Post-Doctoral Fellowship - 2026-28 Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation-Kissinger Center

Requisition #: A-176067-36

Status: Full Time

Type: Fellowship

School: Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

Salary: Postdoctoral Fellowship: $73,000.00

Location City: Washington

Location State: DC

Location Zip Code: 20001

Closing Date: 01/02/2026 at 11:59 PM US Eastern Time

To apply: apply.interfolio.com/176067

General Description

2026 - 2028 Postdoctoral Fellowships

at the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS)

Johns Hopkins University

Washington, DC

Thanks to the generosity of the Axel and Margaret Ax:son Johnson Foundation, the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs, located within the School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University, is pleased to announce generous fellowships for visiting Postdoctoral Fellows pursuing scholarly research in historically informed statecraft and strategy. In addition to being part of SAIS, the Postdoctoral Fellows will join an exciting, international consortium, the Ax:son Johnson Institute for Statecraft and Diplomacy (AJI). The other members of the AJI are the Centre for Geopolitics at the University of Cambridge, the Centre for Grand Strategy in the Department of War Studies at Kings College London, and the Center for Statecraft and Political Communication at the Stockholm School of Economics.

Postdoctoral Fellows will work closely with the faculty and affiliates of the Kissinger Center and will have opportunities to participate in the Center's activities and the broader intellectual communities of SAIS and JHU. The new scholars will also collaborate with faculty, affiliates, students, and Fellows from the other institutes in the consortium, creating a multi-institutional, multi- national intellectual community that spans the Atlantic, and will have publishing opportunities through Engelsberg Ideas.

The program will build and expand upon the Kissinger Center and SAIS's strengths in diplomatic and military history, strategic studies, security studies, international relations, and economics and international political economy. SAIS is interdisciplinary and policy-engaged, and its location in Washington, DC, allows scholars easy access to major instruments of government, think tanks, and federally funded research and development centers, as well as important archives. SAIS also has campuses in Bologna (Italy) and Nanjing (China), providing additional opportunities to engage with the scholarly and policy communities in Europe and Asia.

Up to three Postdoctoral Fellows will be awarded a two-year fellowship that includes health insurance, research funding, and a competitive salary of $73,000 per year.

Qualifications

Postdoctoral Fellows are expected to start in the summer/fall of 2026 and continue for two calendar years, although a later start date can be negotiated for exceptional applicants. Please state your availability in your application letter. The Postdoctoral Fellow will be expected, in addition to pursuing his or her own research and writing, to contribute to the intellectual life of the Kissinger Center as well as the AJI consortium and to participate in their programming.
 
Applicants for AJI Postdoctoral Fellowships must have completed their PhD by the time they take up the fellowship and have a track record of excellent historically-minded research in statecraft, diplomacy, or strategy. Postdoctoral fellows are expected to remain in residence at the Kissinger Center for the duration of their fellowship. We encourage candidates with PhDs in history, political science, and international relations to apply, but other disciplines are also welcome. Applications from women and minority candidates are especially encouraged.

Application Instructions

• Each applicant should submit the following:
• An application letter explaining why you are applying, why and how your research interests align with the objectives of the AJI initiative, what you hope to accomplish during your time at the Kissinger Center, and your desired start date;
• A Curriculum Vitae;
• An article or writing sample on statecraft or strategy, broadly defined, which demonstrates a historically-minded approach to research;
• Three Letters of Recommendation.

The Applicants is responsible for collecting all materials and submitting them before 23:59 EST on January 2, 2026.

 Applicants will be notified of their acceptance in February 2026.

Salary Range

The referenced salary range represents the minimum and maximum salaries for this position and is based on Johns Hopkins University's good faith belief at the time of posting. Not all candidates will be eligible for the upper end of the salary range. The actual compensation offered to the selected candidate may vary and will ultimately depend on multiple factors, which may include the successful candidate's geographic location, skills, work experience, internal equity, market conditions, education/training and other factors, as reasonably determined by the University.

Total Rewards

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Pre-Employment Information

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Background Checks

The successful candidate(s) for this position will be subject to a pre-employment background check including education verification.

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Vaccine Requirements

Johns Hopkins University strongly encourages, but no longer requires, at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. The COVID-19 vaccine does not apply to positions located in the State of Florida. We still require all faculty, staff, and students to receive the seasonal flu vaccine. Exceptions to the COVID and flu vaccine requirements may be provided to individuals for religious beliefs or medical reasons. Requests for an exception must be submitted to the JHU vaccination registry. This change does not apply to the School of Medicine (SOM). SOM hires must be fully vaccinated with an FDA COVID-19 vaccination and provide proof of vaccination status. For additional information, applicants for SOM positions should visit https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccine/ and all other JHU applicants should visit https://covidinfo.jhu.edu/health-safety/covid-vaccination-information/.

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