CEIP James C. Gaither Junior Fellows Program

The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace generates strategic ideas and independent analysis, supports diplomacy, and trains the next generation of scholar-practitioners to help countries and institutions take on the most difficult global problems and advance peace. Visit the CEIP website to learn more. 

Each year, through the James C. Gaither Junior Fellows program, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace offers one-year fellowships to uniquely qualified graduating seniors and individuals who have graduated during the past academic year. Approximately 15 fellows are selected from a pool of nominees nominated by several hundred participating universities and colleges. James C. Gaither Junior Fellows work as research assistants to Carnegie’s senior scholars. 

Please review this website for a list of programs accepting applications in the 2026-2027 cycle, as well as the various program requirements. This is a competitive application process, and applicants should carefully consider applying to the programs for which they have an authentic interest and have completed a significant amount of related research and coursework. Fluency in a designated language and other skills may also be required for certain assignments. 

2026 Information Session: October 15, 2026 | 5 - 6 PM

Please register here to receive the Zoom link for the information session.  

Join the OUR staff to learn more about the requirements and the two-phase application process for the CEIP program. Students who are earlier in their undergraduate studies and are interested in this program are also encouraged to attend the information session.

• General application information, including a designation of the specific program to which you are applying. 
  • While candidates may indicate a second research program choice on the application, the CEIP strongly encourages candidates to tailor their application towards only their first choice. 

• A personal statement of up to two pages; double spaced. The personal statement should discuss why you are applying for this job, what you hope to learn from it, how you think your experience and working style would serve you well as a research assistant, and why you have chosen to apply for the program you are applying for. 

• Resume: one-to-two-page résumé including phone number, address, extracurricular activities, and work experience 

• Two letters of recommendation. These recommendations can come from anyone the student feels can best speak to their abilities as a potential Gaither Junior Fellow. 
  • Junior Fellows provide essential research assistance to our senior scholars. This often requires sophisticated judgment and independent work. Recommendations will therefore be especially useful if they speak to the student's analytical and writing skills, self-discipline and maturity, and, where relevant, subject matter expertise.
  • Letters should be emailed directly from the recommenders to our@pitt.edu by the posted deadline, with a subject line that includes the CEIP acronym. 

• Transcript of undergraduate records. For the transcript, please note that an unofficial transcript is preferred, though an official transcript is also acceptable. If you have transferred, please make sure to either submit a transcript from your first institution also or make sure that the information is reflected by your current transcript. 

• A writing sample: three to five pages, double spaced. This sample may be either a full-length piece that falls within the size range or an excerpt from a longer work. The writing sample must be accompanied by a brief explanation of no more than half of one page explaining why the student chose that sample. The explanation is not included in the three to five page limitation noted above.
  • The writing sample can be on any topic. However, we recommend that the student choose a writing sample that is relevant to the program they are applying for, either in subject matter or style of analysis. For more information on what each Carnegie research program is working on, we recommend visiting https://carnegieendowment.org/programs-and-projects?lang=en
  • A works cited page is not required. However, in-text citations (either footnotes/endnotes or parenthetical) should be included with the writing sample.