Harvard-Yenching
Institute
Origins
• Harvard-Yenching
Institute founded in 1928,
funded by the estate of
Charles M. Hall, inventor
of the process for refining
aluminum and founder of
ALCOA
Mission
• Charles M. Hall’s vision: to promote the study of liberal
arts in Asia and to support the development of higher
education in Asia
• China-focused programs to 1949
• Expansion to other countries in Asia after 1949
• Since 1950: More than 1000 faculty from Asia have
received fellowships and more than 300 doctoral
students from Asia have received their degrees with HYI
support
Harvard-Yenching Library
The largest
university library
for East Asian
research in the
Western world
Yenching University 燕京大学
Yenching University
1930s
Yenching University
pagoda
Directors
Serge Elisséeff
Patrick Hanan
1930-1955
1988-1996
Edwin O. Reischauer
1955-1963
John Pelzel
1963-1975
Albert Craig
1975-1988
Tu Weiming
1996-2008
Elizabeth Perry
2008-
Fellowship Programs
• Visiting Scholars Program: for faculty at HYI partner universities in
Asia (10 month research grants at HYI in Cambridge)
• Visiting Fellows Program: for advanced graduate students from
Asian Partners to conduct dissertation research at HYI for 17 months
• HYI – RSEA Master’s Program Fellowship: the two-year master’s
degree in Harvard’s Regional Studies - East Asia (RSEA) program plus
the first year of a doctoral degree program.
• Joint Doctoral Scholarship Program: for candidates to pursue a PhD
at either the National University of Singapore or The University of
Hong Kong, with 10-18 months of dissertation research at Harvard
University
Supported fields
Fields of research in the humanities and social sciences to be
considered are:
• Anthropology
• Archaeology
• History
(including art history,
economic history and legal
history)
• Linguistics
• Literature
• Philosophy
• Politics
• Religion
• Sociology
Scholars in the fields of Economics, Education, Law and Psychology
may be considered, but should check with the Institute before
submitting applications.
Visiting Scholars Program
• For faculty members in the humanities and social
sciences
• 10 months of post-doctoral research at Harvard
University
• Proposed research project should be related to the
humanities and social sciences with an emphasis on
culture. Asian and comparative studies are especially
welcome.
Visiting Scholars Program Qualifications
• A member of the faculty of one of HYI’s partner institutions
• Must have at least 2 years of research/teaching experience at
home institution
• Those with a PhD from an English-speaking university may not
apply within 5 years of receiving their doctoral degree
• Ability to participate in activities in English
• No nationality restrictions
• Preference to younger scholars, but no age restrictions
• Nomination by home institution
Stipend and Benefits
• Visiting scholars stipend: US$5,500/month for 10 months
• Health Insurance
• Round trip airfare
• $500 to attend one academic conference in US
• Research fund (can hire student for part-time help w/
research)
Application
• Research Proposal (3-5 pages)
• original, publishable research (not necessary that the research be
completed during the year at Harvard)
• the scholarship is NOT intended for the compilation of textbooks
or the writing of general surveys of your field
• Recommendation Letters
A strong research proposal and letters of recommendation are
crucial to your application.
For helpful advice on preparing these documents, visit our
website: www.harvard-yenching.org/fellowship
Year in Residence
• one presentation on research, in English, during the
academic year
• Academic and social activities for all HYI affiliates
• Opportunity to organize a workshop at Harvard w/ HYI
support
• Partnered with a faculty ‘mentor’ at Harvard or another
appropriate university
Visiting Fellows Program
• For advanced PhD candidates to conduct dissertation writing
and research at Harvard University for three semesters (17
months)
• Qualifications:
• Nomination by home university
• Nationality: must be a citizen of an Asian country
• Ability to participate in activities in English, including a weekly
workshop
• Preference is given to those in East Asian Studies whose research
would benefit from the resources of the Harvard-Yenching Library
Stipend and Benefits
• Stipend of approximately $2,500/month
• Round-trip airfare
• Health Insurance
• Funding (up to $500) for participation in an academic
conference in the US or Canada
• Tuition for one semester of English class at Harvard
Extension School
Application Process
• Very similar to that for Visiting Scholars
• must be nominated by home institution
• Application Deadline: September 30
• Description of dissertation project (2-3 pages)
• Recommendation letters
• University transcripts
For helpful advice on preparing these documents, visit our
website: www.harvard-yenching.org/fellowship
Year in Residence
• Participation in a weekly seminar with other HYI-affiliated
graduate students
• Academic and social activities for all HYI affiliates
• Additional support (workshops, editing services) for those
writing English-language dissertations
Selection Process
• Nomination by your home institution
• Submission of application to HYI: deadline Sept. 30
• Each application is reviewed by a scholar in a related
field
• Reviewers focus on candidate’s academic background, strength of
research proposal and recommendation letters
• Interviews
• Held in home country in December or January
• Review and final selection by HYI committee
• Notification by mid-late February
• Program begins in August
Joint Scholarship Program for PhD studies
with the National University of Singapore and
the University of Hong Kong
Overview
This program allows for candidates to pursue a PhD at
either the National University of Singapore or The
University of Hong Kong, with 10-18 months of
dissertation research at Harvard University.
Within HYI’s remit, focusing on East and Southeast Asian
Studies (interdisciplinary / disciplinary approach)
Candidates must be from HYI partner universities or
research institutes in Southeast Asia.
Areas of Study
• At NUS, fields of research to be considered:
• Disciplinary (Humanities / Social Science / Cultural Studies in
Asia), or
• Area studies (Chinese Studies, Malay Studies, Japanese Studies,
South Asian Studies & Southeast Asian Studies)
• At HKU, fields of research to be considered:
• Faculty of Arts or Faculty of Social Sciences, with an emphasis on
history, culture and society
Funding - NUS
• Funding up to 4 years altogether:
• 2 ½ - 3 years at NUS
• 1 - 1 ½ years in the United States
• Funded by HYI, based at Harvard University
• Use of library resources
• Assigned a mentor; may be able to audit classes
Funding - HKU
• Funding up to 4-5 years altogether
• 3-4 years at HKU
• 10 months in the United States
• Funded by HYI, based at Harvard University
• Use of library resources
• Assigned a mentor; may be able to audit classes
Candidates must:
• Be from a HYI partner institution in Southeast Asia
• Enrol for a NUS or HKU PhD
• Participate in academic events organized by HYI and/or
NUS/HKU
How to apply
• Ensure that you will be nominated by your university's
international or foreign affairs office
• They must submit a letter of support on official letterhead
indicating that you have been nominated for the program
• Apply online to NUS or HKU for admission to its PhD
program
• Deadline for NUS is November 1; for HKU is December 1
• Complete a brief HYI supplemental application form
• Joint offers announced in late January / early February
Profiles of current students
Sittithep Eaksittipong, PhD candidate in History, NUS
Lecturer, Dept. of History, Chiang Mai University
Research interests: East Asian studies, Thai studies,
and Chinese overseas (especially ethnic Chinese in
Thailand); PhD thesis on ‘Sino-Thai Historiography.’
Theara Thun, PhD candidate in History, NUS
Lecturer, Dept. of History, Royal U. of Phnom Penh
Research interests: cultural and political history of
mainland Southeast Asia.
Profiles (cont’d)
Keo Piseth, PhD candidate in
Environmental Management/Sociology, NUS
Research interests: concepts and approaches for
natural resource management (including political
ecology, property rights, social capital, commandcontrol, common pool resources, and community
based natural resource management).
Nguyen Quang Dung, PhD candidate in
Anthropology, NUS
Research interests: ethnic identity, education for
the hill tribes in Thailand, and ethnic language loss
Additional HYI Programs
• Fellowship for Master’s Program in Harvard’s
Regional Studies – East Asia Program
• Training Programs
HYI-RSEA Master’s Program at Harvard
University - Fellowship
• The Regional Studies – East Asia (RSEA) Program at Harvard University is
for graduate training in the languages, societies and cultures of East Asia
• The RSEA Master’s program offers additional course preparation and
mentorship for promising students in order to make them more
competitive for admission to leading Ph.D. programs
• This fellowship is for Asian nationals who are:
• committed to pursuing a Ph.D. as preparation for an academic career
• planning to return to Asia to teach upon completion of graduate studies
• This multi-year full fellowship covers the two-year Master’s degree in
Harvard’s RSEA program plus the first year of a doctoral degree program
(in humanities or social sciences with a focus on East Asia) at an
approved university
• More information: http://rsea.fas.harvard.edu
HYI Training Programs
• Intensive 1-2 week programs for graduate
students and junior faculty (conducted with
one of our partner universities)
• Participants can apply for a one-year
fellowship at HYI following the completion
of the training program
• 2-5 from each program may be chosen for such
grants
Recent HYI Training Programs
• Urban Studies (held in Shanghai;
to be held in Hong Kong in 2014)
• Social Science Approaches to
Contemporary Chinese Everyday
Life (held in Nanjing)
• Civil Society and Grassroots
Politics in New Democracies and
Hybrid Regimes (held in Seoul)
• Historical Materials and
Methods: the New Horizon for
Research on 1950s China (held
in Shanghai)
Partners in SE Asia
• Thailand
• Chiang Mai University
• Chulalongkorn
University
• Thammasat University
• Cambodia
• Pannasastra University
• Royal University of Fine
Arts
• Royal University of
Phnom Penh
• Vietnam
• Southern Institute of
Sustainable
Development
• University of Social
Sciences - Ho Chi Minh
City
• Vietnamese Academy of
Social Sciences – Hanoi
• Vietnam National
University – Hanoi
• Singapore
• National University of
Singapore
Other Asian partners
• China: 20 Universities and Research Institutes
• Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Shanghai Academy of Social
Sciences, and 18 Universities
• Japan: 13 Partners
• Including 12 universities and 1 research library
• Hong Kong: 2 Universities
• Hong Kong University, Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Korea: 10 Partners
• Academy of Korean Studies and 9 universities
• Taiwan: 2 Universities and 1 Research Institute
• Academic Sinica, National Taiwan University, National Tsinghua
University
More information
• HYI website
• www.harvard-yenching.org
• Social media
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/Harvard-YenchingInstitute
• Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/yenchinginstitute
• Email
• strogatz@fas.harvard.edu
• lgrove@fas.harvard.edu