SNF Agora Predoctoral Fellow Program 2025-27
Applications Due Sunday May 29, 2025 11:59pm EST
The SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University invites applicants who intend to pursue doctoral studies to apply for a Kelly Miller predoctoral fellowship in the SNF Agora Academy beginning July 1, 2025.
The SNF Agora Institute is an academic and public forum at Johns Hopkins University dedicated to strengthening global democracy through civic engagement and informed, rigorous dialogue.
Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree in any field awarded no earlier than 2021 and must not be enrolled in a PhD program. We encourage applicants who intend to pursue a PhD in political science, sociology, or history.
The program strongly encourages applications from scholars who are first-generation college graduates; and/or who are from a limited-income background; who attended Minority-serving Institutions (MSIs), including Historically Black Colleges or Universities (HBCUs) and Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs). In accordance with federal, state, and local law, scholars’ race, ethnicity, and gender will not be considered during the selection process.
The SNF Agora Academy seeks fellows who would engage actively with and benefit from a multidisciplinary scholarly community, academic and professional mentorship, and research development opportunities. Applicants must be interested in questions and topics directly related to the institute’s mission.
Predoctoral Fellows will be paired with two faculty mentors and one graduate student mentor. Fellows will have access to events and opportunities across campus and be expected to work/learn 40 hours per week pursuing multidisciplinary learning. Fellows will develop their own schedules, with hours divided between:
- Research experience (50%)
- By working as a research assistant for faculty mentors, and
- Pursuing one’s own research interests, questions, literature review, and writing.
- Intellectual engagement (25%)
- By attending bi-weekly academic seminars in the institute and related departments.
- Scholarly preparation (25%)
- By taking one graduate-level course each semester to develop skills and knowledge for doctoral programs of choice, and
- Participating in monthly fellow cohort meetings.
Fellows will be appointed for a one-year renewable term. In addition to the duties listed above, they will take the GRE exam and complete their graduate school applications with support from faculty, graduate students, and campus resources. Our goal is for each fellow to be able to enter a PhD program of choice at the conclusion of their two-year tenure with the institute. Fellows will receive a stipend, a modest relocation budget, and a modest conference/research budget.
In addition, the SNF Agora Institute will cover the costs associated with two sittings for the GRE exam, ten graduate school applications, and sending official transcripts and scores.
Application documents
For all documents listed below, name and upload all files using the following naming convention and format:
LastName_FirstName_DocumentType.pdf
- Current curriculum vitae (CV)/resume. For examples of academic CVs, see this
- Long-form writing sample, which can be a paper from an undergraduate course or a thesis/capstone. The sample should demonstrate a capacity for independent research.
- Statement of interest (max 250 words)
Include- why you would benefit from being part of a multidisciplinary community of scholars and practitioners engaged with democracy;
- relevant research interests, skills, and work experience (broadly defined), as well as reflect on how specific coursework and/or your personal background has shaped your interests; and
- 3-5 Johns Hopkins University faculty who you are interested in engaging as mentors during your fellowship. (Refer to the SNF Agora, Political Science, Sociology, and History websites to identify faculty with whom you would like to )
- Response to a scholarly work related to democracy (max 250 words). This written response can be a work you liked or one you disliked. Include:
- the title of the work and the author;
- why you chose this work;
- what you find interesting about the author’s questions or research methods; and
- any questions you would ask the author.
- Two letters of recommendation from those who can speak to your work ethic. We welcome letters from faculty, university administrators, coaches, mentors, and/or bosses.