Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center Announces New Nuclear Security Fellows Program Funded by Stanton Foundation

Press Release, Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

January 15, 2010

Belfer Center Programs or Projects: International Security; Managing the Atom; Science, Technology, and Public Policy

Harvard Kennedy School's Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs will participate in a new nuclear security fellowship program funded by the Stanton Foundation.

The purpose of the fellowships is to stimulate the development of the next generation of leaders in nuclear security by supporting research that will advance policy-relevant understanding of the issues. Fellows will produce a written product at the end of the fellowship on topics including: nuclear terrorism, nuclear proliferation, nuclear weapons, nuclear force posture, and nuclear energy as it relates to nuclear security.

These fellowships are for predoctoral and postdoctoral scholars and junior faculty. The Nuclear Security Fellows will be joint fellows of the Belfer Center's International Security Program and Project on Managing the Atom.

These fellowships will offer ten-month stipends of 20,000 USD to pre­doctoral research fellows, and stipends for postdoctoral scholars and junior faculty will be awarded on a case-by-case basis and commensurate with experience, with provision of health insurance. Office space and supplies, computers with LAN and Internet connections, and access to Harvard University libraries and other facilities will be provided.

The Belfer Center at Harvard Kennedy School is a global leader in efforts to stem nuclear proliferation and prevent nuclear terrorism. Senators Sam Nunn and Richard Lugar credit the Belfer Center as the incubator of Nunn-Lugar legislation — one of the most significant Congressional initiatives in national security since World War II. The Center continues to play a leading role in identifying the threat of unsecured nuclear materials and how to deal with it.

Applications for the Nuclear Security fellowships for the 2010-2011 academic year will be accepted until February 15, 2010. Decisions are expected by March 15, 2010.

To find out more information on how to apply, go to: http://belfercenter.org/publication/19861

Other participants in Stanton Foundation's Nuclear Security Fellows Program include: Stanford's Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC), the Council on Foreign Relations, the RAND Corporation, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the International Institute for Strategic Studies in London.

About The Stanton Foundation

The Stanton Foundation was created by Frank Stanton, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest executives in the history of electronic communications. Hired by CBS in 1935 on the strength of his Ph.D. dissertation in the nascent field of audience research, he became president of CBS at age 36. During his 25 years as president, he turned an also-ran radio network into a broadcasting powerhouse.

During his years at CBS and thereafter, Stanton had an abiding interest in international security and American foreign policy. He was a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations, chairman and trustee of the RAND Corporation, chairman of the American Red Cross, chairman of the Visiting Committee of the Harvard Kennedy School, and Chairman of the U.S. Advisory Commission on Information.

He also served on numerous presidential commissions charged with preparing the US for the realities of living in a nuclear world. His involvement with nuclear issues began with his appointment to a committee by Dwight Eisenhower in 1954 to develop the first comprehensive plan for the survival of the U.S. following a nuclear attack. Stanton had lead responsibility for developing plans for national and international communication in the aftermath of a nuclear incident.

The Stanton Foundation aims, through its support of the Nuclear Security Fellows program, to perpetuate his efforts to meet these challenges.

About the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School

The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs is the hub of the Harvard Kennedy School's research, teaching, and training in international security affairs, environmental and resource issues, and science and technology policy.

The Center has a dual mission: (1) to provide leadership in advancing policy-relevant knowledge about the most important challenges of international security and other critical issues where science, technology, environmental policy, and international affairs intersect; and (2) to prepare future generations of leaders for these arenas. Center researchers not only conduct scholarly research, but also develop prescriptions for policy reform. Faculty and fellows analyze global challenges from nuclear proliferation and terrorism to climate change and energy policy.

The Belfer Center's leadership begins with the recognition of science and technology as driving forces constantly transforming both the challenges we face and the opportunities for problem solving. Building on the vision of founder Paul Doty, the Center addresses serious global concerns by integrating insights and research of social scientists, natural scientists, technologists, and practitioners in government, diplomacy, the military, and business.

The heart of the Belfer Center is its resident research community of more than 150 scholars, including Harvard faculty, researchers, practitioners, and each year a new, international, interdisciplinary group of research fellows. Through publications and policy discussions, workshops, seminars, and conferences, the Center promotes innovative solutions to significant national and international challenges.

For more information about this publication please contact the Belfer Center Communications Office at 617-495-9858.

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