Do you study conflict, peacebuilding or mediation? The Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame is inviting experienced scholars to its Visiting Research Fellows Program for 2027 to 2028. Selected fellows receive a stipend of 30000 dollars per semester and free furnished housing in Institute apartments. You can apply for one semester or a full academic year.
Applications are open now. The deadline is 30 November 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time.
Last Information Checked: 18 October 2026
Quick Facts
| Item | Details |
| Fellowship | Kroc Institute Visiting Research Fellows Program 2027 to 2028 |
| Host | Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies at the University of Notre Dame |
| Location | United States |
| Who can apply | Experienced scholars with a doctoral degree or an equivalent |
| Length | One semester or a full academic year |
| Stipend | 30000 dollars per semester |
| Housing | Free furnished apartment in an Institute apartment |
| Applications opened | 10 September 2026 |
| Deadline | 30 November 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time |
About the Kroc Institute
The Kroc Institute supports research that helps the world understand conflict and build lasting peace. Its Visiting Research Fellows Program brings strong scholars to Notre Dame for a semester or a full year. The programme is for researchers with deep academic experience. Their work must connect with the research already going on at the Institute.
Fellows join the Institute community. They also do research that can guide policy, professional practice and peacebuilding work.
The Three Research Themes
Your proposal must address one or more of these themes. Across all three the Institute prefers proposals with clear value for public policy and practical peacebuilding.
Intersection of Gender, Race Class and Peacebuilding
This theme looks at how identity and social structures shape peacebuilding and power. It also looks at how people experience violence. The Institute welcomes interdisciplinary work that uses qualitative, participatory and feminist methods. Topics include identity representation, inequality, structural violence and the link between social hierarchies and peace.
International Mediation
This theme studies ways to prevent and end high intensity conflicts. It covers international mediation, preventive diplomacy and national dialogue. You can study mediation processes, diplomatic action or ways to solve conflicts before they grow. You can also study ways to help end conflicts that already exist.
Sustainability, Climate Change and Peace
This theme explores how environmental sustainability, climate change and peacebuilding connect especially in vulnerable regions. Topics include illegal mining, deforestation, food security, livelihoods and environmental peacebuilding. Fellows in this theme can meet the wider sustainability fellowship group linked to the Just Transformations to Sustainability Initiative at Notre Dame.
Who Can Apply
- You have a completed doctoral degree or an equivalent qualification
- You can also apply if you are still a PhD student but you must finish your doctorate before the fellowship starts
- You show academic excellence
- You explain how your research connects with the Institute’s current work
- You show how you will add to the Institute community
You cannot apply if you held a Kroc Visiting Research Fellowship before. You must wait seven years first.
The published rules do not give any nationality limit.
Fellowship Benefits
- A stipend of 30000 dollars per semester
- Free furnished housing in Institute apartments
- Access to the University of Notre Dame library
- Internet access and document retrieval services
- A chance to join the academic and intellectual life of the Institute
- A chance to work with scholars in peace studies, conflict resolution and related fields
- A chance to build research with policy and practical use
- A choice of one semester or a full academic year depending on your plans and the funding available
- A start in August or January at the beginning of a Notre Dame semester
- A chance to meet the wider sustainability fellowship group if your project fits the climate theme
Documents You Need
Send everything through the Interfolio application system.
| Document | Rules |
| Cover letter | Up to two pages. Say if you want one semester or two semesters. Name your research theme |
| Research project proposal | Up to 10 double-spaced pages with the bibliography. Describe your sources, data method and analysis. Add a research timetable and your expected outputs. Explain why the work matters, why Kroc is the right place and how it builds on earlier research |
| Curriculum vitae | Up to date. Show your degrees research experience publications and other scholarly work |
| Two confidential letters of recommendation | Request them through Interfolio. They should support your qualifications research skills and fit for the fellowship |
How To Apply
- Pick your theme and decide if you want one semester or two.
- Write your cover letter of up to two pages.
- Write your research proposal of up to 10 double spaced pages.
- Update your CV.
- Ask two people to send confidential letters through Interfolio.
- Upload everything to the official Interfolio portal.
- Submit before 30 November 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time.
For questions about the process write to Juan Flores Ramirez at jfloresr@nd.edu.
How Applications Are Evaluated
A faculty committee at the Kroc Institute reviews all applications. It sends its recommendations to the Institute Director. The committee looks at three things:
- Your academic excellence
- How well your research fits the Institute’s current work
- How much you will add to the Institute community
Selected fellows are expected to work in a team spirit and to produce work that helps people understand peace, conflict and policy challenges.
Key Dates
- 10 September 2026: Applications opened
- 30 November 2026 at 11:59 pm Eastern Time: Deadline
- February 2027: Selected applicants told
- August 2027 or January 2028: Fellowship starts at the beginning of a Notre Dame semester