Global China Fellows Program 2026-2027 at Boston University

If you are a pre- or post-doctoral researcher interested in how China’s overseas economic activities are shaping global affairs, policy, environment, and institutional reform, then the 2026-2027 Global China Fellows Program at Boston University is now open for applications. This flagship fellowship under the Global China Initiative (GCI) at BU’s Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center) is a chance to conduct rigorous, policy-oriented interdisciplinary research with support, mentorship, and strong links to both academia and policymaking circles. Here's everything you need to know.

🎓 Fellowship Summary

• Location: Boston University, Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center), Boston, Massachusetts, USA

• Appointment Level: Pre-doctoral and Post-doctoral fellows

• Target Group:

  • Scholars who are pre-doctoral (i.e. have completed comprehensive/qualifying exams and defended dissertation proposals)

  • Scholars who are post-doctoral, with their PhD defended (by approx. August 2026 for this cohort)

• Fields of Focus: Across disciplinary backgrounds including social sciences, natural sciences, engineering, and business. Focus areas (“workstreams”) include:

  1. Data Analysis for Transparency and Accountability (D.A.T.A.)

  2. Forestry, Agriculture, and Indigenous Rights (FAIR)

  3. Energy and Climate

  4. China and the International Financial Architecture (CHIFA)

• Value & Coverage:

  • Competitive stipend

  • Funding for fieldwork, conferences, professional development

  • Some support for international scholars: visa / institutional approvals; the GDP Center works with BU’s ISSO for appropriate immigration classification if needed.

  • Potential relocation expenses in some instances (depending on case)

• Duration: Approximately one academic year (~9 months) in-residence at Boston University’s GDP Center.

• Application Deadline: December 19, 2025, at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time (US)

• Start Date: The 2026-2027 cohort; fellows are expected to complete the appointment in person at BU. The start is tied to the academic/fiscal year cycle at BU.

  
  

📚 Fellowship Overview

This program is structured to give fellows both guided and independent research opportunity:

• Fellows are paired with a Boston University faculty member, a GDP Center Senior Academic Researcher, or a Non-Resident (Senior) Fellow.

• Work is organized around one of four “workstreams”: D.A.T.A.; FAIR; Energy & Climate; CHIFA.

• Weekly time split: roughly 20 hours/week contributed to existing GCI/Bu-GDP Center research, and 20 hours/week on one’s own independently led project, under mentoring.

• Deliverable: At least one working paper per appointment year. This would be subject to feedback and mentoring.

🎁 Benefits

• Financial support: Competitive stipend to support living, research, travel, professional development, fieldwork.

• Full-time in-person engagement: The fellowship expects fellows to work in person at Boston University’s GDP Center. This allows access to faculty, seminars, resources, peer interactions.

• Mentorship and research network: Access to BU faculty, GDP Center researchers, senior fellows, and Global South-based partners. Exposure to policy dialogue and strategic communications.

• Professional development: Support for conference attendance, fieldwork, publishing (working paper), etc.

• Visa / Institutional Support for internationals: For those needing US scholar visas, the BU International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) works with prospective fellows to determine appropriate classification. Also institutional approvals needed from home institutions for international candidates especially where there are restrictions on earning income from another institution.

✅ Eligibility Criteria

Required Qualifications:

• For pre-doctoral applicants: must have completed comprehensive / qualification exams and defended the dissertation proposal.

• For post-doctoral applicants: must have successfully defended the PhD dissertation by ~August 2026.

• Strong research interest and/or expertise in China’s overseas economic activities and engagement with international institutions.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Experience in geographic regions like Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia.

• Fluency in Chinese or in one of the languages of priority regions.

• Research experience in topics such as energy access, renewable energy, decarbonization, biodiversity, Indigenous rights, mapping/geospatial data, international financial institutions, sovereign debt, RMB internationalization etc.

• Strong methodological skills, especially quantitative methods or modeling.

📝 Application Procedure

• How to Apply: Submit a single PDF to the Global China Initiative Team (email: gci@bu.edu) using the subject line:

  
  

  <<LastName_FirstName>> GCI Fellow Application 2026-2027 

• Documents Required:

  1. Recent Curriculum Vitae (CV)

  2. 1-2 page cover letter explaining academic training, research interests, and experience

  3. 1-2 page working paper proposal: research question(s), methodology, research plan, significance

  4. Contact information for two references (referees)

  5. For international applicants: institutional approval (from home institution) to allow income from BU or being fellow; visa/immigration documentation via BU’s ISSO if required.

• Review Process: Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with screening interviews beginning as early as October. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

ℹ️ Extra Useful Tips

• Although the exact stipend amount is not always specified publicly, “competitive stipend” suggests enough to cover living expenses in Boston plus research/travel costs. Candidates should budget accordingly and may ask BU or previous fellows about actual stipend levels.

• Living costs in Boston are relatively high; housing, transport, health insurance etc. are important to factor.

• Because there is an expectation of in-person residency, applicants should ensure they can commit to being physically present in Boston for the duration of the fellowship.

• Strong proposals often link empirical or data-driven methods, show relevance to policy, and address one of the priority workstreams. Demonstrating linkages to regions outside China (e.g. Global South) is a plus.

• Letters of recommendation should ideally come from people familiar with your research output, methodology skills, and potential for interdisciplinary work.

🔗 Official Link

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