2025-2026 Global China Fellows Program

Applications are open now for the 2025-2026 Global China Fellows Program. The Global China Fellows Program is a flagship program of the Global China Initiative (GCI) at the Boston University Global Development Policy Center (GDP Center). Since its inception in 2017, the Fellows Program has supported more than 40 Pre- and Post-doctoral Fellows from around the world to engage in policy-oriented research and commentary on China’s role in (re)shaping global affairs.

The Fellows Program provides a one-of-a-kind opportunity to engage and collaborate with GDP Center researchers, BU faculty members and Global South-based institutions to conduct policy-oriented research on China’s overseas economic activity and engagement with international institutions to advance financial stability, human well-being and environmental sustainability. Global China Fellows are paired with a BU faculty member or GDP Center Senior Academic Researcher under one of the four GCI workstreams: Data Analysis for Transparency and Accountability (D.A.T.A.); Forestry, Agriculture, Indigenous Rights and the Belt and Road Initiative (FAIR-BRI); Energy and Climate; and China and the International Financial Architecture (CHIFA). Fellows contribute to GCI research projects while receiving guidance and support on their own independent research projects. Fellows are expected to produce one GCI working paper per appointment year.

Within the FAIR-BRI workstream, GCI is seeking fellows with advanced geospatial data analysis, remote sensing, programming and modeling skills for policy-relevant research.Accepted fellows will contribute to researches that examine:

• The relative environmental and social risks intrinsic in Chinese overseas investments in transition mineral extraction, relative to their western peers, with a particular focus on biodiversity and Indigenous peoples’ lands.

• The relative environmental impact of Chinese development finance projects, including infrastructure, energy and other types of projects, relative to World Bank development finance projects, with a particular focus on land cover change and implications for carbon storage.

The resulting papers will form core parts of GCI’s policy outreach as we interface with Chinese and western development finance institutions and industry groups that are examining and strengthening their environmental and social risk management frameworks.

Required Qualifications:

Pre-doctoral applicants must have completed their qualification/comprehensive exams and defended their dissertation proposal; post-doctoral applicants must have successfully defended their dissertation by August 2025;

• Demonstrated technical skills including:

        - GIS Software Proficiency: Advanced knowledge of GIS software like ArcGIS, QGIS, and MapInfo is essential.

       - Remote Sensing: Ability to interpret data from aerial and satellite imagery.

       - Geospatial Data Analysis: Skilled in analyzing and interpreting spatial data to make policy relevant recommendations.

       - Programming: Knowledge of scripting languages like Python or R for data manipulation, automation, and geospatial analysis.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Strong research interest and expertise in China’s overseas economic activities and their impacts on land coverage, biodiversity and indigenous people.

• Experience in priority geographical regions of interest, in addition to China, such as Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia;

• Fluency in Chinese or a language from one of the priority regions;

The majority of the fellowships will be awarded for the 2025-2026 academic year. Fellows will receive a competitive stipend and modest funding for data collection and/or fieldwork and potentially be eligible for reimbursement of relocation expenses. Fellows are expected to complete their fellowship in-person at the GDP Center’s offices at Boston University.

To apply:

Interested applicants should send the following materials in one PDF to the Global China Initiative Team (gci@bu.edu) with the subject line “> GCI Fellow

Application 2025-2026″:

1. Recent Curriculum Vitae.

2. A 1-2 page cover letter describing applicant’s academic training, research interests and experience.

3. A 1-2 page working paper proposal that outlines the research question(s), methodology, research plan and its significance.

4. Contact information for two references.

Applications must be received by December 20, 2024, 11:59 PM EST. Applicants will be reviewed on a rolling basis, with screening interviews starting in October. Due to the volume of applicants, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. For International candidates: International candidates will need express approval from their sponsoring institution stating that the potential fellow is allowed to earn income from another institution. This is especially important for international students with J-1 visas.

Note: If you do not currently have a valid US scholar visa, certain research positions at Boston University qualify for immigration sponsorship. Prospective scholars should first establish their potential affiliation with the GDP Center as a pre- or post-doctoral fellow and clarify the terms of their appointment. BU’s International Students and Scholars Office (ISSO) will work with the prospective scholar and the GDP Center to evaluate which immigration classification is most appropriate. The ISSO will consider various factors such as the appointment/affiliation terms, the scholar’s educational achievements and US immigration history.