Yale Foreign Policy Initiative (YFPI) is seeking applications for our 2024 Fellows Program.

Who is YFPI?

We stand as Yale University’s foremost student-led foreign policy think tank. Our mission is to create meaningful contributions to the foreign policy arena and make foreign policy studies more accessible for all. 

We partner with scholars and form teams of diverse, capable undergrads and grad students to answer some of the most critical questions in international relations. Current mentors are affiliated with the United States Air Force, the Center for Strategic International Studies, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the RAND Corporation, the U.S. Naval War College, the Harvard Kennedy School, the Yale Law School, and more.

Highlighting the impact of our initiative, I am proud to share that two of our teams –the Semiconductors in US-China Relations and the US-China AI Competition and Global Energy teams – will be presenting their research at the Hoover Institution of Stanford this December. These teams are guided by a former Taiwanese legislator and a fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School.

What is the YFPI Fellows Program?

As part of this program, your students work with peers worldwide to create infographics to explain some of the most critical topics in international relations.

For example, a team of Fellows might collaborate on an infographic explaining the global semiconductor supply chain, creating images and crafting paragraphs to portray an incredibly intricate ecosystem in a way that anyone–even a five-year-old–could understand.

YFPI’s foundational mission is to expand access to international relations studies to individuals around the world, and we believe one way to do that is to create stunning and informative infographics that would help anyone understand a significant international relations topic that they might not have time to research throughout the day-to-day.  

The infographics will be distributed to YFPI’s Contact Network, including 700+ Yale Undergraduate and Graduate Students (Jackson School of Global Affairs, Yale Law School, Yale School of Management); professors at Yale and other prestigious universities, including Stanford, the University of Cambridge, MIT, and more; and dozens of contacts prominent in the IR/foreign policy space.

Select Fellows may be invited to work as a member of one of YFPI's research teams, where they would contribute to one of our various projects in the capacity of a researcher. 

What's in it for Students?

Here are some of the main reasons to get involved with YFPI and why students should make time for it in their busy schedules: 

1. Fellowship: Being able to meet with fellow IR-interested students from around the world will grant you more perspectives on globally pertinent issues and exponentially increase your appreciation for the topic you might be researching. 

2. Connection: Having access to YFPI’s Contact Network could serve as a pipeline for you and some significant figures in the IR space to be on a first-name basis; excellence in research is important, but it is just as essential to be connected with those who can offer such opportunities to you in the future. 

3. Experience: As a YFPI Fellow you would be relying on YFPI’s expertise in creating diverse, efficient, and productive research teams. Every team of Fellows will be guided and kept accountable for their progress. Moreover, the experience of working with YFPI will be beneficial for not only your IR literacy but also your skills as a team member and communicator. 

If you value these things, then apply now. 

How do I apply?

You can apply using this Google Form: YFPI Fellow Application 2024

The application deadline is November 20th, at 11:59 EST. Good luck!