The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law will offer up to two pre-doctoral fellowships in security studies for the 2014-2015 academic year. The Strauss Center pre-doctoral fellowship program aims to stimulate the development of the next generation of researchers and thought leaders and encourage them to engage in policy-relevant research on issues related to security studies.

Pre-doctoral fellows are encouraged to present their research within and outside the Center, participate in the research activities of the Center, attend and take an active role in seminars and conferences, engage with younger scholars, and immerse themselves in the greater University community during their appointment.

Eligibility

Pre-doctoral fellowships are available to advanced PhD students, with preference given to those who have made substantial progress towards the completion of their dissertation. Pre-doctoral fellows are expected to work on–and ideally complete–their doctoral dissertations during the fellowship.

The Strauss Center invites applications from all disciplines, both the social and natural sciences, as they pertain to relevant topics to the Center’s program focuses (see Areas of Research below). The Strauss Center encourages applications from women, minorities, and citizens of all countries.

Areas of Research

The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin is a nonpartisan research center that engages the best minds in academia, government, and the private sector to develop unique, policy-relevant solutions to complex global challenges.

The Strauss Center will consider applicants working on a broad range of topics related to issues of national and international security, law, and diplomacy. Suitable topics may include, but are not limited to:

• Factors contributing to the destabilization of nation states,
• Diplomatic and military history and strategy,
• New approaches to diplomacy,
• Intelligence and surveillance,
• Science, technology, and national security,
• Evolving legal architectures to account for new threats in the 21st century,
• Climate security and complex emergencies, and
• International development and security.

Stipend Information

The Strauss Center offers pre-doctoral fellowships in residence at the University of Texas at Austin for one year (September 2014-May 2015). The fellowship includes a nine-month stipend of $24,000 and one round-trip airline ticket.

Applicants should note that the stipend awarded might not cover all living costs in Austin during the fellowship period. Applicants should be prepared to cover any additional expenses themselves or through other external funding sources. Applicants who must obtain a J1 visa in order to participate in the fellowship are required to provide proof of health insurance when applying for the J1 visa. The Strauss Center fellowship does not provide health insurance.

Application Procedures

For more on the fellowship application process, click here.

For the fellowship application form, click here.

The Fellowship Experience

Pre-doctoral fellows are encouraged to present their research within and outside the Center, collaborate on papers or projects with other fellows and faculty, participate in the research activities of the Strauss Center, attend and take an active role in Center events and conferences, and immerse themselves in the greater University community during their appointment.

Fellows reside in Austin for their nine-month appointment. Fellows are responsible for making their own housing arrangements during their fellowship. Pre-doctoral fellows are affiliated with the Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at the University of Texas at Austin. They have dedicated carrel space in the LBJ School of Public Affairs, including access to the Internet and printing. Fellows must bring their own laptops; computers are not provided. Fellows have access to the University’s various facilities, including libraries and computer labs. Recreational facilities are also available at a staff rate.

Life in Austin

There is absolutely no better location to spend a few years of your life than Austin, Texas. The city is youthful, dynamic, intellectually stimulating, entrepreneurial, green and family-friendly. The temperate climate means that Austin’s many outdoor entertainment and sporting venues can be enjoyed almost all year long. With vibrant music, technology, arts and outdoors scenes and museums, cultural centers, parks and annual festivals such as South by Southwest and the Austin City Limits Music Festival, Austin offers a seemingly infinite number of opportunities to engage your passions. It is home to a booming music industry; incubators for clean energy and technology start-up companies; and the headquarters of multinational corporations like Dell, IBM, National Instruments, Temple-Inland and Facebook’s sales and online operations office. Homegrown business success stories include Whole Foods Market, GSD&M’s Idea City, Green Mountain Energy and Pervasive Software. As the state capital, Austin offers endless opportunities for student engagement with state policymakers, state agencies and nonprofits that serve in a multitude of need areas.

Read more at: www.utexas.edu/about-ut/life-in-austin.

The Strauss Center

The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law at The University of Texas at Austin is a nonpartisan research center that engages the best minds in academia, government and the private sector to develop unique, policy-relevant solutions to complex global challenges. The Center is named after renowned lawyer, public servant and distinguished UT alumnus Ambassador Robert S. Strauss. Inspired by the life of Robert S. Strauss, the Strauss Center is dedicated to solving global problems in a nonpartisan, innovative way. A complex world creates new opportunities for economic growth and prosperity, but also spawns new challenges and vulnerabilities. In complicated times, the public, private and non-profit sectors need the best research available.

Read more at: www.strausscenter.org.

The University of Texas at Austin Community

The University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest and most comprehensive research universities in the world, with highly ranked departments and programs spread across campus. A recent ranking placed seven UT doctoral programs in the top ten in the nation and 22 departments in the top 25. The Times of London recently rated UT the second-best public university in the U.S. and the eighteenth-best university in the world. UT is a powerhouse of knowledge and culture whose prominence is evident in a broad spectrum of top-rated programs””in Latin American Studies, Geosciences, Engineering, Business, Law, Middle Eastern Studies, Social Work, Community and Regional Planning and more. As part of this broader learning and living community, LBJ students can take advantage of all it has to offer””they have the best of both worlds: an intimate community within the school and the expansive resources of one of the one of the world’s premier research universities.

Read more about UT at: http://www.utexas.edu/about-ut.
Read more about campus life at: http://www.utexas.edu/campus-life.