Ami Fields-Meyer
Non-Resident Senior Fellow, Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation
July 2024-June 2025
Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation Fellowships
Applications for AY2025-2026 will open in early October 2024.
The Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation invites faculty, doctoral and postdoctoral students, and practitioners to apply to its Fellowship programs. The Lab hosts six to ten Fellows each academic year, whose research interests and expertise will clearly advance the mission of the Lab.
The Allen Lab develops the policy innovations needed to achieve healthy democracy in the 21st century. Our applied research converts the theory of power sharing liberalism into reality. Healthy democracy in the 21st c. must deliver responsive representation and effective decision-making for large, complex, digitally-powered societies with significant heterogeneity.
About the Fellowship
The Allen Lab seeks applicants who have engaged in research and/or policy work relevant to the Lab’s key themes. These include technology and democracy, new frameworks for political economy, democracy reform, and civic education policy. We are a multidisciplinary lab and are particularly interested in drawing individuals whose work can be translated and scaled from research to impact. Preference will be given to applicants with a well-developed research agenda whose application materials demonstrate clear alignment with the work of the Lab.
The Lab offers two types of fellowships. The duration of each is typically one academic year, running from August 1 to July 31.
Democracy Renovation Research Fellowship: Intended for emerging scholars, predoctoral students/ postdoctoral researchers within 5 years of degree conferred. Fellows will be in-person in Cambridge to work on a self-directed research project.
Democracy Renovation Policy Fellowship: Intended for faculty, mid-career practitioners, and policymakers with expertise and demonstrated interest in the research, development, and implementation of policy coinciding with the Lab’s research themes. Fellows will work on their own self-directed project. May be remote and part-time with expectation of several visits to campus per semester.
The Ash Center is a global and values-driven community that believes diverse perspectives are paramount to better understanding and addressing real-world problems. In fostering an environment of rigor, curiosity, and integrity, we value and respect different opinions, lived experiences, and diverse research and policy areas and approaches. We actively seek candidates who share our commitment and values.
We are able to sponsor a limited number of visas, if required.
Expectations and Benefits
Allen Lab Fellows are expected to engage with the Allen Lab community, as well as the Ash Center broadly. This includes attending monthly Lab meetings, presenting their work at Lab meetings, and concretely contributing to the community through efforts like planning a convening, hosting a study group, or engaging in similar activities. The Fellow is also expected to be working towards a deliverable relevant to the Lab’s themes. The deliverable may include, but is not limited to, a publication. Other expectations are specific to the work of the fellow and may be negotiated with Lab leadership prior to the fellowship being awarded.
The duration of a Fellowship is typically one academic year, running from August 1 to July 31. Fellows are offered a wide range of academic and professional resources at Harvard, including physical and online library access, access to Harvard’s electronic resources, and use of a shared workspace at the Ash Center. Fellows will also have the option of publishing their research through the Lab at the Ash Center. Fellowships do not currently carry a stipend.
How to Apply
Applications from the 2025-26 academic year will open in October 2024 and close on January 10, 2025. To apply for an Allen Lab Fellowship, submit the following materials to the Ash Center Fellowship Application Portal:
- Cover letter indicating which fellowship you are applying to
- Current CV
- Statement of purpose
- 2 references
- Supplemental questions (200-500 words each)
- Please describe how your project relates to the themes of the Allen Lab.
- Please indicate the deliverable(s) you hope to achieve through this Fellowship.
- Please share why you believe that the Lab can help you further your research goals.
- Please describe specifically how you will contribute to the Lab community (this can include activities like hosting a study group or planning a convening, etc).
Applications will not be considered complete until all elements are received. If you have any questions, please reach out to Senior Lab Director Darshan Goux at darshan_goux@hks.harvard.edu or Lab Program Manager Priyanka Sethy at psethy@g.harvard.edu.
Meet the Current Fellows
Alexander Pascal
Senior Fellow, Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation
Allison Stanger
Non-resident Senior Fellow, Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation;
Co-Director and Co-Investigator, GETTING-Plurality Research Network
Andrei Stupu
Fulbright Doctoral Researcher, August 2024-May 2025
Shlomit Wagman
Faculty Associate, Berkman-Klein Center, Harvard Law School & Fellow, Harvard Kennedy School
Frequently Asked Questions
Are letters of recommendation required?
No, we will contact your recommenders directly.
I need to make a change to my application - can I edit it once submitted or re-submit?
Throughout the application process, the application will automatically save and you can revisit it at any time. If you are unsure of any response, we encourage you to wait (your application does autosave and you can revisit it at any time on the “My Applications” page) and only submit once you’re ready. You cannot change your application once it is submitted.
Can I confirm that my application was received?
On the “My Applications” page, the status of your application will be displayed. The status “Submitted” indicates it has been received.
Do you provide visa sponsorship for Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation fellowships?
Yes, Harvard University can provide J-1 visa sponsorship for eligible fellows.
When will I hear the final decision?
All Fall applicants will be notified by early Spring.
Will I be required to relocate to Cambridge to complete this fellowship?
Each fellowship is different. Please review the fellowship descriptions above for location expectations.
How do the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation Research and Policy Fellowships differ from the Reimagining Democracy Fellowships?
Both sets of fellowships are focused on building and supporting healthy democracy, so there is inevitable overlap in the research interests of the Fellows. We encourage the Fellows in both programs to collaborate, share their work, and build common purpose together.
The Allen Lab Fellows work with Professor Danielle Allen in the Lab for Democracy Renovation. They focus on advancing the theory of power-sharing liberalism through work on tech and democracy, advancing new frameworks for political economy, renovating governance mechanisms, and building civic education policy.
Fellows in the Reimagining Democracy program work with Ash Center Director Professor Archon Fung. They focus on substantive democratic governance issues, especially on innovations in public participation and political participation in democracies or non-democracies.
While the Allen Lab provides some remote/part-time fellowship opportunities, Reimagining Democracy Program fellowships require residency and tend to be full-time, lasting for the full academic year.
