Richard and Susan Hayden Academy Fellowship (£2,365 monthly stipend)

Reach us on

Richard and Susan Hayden Academy Fellowship is now open to candidates from around the world and who are at the mid-stage of their career working in academia, NGOs, business, government departments, civil society or the media.

This fellowship is a joint initiative with Richard and Susan Hayden. It offers candidates at the early-to-mid-stage of their career the opportunity to spend ten months at Chatham House working on an individual research project of their choosing.

Fellows take part in the core work of the Institute, developing their skills through the leadership programme, and furthering their professional network in the field of international affairs.

Richard and Susan Hayden Academy Fellowship Structure

A fellow’s time will be split between three key areas:

Completing a personal research project: the fellow will choose and design an individual project to undertake with the guidance of a Chatham House expert (approximately 60%).
Leadership Programme: a core part of Academy Fellowships, the Leadership Programme aims to develop the knowledge, network and self-awareness of fellows, and to equip them with important skills on which they can draw in their future careers as leaders in their field (approximately 20%).
Contributing to the ongoing research activities: working with their host research team and other Chatham House teams as appropriate, fellows will contribute to existing research priorities in line with the Chatham House mission (approximately 20%).

Richard and Susan Hayden Academy Fellowship Leadership Programme

All fellows participate in and contribute to the Leadership Programme which encompasses the following components:

Intensive induction week
- Academy fellowships begin with an intensive five-day induction week to become familiarized with the elements of the fellowships, meet their host research programme and have their first personal development coaching session.
Discussion seminars
- In these sessions, fellows meet and discuss current international affairs challenges with subject matter experts from Chatham House and beyond. The sessions cover the principal substantive and skills-based areas vital for informed and effective international leadership. Fellows usually chair these sessions and are expected to contribute to and learn from one another’s experience.
Leadership workshops
- Every two months, fellows participate in half-day workshops focusing on skills development within specific aspects of leadership such as ‘Leadership in a new role’ and ‘Fostering innovation and entrepreneurship’.
Project presentations
- Fellows present updates on their research projects to help develop presentation skills, provide a forum for peer-review and to analyse issues outside their own area of expertise.
Personal development coaching
- Fellows have access to one-on-one sessions with a dedicated coach as a way to grow their self-awareness. Fellows work with the coach to set personal development objectives which they work to meet during their fellowship and beyond.
Media training
- Fellows learn effective interview skills needed for television and radio culminating in a mock interview from which they receive feedback on style and any areas of improvement
‘Leadership in the 21st Century’ Breakfast Briefings
- All fellows benefit from priority access to the ‘Leadership in the 21st Century’ Breakfast Briefings series. There, they have the opportunity to discuss leadership experiences and learn in an informal setting with leaders from government, business, media and the non-profit sectors.
Career mentoring (optional)
Fellows’ development is facilitated and supported by partnering them with mentors to enhance their career perspective and path.

Remuneration and benefits

The fellow will receive a monthly stipend of £2,365 which will cover London living costs, including accommodation, utilities, food, transport and other basic expenses.

The Academy covers reasonable costs related to:

Relocation e.g., flights, train, other transportation to and from the UK, three nights of accommodation, visas, extra cases or 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); and
Research, outreach and dissemination costs e.g., fieldwork, travel, conferences, publication, roundtables, events, etc.

Following the successful completion of their fellowship alumni benefit from access to:

The Academy faculty and alumni; and
Five-year Chatham House membership.

Duration: Academy Fellows will spend ten months at Chatham House between October 2024 and July 2025.

Location: The fellow will be based full-time at Chatham House, London with hybrid working also possible.

Who can apply for Richard and Susan Hayden Academy Fellowship?

The fellowship is open to all nationalities.
Applicants must hold a completed BA degree or equivalent and have experience with conducting research.
The ideal candidate should be at the early-to-mid-stage of their career and come from one of the following fields or work: academia, NGO, business, government departments, civil society or the media. All applicants should possess knowledge of, and an interest in, international affairs, their chosen area of research, and Chatham House’s mission and research.
They do not impose age restrictions for applicants.
Fellows are expected to work full-time towards their fellowship and therefore it is not possible to undertake a fellowship at the same time as pursuing work or studies.