Chatham House, the Royal Institute of International Affairs, is a world-leading, independent policy institute and a trusted forum for debate and dialogue. Based in London, for more than 100 years our research and ideas have helped people to understand a rapidly changing world. As a global think tank, our mission is to help governments and societies build a sustainably secure, prosperous and just world. We pursue this mission through dialogue, analysis and delivering solutions-based ideas.

Now in our second century, Chatham House has an ambitious goal to prepare the next generation of thinkers to meet the challenges of tomorrow

Our Queen Elizabeth II Academy for Leadership and the Next Generation, established in 2014 and opened by Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, develops future policy makers and drives positive change in world affairs by equipping future leaders with the knowledge, skills and networks to make a lasting, positive impact on international affairs.

Academy fellowships, embedded in our exclusive training programme and supported by our prestigious research teams, offer an exciting opportunity to:

• Build key leadership skills;

• Develop a research project at a world leading policy institute and;

• Connect with Chatham House’s unique expert network, engaging in dialogue and debate to expand understanding of critical international issues.

Academy Fellowship

In a joint initiative between Chatham House, the International Strategy Forum, and the Special Competitive Studies Project, the Academy is looking to host a fellow for 12 months from late January 2025 to late January 2026.

The fellowship is open to alumni of the International Strategy Forum Fellowship who want to work with the Digital Society Programme and offers candidates at the early-to-mid-stage of their career the opportunity to spend twelve months at Chatham House working with a research programme and developing their leadership skills and thematic knowledge.

Academy Fellows are professionals from a wide range of backgrounds including government, research, academia, civil society, journalism, for example, who are at the early to mid-point of their career and who are passionate about identifying evidence-based solutions to some of the world’s most pressing international challenges. They are often experts in their individual fields who show exceptional promise as emerging leaders in their home countries, regions or even internationally.

Fellows are strongly encouraged to consider the overall Chatham House mission, values and goals, align their proposal with the work and focus of the research programmes listed, and develop research proposals that seek to directly contribute to the topics listed:

Digital Society Programme

• Sovereign AI Development Pathways: What are realistic paths for nations to develop sovereign AI capabilities given varying resource constraints? How might different tiers of countries (e.g., middle powers, developing nations) pursue AI sovereignty while managing dependencies on leading AI powers?
  

• AI Platform Resilience in Great Power Competition: How can nations ensure their critical digital infrastructure and platforms remain resilient against potentially adversarial agentic AI systems? What are the geopolitical implications of asymmetric AI capabilities between major powers?

• State-Centric Technology Development and Governance: How do different state approaches to AI development and governance interact with industry on questions of global governance? What are the implications of varying national AI development models for establishing common ground on global AI safety and security standards between states and states and industry?

• Semiconductor Supply Chain Governance: What institutional architectures and verification mechanisms are needed to implement sustained compute governance at scale? How can nations balance compute restrictions with maintaining technological competitiveness and research collaboration?

Selection criteria

The successful candidate will:

• Be an alumnus of the International Strategy Forum Fellowship;

• Have experience conducting independent research and hold an undergraduate or postgraduate level qualification or have equivalent professional training or experience in a relevant area;

• Have the relevant background experience, including experience in the field of the proposed research, as demonstrated through a CV;

• Have proven leadership experience or potential;

• Show commitment to the Chatham House mission, goals and values and to identifying evidence-based solutions to some of the world’s most pressing international challenges;

• Be able to communicate how the fellowship will enable them to create positive impact, in line with the Chatham House mission and overarching purpose of Academy Fellowships as outlined above;

• Show motivation to undertake the fellowship, meet all fellowship deliverables, and take full advantage of the networks, events and opportunities offered at Chatham House; and

• Demonstrate proficiency in spoken English.

Benefits

Academy Fellows receive a monthly stipend of £2,365 for London living costs, including accommodation, utilities, food, transport, and other basic expenses.

In addition, the Academy will cover reasonable costs related to:

• Relocation (Flights, train, etc. to/from the UK, three nights of accommodation, visas, extra cases/boxes, etc.)

• Payment of the UK’s Immigration Healthcare Surcharge which allows access to the UK National Health Service (Note: you may be required to pay for dental and optical treatments and medicines prescribed by a doctor)

• Research, outreach, and dissemination costs (fieldwork, travel, conferences, publication, roundtables, events, etc.)

Additionally, Fellows attend the Leadership Masterclass Programme through which they access:

• Workshops, seminars, and events

• Media training

• Career coaching

• Writing support

• Networking opportunities, including with Chatham House staff, the Academy’s faculty and alumni

• Chatham House membership upon completion of the fellowship

Contract: 12 months.

Location: Hybrid (Office/Home), minimum 2 days in the office per week, plus expected attendance at leadership programme sessions.

Closing Date: 11 am GMT, 29 November 2024. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Candidates are therefore advised to apply early. Interviews will take place between 2 and 11 December 2024. You will be notified of the status of your application within 4 weeks of the role closing.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics. We encourage applications from all backgrounds. If there is anything we can do to improve your experience or support you, please get in touch at Academy@chathamhouse.org

Please note: We screen candidates anonymously. We will not see your personal information before your application has been moved forward in the process. Please exclude any personal or identifiable information in your application answers including your personal statement.