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Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences

Fellowship Application Guidelines and Selection Process

Nick Rasmussen

For questions not answered here, please see our fellowship FAQ.

On this page:

Professional qualifications

The ideal candidate for a CASBS fellowship is a highly accomplished academic or thinker (relative to career stage).

  1. Has a PhD, professional degree (e.g., JD, MD), an equivalent foreign degree, or has achieved an equivalent level of professional reputation.
  2. Is at least three to four years past the doctorate or equivalent degree (CASBS does not offer post-doctoral fellowships).
  3. Is an academic faculty member—or an independent researcher—who exhibits a high level of achievement (adjusted for rank), including a strong record of research publications.
  4. Communicates clearly in English.
  5. Is someone who is very interested in participating in regular interdisciplinary conversations.
  6. Is willing to commit to being in residence for the course of the fellowship year without conflicting commitments.

Although excellence in both research and accomplishments continues to be a necessary qualification for successful fellowship applicants, it is not a sufficient qualification. We seek fellows who will be both influential with, and open to influence by, their colleagues in the multidisciplinary cohort we assemble for a given year. The primary focus of the fellowship year is on reflection and writing, but we expect the work to be informed and transformed by the fellowship experience as a result of interactions with other fellows.

We encourage those from diverse backgrounds, institutions, and countries to apply.

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Fields of research

In addition to scholars working in fields of the behavioral and social sciences, those in other areas will also be considered for fellowships if their work has human behavioral and social dimensions.

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About the Center’s selection process

The Center’s selection process is based on an online application system. All scholars requesting consideration must apply via our online application portal.

The Center’s fellowship selection committee, composed of past CASBS fellows specializing in multiple disciplines, considers the best-rated applications for CASBS fellowship awards.

Final roster decisions (for all scholars requesting consideration, including past fellows) take into account a range of criteria for cohort composition. Please note that priority in individual applicant selection will be given to first-time fellows.

Please also note that fellowship awards are not transferable to later years.

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Residential and other requirements

CASBS is committed to the concept of a residential fellowship. Consequently, fellows must reside during their fellowship term in a community within fifteen miles of the Center. San Francisco, Berkeley, the East Bay, and San Jose, for example, do not fulfill this requirement. Center staff can provide information about finding housing and schools for those relocating for the fellowship year, but fellows are ultimately responsible for finding their own housing.

We further require that fellows:

  1. Not hold a concurrent teaching appointment or have commitments, including research or collaborations, that result in prolonged or frequent absences from the Center.  We ask fellows to limit their travel to the absolutely essential for the fellowship year.
  2. Be present for lunch three to four days a week and attend the weekly seminars and other speaker events hosted by the Center.

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Stipends

As appropriate, stipends for the academic year will be awarded to supplement faculty sabbatical support or base salary support; a significant portion of the fellow's total support is generally provided by sabbatical funds and external funding from awards and grants secured by the fellow. Except in unusual circumstances, Center stipend support is contingent on the applicant's provision of firm assurances of matching funds. Depending on available funds, the Center provides stipends according to the following principles:

  1. A Center stipend is based on the fellow's salary for the year before residence.  (Nine-month salary for an academic; 12-month salary for a non-academic.)
  2. That stipend cannot exceed one-half of the fellow's base salary for that year and is additionally subject to an upper limit set by the CASBS board of directors.
  3. The cap is currently set at $82,000, but may increase slightly. The sum of the fellow’s salary from a home institution or affiliation and a Center stipend may not exceed the fellow’s base salary for the fellowship year.
  4. Because of the high cost of living in the Stanford University area, the Center has established a minimum salary for those who are offered a fellowship. Under certain circumstances and conditional on the guidelines above, fellows earning less than $100,000 per year may receive a stipend that exceeds the standard 50% maximum contribution.

Fellows receive their stipend payments directly; the Center cannot assign a fellow’s stipend to a third party or institution.

We can only provide stipends to first-time fellows. Returning CASBS fellows are expected to fund themselves.

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CASBS partner fellowship programs

CASBS partners with several entities to provide funding for some residential fellows whose research projects focus on certain topics.

An applicant’s statement of interest in one of these options does not bear on the CASBS fellowship selection committee’s process, nor does it guarantee that an applicant will receive this particular fellowship in the event that they are awarded a CASBS fellowship.

CASBS-Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies Fellow 

(on hold for 2025-26)

The CASBS-KFAS fellow is sponsored by the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies (KFAS).  Leading scholars in the behavioral and social sciences from within Korea will be considered for the fellowship.

Applicants interested in the fellowship must first be approved by KFAS.  For more information about the fellowship and the process, please contact KFAS at pms@kfas.or.kr or visit the program website. 

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)-Stanford University CASBS Fellow

The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)-Stanford University CASBS Fellowship provides opportunities for CUHK faculty members to advance their research by taking part in the residential fellowship program at CASBS that fosters interdisciplinary intellectual exchange. The program will strengthen the academic network of the selected members and facilitate collaborations across academia, policy, industry, civil society, and government to collectively design a better future. This prestigious opportunity is open to scholars in the behavioral and social sciences as well as those in other areas if their work has human behavioral and social dimensions.

Interested CUHK faculty members should apply to CASBS directly. For more and precise information about the fellowship and application procedure, please visit the CUHK webpage . For further enquiries, please contact Olivia Kwok of the Office of Academic Links, CUHK at oliviakwok@cuhk.edu.hk.

William T. Grant Scholars

The Center encourages William T. Grant Scholars to contact us regarding a fellowship year at CASBS. This career development program supports promising early-career researchers with interests in reducing inequality or understanding the use of research evidence.

W.T. Grant Scholars who wish to spend a year at CASBS must apply to our residential fellowship program.

For more information on the William T. Grant Scholars program, visit the William T. Grant Scholars Program website.

National University of Singapore Fellow

The National University of Singapore Fellow (NUS Fellow) is sponsored by the National University of Singapore (NUS).  Leading scholars in the behavioral and social sciences from within NUS will be considered for the fellowship.     

Applicants interested in the fellowship must first be approved by NUS. For more information about the position and the process, please contact Brenda Lim at dprlimbn@nus.edu.sg

Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ)-CASBS Fellow

The RJ-CASBS fellow is sponsored by the Riksbankens Jubileumsfond (RJ).  Leading scholars in the behavioral and social sciences from within Sweden will be considered for the fellowship.

Applicants interested in the fellowship must first be approved by RJ.  For more information about the fellowship and the process, please visit their program website.

Stanford-Taiwan Social Science Fellow

The Stanford-Taiwan Social Science fellow (STSS fellow) is sponsored by the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), Taiwan. Leading Taiwanese scholars in the behavioral and social sciences who devote to spend a fellowship year at CASBS are encouraged to apply for the fellowship.

Applications must first be approved by the fellowship’s agency: Science and Technology Policy Research and Information Center (STPI) of the National Applied Research Laboratories of Taiwan (NARLabs). For more information about the fellowship and the process, please contact STPI at stss@narlabs.org.tw or visit STSS program website.

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