Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a world-renowned independent policy institute. Based in London, our mission is to help build a sustainably secure, prosperous and just world. The Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership in International Affairs was established in 2014 and opened by Her Late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, adding the capacity to develop a new generation of leaders to the institute’s international reputation for informed debate and independent, cutting-edge research. The Academy aims to equip emerging leaders from around the world with the skills, knowledge, and networks to lead positive policy change in their areas of expertise. Through its programmes, the Academy seeks to provide opportunities for creative, curious, and intellectually driven individuals who share a commitment to tackling the most important challenges in the public sphere. It provides them with the opportunity and space to deepen their understanding of critical issues and to propose new ideas and solutions to complex policy challenges and opportunities.
This fellowship is a joint initiative with the Stavros Niarchos Foundation. It offers candidates at the early-to-mid-stage of their career the opportunity to spend ten months at Chatham House working on an individual research project of their choosing.
To apply for our 2023-2024 Fellowships, we ask that you propose a research project that aims to contribute to Chatham House's work, research priorities, and mission. Fellows are strongly encouraged to consider our existing research programmes and to develop research proposals that seek to directly contribute to our work on specific topics and regions. Below you can see some suggested topic areas for research projects. You should take into consideration how you can contribute to these priority research areas when designing your project proposal.
Asia-Pacific Programme
- What are China’s regional and global leadership ambitions and how are Beijing’s ambitions impacting its neighbourhood and global governance?
- How do other Asian nations perceive China and how are they managing their relationships with China?
- What international role are other rising powers such as India and Indonesia seeking and how can and will they change their regions and the wider world?
- How are the various Indo-Pacific strategies and approaches of the US and its allies perceived in the region and how are they faring?
- What has driven successful democratic consolidation in Asia and why is authoritarianism proving so enduring in some countries?
- What models and approaches should developing nations in Asia take to ensure rapid and more balanced economic growth in future?
Digital Society Initiative
- In recent months, the latest developments in the AI sphere, especially large language models, have attracted much media and public attention. Unfortunately, instead of generating an inclusive and evidence-based public debate, this increased interest has mainly led to over-hyped narratives on AI technologies, often alarmist in nature and in most cases misleading. What are the societal implications of generative AI? Which applications and challenges would benefit from public policy/governance discussions? What are some of the most promising (private and public) initiatives for the deployment of responsible and right preserving AI? How could the community foster greater collaboration and cross-fertilization among stakeholders across all fields in the AI space?
- In this roadmap for digital cooperation, the UN Secretary general highlighted the need to encourage and invest in the creation of digital public goods. What constitutes a Digital Public Good? What are the practical barriers to such goods and how could they be overcome? Which coalition of actors is needed to support the creation of such goods?
Environment and Society Programme
- How might international governance and finance mechanisms be reimagined and/or reinvigorated to better respond to climate-related challenges?
- How has the war in Ukraine affected global and national resource dynamics regarding energy, food or critical materials? How can international governance frameworks reduce these risks and vulnerabilities?
Europe Programme
- What should a future European security architecture look like? What is the long- and short-term impact on this of the war in Ukraine?
- How can democracy in Europe be deepened? What role does economic policy in this revitalisation of democracy in Europe?
- What is the future of industrial policy in Europe in the face of competition from China and the US? How should the UK relate to this?
Global Economy and Finance Programme
- Are the existing international institutions for managing