The President of the International Studies Assocation (ISA), Siba Grovogui, has appointed me to serve as Chair of the ISA Committee on Dissertation Completion Fellowships for a one-year term, until March 2026. I originally joined the committee in 2024, following my appointment by then-ISA President Marijke Breuning. In this role, I am fortunate to work alongside a group of esteemed colleagues: Holley E. Hansen (Oklahoma State University), Sam O. Opondo (Vassar College), Olivia Umurerwa Rutazibwa (London School of Economics and Political Science), and Alexander D. Barder (Florida International University). Together, we aim to do our best to support graduate students through the work of this committee.

Dissertation Completion Fellowships are open to applicants from across the social sciences and humanities working in the field of international studies, broadly conceived. The Committee is a permanent standing committee of the ISA. Its members are appointed by the ISA President and confirmed by the ISA Governing Council. The fellowship program aims to support graduate students in the final stages of writing their dissertation, typically in the last year of their PhD program. While the fellowship is open to all eligible graduate student members of ISA, the committee particularly encourages applications from groups, genders, and nationalities that have been historically under-represented in the field of international studies. Preference will also be given to students without access to other sources of funding to assist with dissertation completion.

The Call for Applications will open on July 1, 2025. On the ISA website you can see last year’s criteria, which will be updated (with minor changes) before the new call is published.