# The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies ![Outside of a building with trees and shrubs on a sunny day.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_1_1__720x720_scale/public/2025-04/1727Building-forweb.jpeg?itok=9QVgPO0_) Founded in 1984, [The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies](https://academy.wcfia.harvard.edu/) is dedicated to increasing our knowledge of the culture, history, and institutions of the world's major regions and countries. The mission of the [Academy Scholars Program](https://academy.wcfia.harvard.edu/programs/academy_scholar) is to train social scientists in area studies—focusing especially on areas of the world outside of the United States or Canada. The Harvard Academy’s premise is that the scholarly world needs individuals who combine thorough disciplinary and area specializations. The Academy Scholars Program was established to facilitate this goal. The Harvard Academy also organizes seminars and conferences, and supports Harvard University faculty research and publications. The Academy Scholars Program of The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies identifies and supports outstanding scholars at the start of their academic careers whose work combines excellence in a social science discipline with a command of the language and knowledge or expertise of countries or regions outside of the United States or Canada. Their scholarship should span traditional disciplinary divisions and elucidate comparative, transnational, or domestic issues, past or present. The Academy Scholars are a select community of individuals possessed of resourcefulness, initiative, and originality whose work shows promise as a foundation for careers in research universities or international institutions. Academy Scholars are appointed for a two-year, in-residence, postdoctoral fellowship at The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies at Harvard University. They receive substantial financial and research assistance which permits them to undertake robust research projects and skills development in their chosen fields and areas. They meet at dinners, seminars, and informal get-togethers in order to pursue innovative interdisciplinary approaches to their work. They participate actively in the intellectual life of the University, engaging in seminars, workshops, and conferences. During the course of the fellowship, each Academy Scholar presents his or her work at a seminar to colleagues, Harvard Academy Senior Scholars, and other interested faculty and graduate students. Many Academy Scholars, in addition, present their book manuscript for intensive discussion at The Harvard Academy-sponsored author's conferences, to which a small number of colleagues from Harvard and other universities are invited. They are mentored by the Harvard Academy Senior Scholars, a cohort of faculty members who act as a selection committee, participate in Harvard Academy events, and are committed to supporting the Academy Scholars as they work to achieve their potential. The Harvard Academy Senior Scholars are David R. Armitage, Emily Breza, Melani Cammett, Timothy J. Colton, Melissa Dell, Sarah Dryden-Peterson, Grzegorz Ekiert, Rema Hanna, Nicholas Harkness, Eliana La Ferrara, Ya-Wen Lei, Steven Levitsky, Mary D. Lewis, Elizabeth J. Perry, Jocelyn Viterna, Yuhua Wang, and Malika Zeghal. In addition, the Harvard Academy Seminar brings distinguished scholars to campus. Meeting several times a year to explore new developments in social science research that are pertinent to a direct understanding of the culture, history, and institutions of specific countries or regions, the seminar—a thirty- to forty-minute presentation followed by discussion—takes place over dinner at the Harvard Faculty Club. The Academy Scholars Program has been made possible through the generous support of Dr. Ira Kukin, founding benefactor of The Harvard Academy, and Albert and Celia Weatherhead and the Weatherhead Foundation. The application deadline for the Academy Scholars Program is **September 19, 2025**. The Harvard Academy is dedicated to building an inclusive community of scholars with an array of experiences, perspectives, and methods. home [### Contact ](https://www.google.com/maps/place/1727+Cambridge+Street,+1727+Cambridge+St,+Cambridge,+MA+02138/@42.375523,-71.11285,16z/data=!4m6!3m5!1s0x89e377442f71c58b:0xc2a601ef4bb71a70!8m2!3d42.3754806!4d-71.1128627!16s%2Fg%2F1tlc922l?hl=en&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDYxMS4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D)**Program Offices:** 1727 Cambridge Street Cambridge, MA 02138 p: (617) 495-2137 f: (617) 496-9592 language [### Program Website ](https://academy.wcfia.harvard.edu/)Visit The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies website app\_registration [### Apply ](https://academy.wcfia.harvard.edu/programs/academy_scholar)Apply online to the Academy Scholars Program of The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies ## Administration Timothy J. Colton is the chair of The Harvard Academy. George Soroka is the executive officer, and Kathleen Hoover is the program coordinator. [### Timothy J. Colton ](/people/timothy-j-colton) Chair, The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies; Faculty Associate. Morris and Anna Feldberg Professor of Government and Russian Studies, Department of Government, Harvard University. ![colton_tim.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/colton_tim.jpg?itok=2MKUZo2c) [### George Soroka ](/people/george-soroka) Executive Officer, The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies. ![George Soroka.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-06/soroka_george.jpg?h=1127f77e&itok=YAqIPqYM) [### Kathleen Hoover ](/people/kathleen-hoover) Program Coordinator, The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies; Executive Assistant to the Center Director. ![Kathleen Hoover.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-06/hoover_kathleen.jpg?h=f6734ee8&itok=rXoWOFzX) ## Current Affiliates (2025–2026) [### David R. Armitage ](/people/david-r-armitage)Faculty Associate; Harvard Academy Senior Scholar. Lloyd C. Blankfein Professor of History, Department of History; Chair, Committee on Degrees in Social Studies, Harvard University. **Research interests:** History of international law and international relations theory; colonialism and political theory; oceanic history; civil war; and treaties. ![Headshot of David Armitage.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-08/armitage_david.jpg?itok=SHXUKT-X) [### Lydia Assouad ](/people/lydia-assouad)Academy Scholar, The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies (spring 2026). Assistant Professor, Department of International Development, London School of Economics and Political Science. **Research interests:** Political economy of development; social cohesion; inequality; culture and institutions; and the Middle East. **Pronouns:** she/her/hers ![Woman with medium brown hair wearing a black long sleeve shirt folding her arms and smiling.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/assouad_lydia.jpg?itok=-l5GURX7) [### Luis Bosshart ](/people/luis-bosshart)Academy Scholar, The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies. PhD, Department of Government, London School of Economics and Political Science. **Research interests:** Political economy; development; institutional change; and Western Europe, Eastern Europe, and Germany. ![Headshot of Luis Bosshart.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-07/bosshart-luis.jpeg?h=91e66675&itok=Kg_HoVD-) [### Emily Breza ](/people/emily-breza)Faculty Associate. Harvard Academy Senior Scholar. Frederic E. Abbe Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Harvard University. **Research interests:** Development economics, with a focus on financial markets, labor markets, and social networks. ![Emily Breza.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/breza_emily.jpg?itok=VtJFZ2f9) [### Melani Cammett ](/people/melani-claire-cammett)Center Director; Chair, Weatherhead Research Cluster on Identity and Conflict; Faculty Associate (on leave 2025–2026); Harvard Academy Senior Scholar. Clarence Dillon Professor of International Affairs, Department of Government, Harvard University. **Research interests**: Conflict; religion and ethnicity; development; and Middle East politics. **Pronouns:** she/her/hers ![Melani Cammett.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/2025-06/cammett_melani.jpg?h=f8f5c50e&itok=Pu-9tRiA) [### Caterina Chiopris ](/people/caterina-chiopris)Academy Scholar, The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies. PhD, Department of Government, Harvard University. Research interests: Historical political economy; history of science; innovation; state building; democratic backsliding; Western Europe; and China. ![Woman with a brown bob wearing a gray blue suit is smiling in front of a tree.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/chiopris_caterina.jpg?itok=9btHXZkg) [### Timothy J. Colton ](/people/timothy-j-colton)Chair, The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies; Faculty Associate. Morris and Anna Feldberg Professor of Government and Russian Studies, Department of Government, Harvard University. **Research interests:** Political change in Russia and Eurasia; conflict and security dilemmas in the region; and comparative regionalism, with special emphasis on the subjective component. ![colton_tim.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/colton_tim.jpg?itok=2MKUZo2c) [### Melissa Dell ](/people/melissa-dell)Faculty Associate; Harvard Academy Senior Scholar. Andrew E. Furer Professor of Economics, Department of Economics, Harvard University. **Research interests:** Development economics; and political economy. ![melissa_dell.jpg](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/melissa_dell.jpg?itok=dp9IMEkJ) [### Sarah Dryden-Peterson ](/people/sarah-dryden-peterson)Executive Committee; Steering Committee; Faculty Associate; Harvard Academy Senior Scholar. Director, REACH; Professor of Education, Harvard Graduate School of Education. **Research interests:** Comparative education; community development; education in armed conflict, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa; migration; and transnationalism. **Pronouns:** she/her ![Sarah Dryden Peterson](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/dryden_peterson_sarah.jpeg?itok=Z46XJ6Tc) [### Grzegorz Ekiert ](/people/grzegorz-ekiert)Faculty Associate; Harvard Academy Senior Scholar. Laurence A. Tisch Professor of Government, Department of Government; Director, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University. **Research interests:** Civil society development in new democracies in Central Europe and East Asia; and patterns of transformations in the post-Communist world. ![Grzegorz Ekiert.](/sites/g/files/omnuum8891/files/styles/hwp_4_5__690x865/public/wcfia/files/ekiert_grzegorz.jpg?itok=EbFoCePc) Show morerefresh [ View All People arrow\_circle\_right ](/people) --- ## All Programs & Projects The Weatherhead Center hosts formal programs that link faculty and affiliates working in similar research areas. Projects at the Weatherhead Center are discrete activities that connect interdisciplinary scholars, practitioners, and students working in a specific research area. Projects may include student internships, multiyear research activities, and more. Open all sections Close all sections ### Canada Program expand\_more The Canada Program, made possible by the William Lyon Mackenzie King Endowment, presents rich intellectual opportunities for Canadian studies at Harvard: graduate and undergraduate courses offered by distinguished visiting Canadianist scholars across the social sciences and professional schools, dissertation research grants for Harvard graduate students, thesis research and travel funding for Harvard undergraduates, funding for Harvard faculty-hosted Canadian studies specialists, a vibrant seminar series of esteemed Canadianist guest speakers, and an annual faculty conference. [**Learn more about the Canada Program >**](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/programs/canada) ### Program on US-Japan Relations expand\_more The Program on US-Japan Relations was founded in response to Japan's rise as a leading global power. We seek to advance knowledge of US-Japan relations and contemporary Japanese economy, politics, society, and culture from comparative, global, and transnational perspectives. Every academic year, we host approximately sixteen postdoctoral fellows, visiting scholars, and practitioner associates to conduct research on campus. We sponsor a weekly hybrid seminar series, biweekly associate workshops, Japanese Politics Online Seminar Series (JPOSS), an annual Distinguished Visitor program, conferences on Harvard campus and in Tokyo, and other events. [**Learn more about the Program on US-Japan Relations >**](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/programs/us_japan) ### SCANCOR at the Weatherhead Center expand\_more SCANCOR at the Weatherhead Center explores the role of formal organizations—including corporations, nongovernmental organizations, and professional associations—in the creation of international social, environmental, economic, and political conventions. Our project is a partnership between the Weatherhead Center and the Scandinavian Consortium for Organizational Research (SCANCOR), a membership-supported nonprofit sponsored by leading universities and business schools in Scandinavia. We welcome visiting scholars to Harvard for up to one year to use the tools of organizational science to work on international topics. While at Harvard, visitors connect with scholars from across the campus, and around Boston, through various seminars and workshops. [**Learn more about SCANCOR at the Weatherhead Center >**](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/projects/scancor) ### STAR Lab expand\_more The Sustainability Transparency Accountability Research (STAR) Lab brings together a group of scholars at Harvard University and beyond conducting research on new business initiatives aimed at improving accountability and sustainability as well as generating positive social and environmental impacts. Among these initiatives are programs addressing issues in global supply chains and the impacts of multinational businesses in developing countries, climate change and environmental sustainability, discrimination and human rights, and more. New research is critical for the design and evaluation of these initiatives and for understanding their impacts on business, social, and environmental outcomes. We support collaborations among Harvard scholars and build partnerships between the group and a diverse set of companies, with headquarters and operations in many different countries. [**Learn more about STAR Lab >**](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/projects/star-lab) ### The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies expand\_more The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies is dedicated to increasing our knowledge of the culture, history, and institutions of the world's major regions and countries. To accomplish this goal, we sponsor the Academy Scholars Program, which identifies and supports outstanding scholars at the start of their academic careers whose work combines excellence in a social science discipline with a command of the language and knowledge or expertise of countries or regions outside of the United States or Canada. Their scholarship spans traditional disciplinary divisions and elucidates comparative, transnational, or domestic issues, past or present. Academy Scholars are appointed for a two-year, in-residence, postdoctoral fellowship. They are mentored by the Harvard Academy Senior Scholars, a cohort of faculty members who are committed to supporting the Academy Scholars as they work to achieve their potential. [**Learn more about The Harvard Academy for International and Area Studies >**](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/programs/academy) ### Weatherhead Scholars Program expand\_more The Weatherhead Scholars Program offers visiting faculty, postdoctoral researchers, and experienced practitioners the opportunity to spend up to one year at Harvard conducting comparative international research. During their time in residence, affiliates participate in the weekly Scholars’ seminar and contribute to the Center’s many intellectual activities. They may also audit courses and engage with the undergraduate and graduate student communities. [**Learn more about the Weatherhead Scholars Program >**](https://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/programs/scholars) --- See also:- [ Programs ](/content-types/programs) - [ Current Programs ](/content-types/current-programs)