Richard and Susan Hayden Academy Fellowship

Citizenship

The fellowship is open to all nationalities.

Education

Applicants must hold a completed BA degree or equivalent and have experience with conducting research.

Career

The ideal candidate should be at the early-to-mid-stage of their career and come from one of the following fields or work: academia, NGO, business, government departments, civil society or the media. All applicants should possess knowledge of, and an interest in, international affairs, their chosen area of research, and Chatham House’s mission and research.

Age restrictions

We do not impose age restrictions for applicants.

Can I undertake other work or study at the same time as my fellowship?

Fellows are expected to work full-time towards their fellowship and therefore it is not possible to undertake a fellowship at the same time as pursuing work or studies.

Applications are currently closed.

Duration

Academy Fellows will spend ten months at Chatham House between October 2024 and July 2025.

Location

The fellow will be based full-time at Chatham House, London with hybrid working also possible.

A fellow’s time will be split between three key areas: 

• Completing a personal research project: the fellow will choose and design an individual project to undertake with the guidance of a Chatham House expert (approximately 60%).
• Leadership Programme: a core part of Academy Fellowships, the Leadership Programme aims to develop the knowledge, network and self-awareness of fellows, and to equip them with important skills on which they can draw in their future careers as leaders in their field (approximately 20%).
• Contributing to the ongoing research activities: working with their host research team and other Chatham House teams as appropriate, fellows will contribute to existing research priorities in line with the Chatham House mission (approximately 20%).

Leadership Programme

All fellows participate in and contribute to the Leadership Programme which encompasses the following components:

• Intensive induction week
  Academy fellowships begin with an intensive five-day induction week to become familiarized with the elements of the fellowships, meet their host research programme and have their first personal development coaching session.
• Discussion seminars
  In these sessions, fellows meet and discuss current international affairs challenges with subject matter experts from Chatham House and beyond. The sessions cover the principal substantive and skills-based areas vital for informed and effective international leadership. Fellows usually chair these sessions and are expected to contribute to and learn from one another’s experience.
• Leadership workshops
  Every two months, fellows participate in half-day workshops focusing on skills development within specific aspects of leadership such as ‘Leadership in a new role’ and ‘Fostering innovation and entrepreneurship’.
• Project presentations
  Fellows present updates on their research projects to help develop presentation skills, provide a forum for peer-review and to analyse issues outside their own area of expertise.
• Personal development coaching
  Fellows have access to one-on-one sessions with a dedicated coach as a way to grow their self-awareness. Fellows work with the coach to set personal development objectives which they work to meet during their fellowship and beyond.
• Media training
  Fellows learn effective interview skills needed for television and radio culminating in a mock interview from which they receive feedback on style and any areas of improvement
• ‘Leadership in the 21st Century’ Breakfast Briefings
  All fellows benefit from priority access to the ‘Leadership in the 21st Century’ Breakfast Briefings series. There, they have the opportunity to discuss leadership experiences and learn in an informal setting with leaders from government, business, media and the non-profit sectors.
• Career mentoring (optional)
  Fellows’ development is facilitated and supported by partnering them with mentors to enhance their career perspective and path.

Remuneration and benefits

The fellow will receive a monthly stipend of £2,365 which will cover London living costs, including accommodation, utilities, food, transport and other basic expenses.

The Academy covers reasonable costs related to:

• Relocation e.g., flights, train, other transportation to and from the UK, three nights of accommodation, visas, extra cases or boxes, etc.;
   
• Payment of the UK’s Immigration Healthcare Surcharge which allows access to the UK National Health Service (Note: you may be required to pay for dental and optical treatments and medicines prescribed by a doctor); and
   
• Research, outreach and dissemination costs e.g., fieldwork, travel, conferences, publication, roundtables, events, etc.
   

Following the successful completion of their fellowship alumni benefit from access to:

• The Academy faculty and alumni; and
• Five-year Chatham House membership.

To apply for this fellowship, we need:

• The applicant’s CV/résumé
• The names of two referees
• The applicant’s proposal for a research project based on the topic guidance found here

Selection criteria:

• Have experience conducting independent research and hold an undergraduate or postgraduate level qualification or have equivalent professional training or experience in a relevant area;
• Have the relevant background experience, including experience in the field of the proposed research, as demonstrated through a CV;
• Have proven leadership experience or potential;
• how commitment to the Chatham House mission, goals and values and to identifying evidence-based solutions to some of the world’s most pressing international challenges;
• Be able to communicate how the fellowship will enable them to create positive impact, in line with the Chatham House mission and overarching purpose of Academy Fellowships as outlined above;
• Show motivation to undertake the fellowship, meet all fellowship deliverables, and take full advantage of the networks, events and opportunities offered at Chatham House; and
• Demonstrate proficiency in spoken English.
   

Selection process:

• Stage one: complete the application below. Once the submission period ends, all applications will be reviewed and shortlisted by our selection committee.
• Stage two: shortlisted applicants will be invited to an interview by Zoom. The interviews are carried out by a member of senior management at Chatham House and relevant programme representatives. After this round, fellows will be selected and notified via email.