The Fairbank Center hosts visiting scholars from universities throughout the world and visiting fellows of practice with relevant professional expertise. Scholars and fellows come to the Center for one year to develop their own research in various disciplines of Chinese Studies, broadly defined. Visiting scholars and fellows have access to Harvard libraries and other resources and participate in Fairbank Center activities and events.
Specific Expectations
Academic Visiting Scholar applicants must have a doctoral degree and be in a ladder faculty position at their home institution. The visiting period shall correspond with Harvard’s academic calendar, either for autumn semester, spring semester, or for one full year from August 1 – July 31. An administrative fee of $1,000 will be charged to visiting scholars.
Visiting Fellow of Practice applicants must be professionals with specialized and extensive China knowledge. The visiting period shall correspond with Harvard’s academic calendar, either for autumn semester, spring semester, or for one year from August 1 – July 31. Visiting Fellows of Practice will be subject to a higher administrative fee of $10,000 per semester, totaling $20,000 for a full year.
Visiting scholar/fellow appointments are unpaid. Invited visiting scholars/fellows will need to demonstrate adequate self-funding for U.S. visa purposes and provide a signed statement of interest in the unpaid appointment with no expectation of funding from Harvard.
The United States government requires that visiting scholars have sufficient English proficiency to be able to function effectively in the U.S. The Fairbank Center is required to certify that a scholar has adequate command of English before their visa application can be processed. This will be determined via a phone or Zoom interview. Note that this is a U.S. government requirement over which neither the Fairbank Center nor Harvard University has any discretion.
The intellectual life of the Center is greatly enriched by the active participation of its affiliates. Visiting scholars are expected to undertake a clearly defined research project that draws upon Fairbank Center and Harvard University resources. They are also expected to be in residence in the greater Boston area during the period of affiliation and to engage actively in Farbank Center events and activities.
How to Apply
The application deadline is January 15, 2025 for visiting during the 2025-26 academic year.
The Application for 2025-26 is not open yet. Please check back again later for updated information.
Applicants to the Visiting Scholars & Fellows program are required to submit the following materials:
- Online Application form (see directions below)
- Research proposal (in English) for the period of your affiliation. Indicate if there are specific Fairbank Center faculty members or Harvard resources you intend to work with.
- Curriculum Vitae (in English) listing your academic degrees (with dates), disciplines, and any publications.
- Work sample (an article or paper) written in either English or Chinese.
- Name and email address of two references willing to provide a letter of recommendation.
Proposal, CV, and work sample must be separate pdf files uploaded to your online application.
Two letters of recommendation are required. Letters are to be sent directly to the online application by each of your references. When you submit your application, your references will receive an email invitation with directions to upload their letter of recommendation.
After submitting the online application, candidates will be asked to provide a short (3 minutes) video self-introduction. Directions will be provided.
Direct link to the Visiting Scholar application: will be posted here when available
Application deadline: January 15, 2025
Early submission is recommended to give your references time to submit their letter of recommendation. They will receive an invitation email with a link to upload their letter to the application portal.
A faculty committee will review all applications in the pool and select the strongest applications for a visiting position at the Fairbank Center. Unfortunately, we do not have the capacity to accept all qualified applicants to this program.
Questions? Please email harrietwong@fas.harvard.edu