressed include: the proper scope and design of the welfare state; the proper role of religion in American public life and society; the policy and cultural implications of advances in genetics, genomics, and bioengineering; the influence of feminism and psychotherapy on American public policy and society; and the implications of public school curricular changes in civic education and history. Applicants should possess a strong, focused research agenda on issues consistent with the Brady Program’s objectives. Applicants are not limited to the specific issues highlighted above.

Ford Fellowship

The Gerald R. Ford Fellow in American Politics will explore important issues in American politics and political institutions. Such issues include, but are not limited to: the proper scope and relation of executive, legislative, and judicial powers; campaign finance/speech regulation; the internal rules and procedures governing Congress; election law reform; regulation of lobbying practices; Constitutional interpretation and judicial review; and the implications of American political thought on current policy debates. Candidates with strong research agendas in areas of modern campaign practices and their effect on electoral outcomes, or in the interplay between public policy debates and electoral outcomes, will also be considered. Recent Ph.D. graduates are eligible to apply, as are tenured and tenure-track political scientists.