The Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations
Announces Call for Fellowship Applications for Third Cohort
The Penn Project on the Future of U.S.-China Relations is pleased to invite applications to join the Project’s third fellowship cohort, made possible through generous support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the Henry Luce Foundation. The Project develops recommendations for U.S. policies toward China from next generation China scholars and analysts, who are selected as Project Fellows through a competitive process. The Project has two primary goals: (i) to provide a forum for rising U.S.-based scholars and analysts of China to contribute academically-informed, policy-relevant analysis on the most pressing issues in U.S.-China relations; (ii) to deepen U.S. capacity to understand and evaluate critical issues in the U.S.-China relationship. Fifteen Project Fellows will be selected, with at least two fellows assigned to each of the Project’s six key issue areas: National Security; Trade & Competitiveness; Technology; Human Rights, Law, & Democracy; Climate & Environment; and Research, Education, & Academic Freedom.
The Project’s third fellowship cohort will convene over a ten month period from March through December 2025. Fellows will be required each to prepare a 6000-word policy paper which makes concrete recommendations, grounded in their substantive area of expertise, addressing an aspect of U.S. policy towards China in one of the Project’s six issue areas. Early draft papers will be presented at a workshop to be held on campus at the University of Pennsylvania over two days May 8-9, for feedback from alumni mentors from the Project’s first and second fellowship classes as well as relevant Penn experts. Project Fellows also will have the opportunity to travel to China the week of June 23-27, to engage in substantive dialogue with Chinese counterparts, and conduct further research on the topics of their respective policy papers. Final versions of Project Fellows’ policy papers and recommendations will be shared in dedicated briefings for policymakers in Washington, DC the week of September 8-12, and later shared with the wider public through publication on the Project website and discussion on Project webinars and its China Studies podcast.
ELIGIBILITY: Early to mid career academics and professionals, with several years experience in full-time academic or equivalent appointments, who possess demonstrated expertise on China. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident, or full-time employed at a U.S. institution. Preference given to candidates who are currently living in the United States.
HOW TO APPLY: Submit application materials by email to us-china@upenn.edu by February 28, 2025. All submissions will be acknowledged. Selection of candidates will take into account representation across the Project’s six issue areas.
APPLICATIONS MUST INCLUDE:
(i) a personal statement describing your area of expertise, eligibility for and interest in the Project (max 500 words);
(ii) a full CV that details your educational and professional background, with special attention to any experience in the field of U.S.-China relations, and in bridging academic and policy discourses;
(iii) a précis of the paper that you would develop through the Project, in support of your recommendations for U.S. policy towards China, to be published and disseminated at the end of the fellowship in Fall 2025 (max 1000 words).
Additional information is available on the Project website at https://global.upenn.edu/future-of-us-china-relations/.