The CIS PhD Student Research Grants provides funding for PhD student research projects that focus on international studies and require travel for field research and/or visits to archives. The grant should be used to cover travel costs related to field work (i.e., airfare, lodging, meals, etc.) and/or research-related costs (such as survey platform fees or research assistance). It may not be used for data purchases or as a “writing stipend.” Rather, recipients are expected to generate new empirical research in international studies. International research on a broad range of issues will be considered.
Students from all MIT departments are eligible to apply for two distinct opportunities:
Standard Grants
· $2,000 - $5,000
· Generally used to support field research or archival visits of 2-10 weeks in duration.
· All PhD students are eligible to apply.
Trailblazer Grants (2 grants available per year)
· Up to $15,000
· Only PhD students who have advanced to candidacy will be considered for the Trailblazer grant.
Trailblazer Grants are a new opportunity aiming to provide resources for particularly ambitious research projects that may require extended field research and/or include costs for local research assistants, survey enumerators, etc. Applications for this more competitive grant should fully justify the need for additional resources and provide details on data collection, including power calculations for surveys and experiments. All woman-identifying PhD candidates studying international affairs who are selected to receive either of the grants will be considered for the Jeanne Guillemin Prize.
Application requirements:
Complete the application form. You will need to prepare and upload the following PDF documents:
· Research statement (maximum 500 words for Standard Grants and 1250 words for Trailblazer Grants)
· CV
Separately, please ask a current dissertation advisor to provide a letter of support by emailing it to Kate Danahy at cis-info@mit.edu. If you are applying for a Trailblazer Grant, please ask your letter-writer to indicate their specific support for this more ambitious opportunity.
The application deadline for 2025 grants is March 14th, 2025. Results will be announced in mid-April.
Eligibility
Applicants must have registered student status for the duration of the proposed research. It is the applicant’s responsibility to comply with MIT and departmental requirements regarding payment of tuition and fees. All grantees must comply with the MIT student travel policy.
Students may apply for both grants with separate applications, but a single letter of recommendation. Each student may receive a maximum of two grants from the Center for International Studies during their time at MIT.
Funds are paid by direct deposit at the beginning of the project. Allocated funds must be used within a year of the award.
Questions? Email cis-info@mit.edu. Learn more about past recipients here.
