Get $12,000 for AI Ethics Research: Harvard CHS in Greece Fellowship 2026-2027 (Postdoc)

If you’re a postdoctoral researcher working on the ethics of artificial intelligence — whether your training is in philosophy, computer science, sociology, law, classical studies, or another field — this Harvard Center for Hellenic Studies (CHS) Fellowship in AI Ethics is worth your attention. It’s a one-year appointment (July–June) aimed at serious scholarly work at the intersection of AI and the human sciences, with a $12,000 stipend, year-long access to Harvard online resources, and a short educational visit to the United States.

This fellowship is small but strategic: the money won’t fund a lab, but it will buy you time, access, mentorship, and a platform to publish and present your work. If your project asks sharp questions about algorithms, values, governance, or the cultural meanings of intelligent systems — and if you can explain why spending a year connected to CHS in Greece advances that work — you should apply.

At a Glance

What This Opportunity Offers

This isn’t a blockbuster grant with a multi-year budget; it’s a focused fellowship that gives you concentrated intellectual time and institutional affiliation. The $12,000 stipend is intended to support living and research costs while you concentrate on producing a discrete scholarly outcome: a paper, a policy brief, a prototype normative framework, or a book chapter, depending on your field and goals.

Beyond money, the fellowship provides year-long access to Harvard’s online databases and digital resources. If you need access to hard-to-get journals, datasets, or archival materials that Harvard subscribes to, that access can be transformative for a year. You’ll also receive mentorship from the program’s academic committee — meaning regular scholarly feedback, introductions, and a built-in audience for your work.

Another concrete benefit is a 10-day educational trip to the United States. That’s your chance to present work, meet peers at Harvard, and broaden your professional network. CHS will invite fellows to presentations and publication opportunities, which helps move a research project from the solitary phase to public-facing scholarship. For early-career researchers, these contacts and visibility can be as important as the stipend.

Finally, CHS’s emphasis on Greece matters. The program aims to engage with Greek institutions and public conversations, so projects that explicitly connect AI ethics to Greek public policy, cultural history, legal practice, or civil society will find a receptive audience.

Who Should Apply

This fellowship is for postdoctoral researchers who are ready to produce a substantial piece of AI ethics scholarship in a 12-month period. Ideal applicants:

• Are within the early stages of their academic career (postdocs, non-tenure-track researchers) and need time to convert research into publishable outputs.
• Have a PhD (defended by Dec 1, 2025) in any relevant discipline: philosophy of technology, law, computer science with ethics focus, STS (science and technology studies), anthropology, political science, classics with digital humanities interest, or related fields.
• Can demonstrate a clear plan for a 12-month project with achievable milestones.
• Will benefit from CHS’s resources, mentorship, and visibility — especially if your work engages with Greek institutions, public debates in Greece, or broader Mediterranean contexts.

Concrete examples of suitable projects: an analysis of algorithmic decision-making in Greek public services; a comparative study of AI governance in EU Mediterranean states; a philosophical account of value pluralism for AI design informed by Greek philosophical traditions; empirical work on automated systems affecting migration patterns across the Aegean. Projects that remain purely technical (e.g., low-level systems engineering without an ethics or humanities component) are less likely to be competitive unless tightly framed around social, legal, or philosophical implications.

Eligibility and Selection Criteria

You must have a PhD (or equivalent) and have completed your defense by December 1, 2025. Applicants must be fluent in English; some knowledge of modern Greek is preferred because CHS aims to connect fellows with Greek partners and public engagement. Being physically based in Greece during the fellowship year is preferable but not an absolute requirement — explain your plan clearly if you’ll be remote.

CHS prioritizes proposals that:

• Show how the fellowship’s time, resources, and mentoring will make the research possible and lead to completion.
• Demonstrate that the project’s outcomes will contribute to the field and stimulate further inquiry across humanities, social sciences, and related scientific areas.
• Provide evidence of the researcher’s ability to carry out the plan — publications, prior projects, and strong references help here.

Applicants in early postdoc stages or in non-tenure-track roles will be given favorable consideration.

Insider Tips for a Winning Application

This section matters: the application is short on page limits but heavy on expectations. With a 1,000-word proposal cap, you can’t be vague. Here are practical strategies that past successful applicants used.

1. Lead with a sharp research question and two clear aims. Use the first paragraph to state, plainly, what you will do and why it matters. Reviewers often skim proposals; make the payoff obvious in the first 150–200 words.

2. Show how CHS specifically enables your project. Don’t write a generic research proposal that would work anywhere. Mention Harvard resource access you’ll use (specific databases or archives), explain how the 10-day US visit will advance dissemination, and — crucially — explain how being connected to CHS in Greece will help (e.g., access to Greek government records, collaborations with local NGOs, language resources).

3. Be ruthless about scope. One year and $12,000 require focus. Propose a single, realistic deliverable (a publishable article, a policy brief plus working paper, or a digital edition) and a short plan for how you’ll produce it. If your idea could produce three separate books, pick one and explain why it’s both feasible and valuable.

4. Use a timeline with milestones. A two or three-line month-by-month plan bolsters credibility: July–September literature and data collection; October–January analysis; February–April drafting; May–June revisions and presentation. Concrete milestones outscore grand ambitions.

5. Choose the sample of work strategically. If your sample shows clarity of argument and polished prose, it will compensate for a shorter publication record. If you’re an empirical researcher, include code appendices or clear methodological write-ups in the sample.

6. Letters of reference matter — but CHS only asks for contact details rather than uploaded letters at submission. Pick referees who can speak to your project’s feasibility and your ability to finish it in a year. Tell them explicitly what you’re proposing so they can tailor their recommendation if asked.

7. Edit ruthlessly for clarity and plain English. The selection committee reads across disciplines. Avoid dense jargon; define key terms briefly. Ask a colleague outside your subfield for a readability check.

8. Use the sample of work to signal fit. If you propose an ethics-of-AI project with legal implications, include a legal analysis sample. If your project deals with cultural narratives, your sample should demonstrate your interpretive skills.

9. If you’re not based in Greece, explain why you’ll still contribute to CHS goals and how you’ll stay engaged with Greek partners remotely. A clear plan for regular interaction will ease reviewer concerns.

10. Start early. Contact potential referees and give them context. Convert your proposal to PDF early and verify formatting — uploaded PDFs are what reviewers see.

Combined, these tips form a single golden rule: be precise about what you’ll produce and why CHS is the right place to do it.

Application Timeline (Realistic, Workback)

Deadline: February 6, 2026. Don’t wait until the last minute.

• Mid-December 2025: Brainstorm project framing, identify referees, outline the 1,000-word proposal.
• Early January 2026: Draft proposal, select sample of work, update CV. Share drafts with at least two readers: one in your field and one outside it.
• Mid-January 2026: Finalize proposal and sample. Contact referees with project summary and timeline; ask them to be ready.
• Late January 2026: Convert documents to PDFs, check that the sample stays ≤10,000 words and that the proposal is ≤1,000 words (notes: bibliographies do not count toward the 1,000-word proposal limit; the 10,000-word sample does include bibliography).
• February 1–3, 2026: Upload documents and enter referees’ contact details into the portal. Submit at least 72 hours before the official deadline to avoid last-minute upload errors.
• After submission: Follow up with referees to ensure they received any confirmation and to remind them of timelines if letters are requested later.

Plan for at least two rounds of revision for your proposal. Tight editing is what separates an average entry from a fundable one.

Required Materials (and How to Prepare Them)

CHS requires three PDF uploads and contact details for two referees. Prepare each document with attention to the selection criteria.

• Research proposal (≤1,000 words, English): This is the application’s core. Use headers (Aims, Significance, Methods/Approach, Timeline/Deliverables). Bibliography and references are excluded from the word count — use them to situate your project succinctly. Keep the prose tight and outcome-focused.

• Curriculum vitae (English): Highlight relevant publications, conference presentations, research grants, and institutional affiliations. Keep it concise but thorough — two to four pages is common for early-career scholars.

• Sample of work (≤10,000 words, English or Greek): Choose something that best demonstrates your argumentation and method. If submitting a longer chapter, trim to the strongest 10,000 words. Make sure the sample matches the genre of the project (theoretical essays for philosophical proposals, case studies for empirical work). The sample includes bibliography in the word count.

• Contact details for two referees: Provide institutional email addresses and a short sentence describing each referee’s relationship to you. CHS will request letters if needed.

File formatting tips: save all documents as searchable PDFs, check that fonts embed correctly, and name files clearly (e.g., Lastname_Proposal.pdf). Confirm sizes do not exceed upload limits in the portal.

What Makes an Application Stand Out

A competitive proposal combines intellectual ambition with demonstrable feasibility. Reviewers want to fund a project that will produce a clear deliverable within one year and that benefits from CHS affiliation.

Standout features include:

• A crisp, compelling research question that connects AI ethics to broader scholarly debates or public policy.
• Evidence of prior work or skills that make the project achievable (published papers, preliminary data, coding skills, legal experience).
• A detailed timeline with deliverables, showing you can finish something substantive in 12 months.
• Clear ties to Greece or to CHS resources — local collaborations, use of Greek-language sources, or access to regional datasets.
• Plans for dissemination: submission target journals, public-facing outputs, or presentations at CHS events during or immediately after the fellowship.

Interdisciplinary projects that bridge humanities and social sciences with concrete methods (textual analysis, legal analysis, field interviews, computational ethics methods) often attract favorable attention because they promise cross-disciplinary impact.

Common Mistakes to Avoid (and How to Fix Them)

1. Vague scope: Broad philosophical projects that lack a tangible deliverable struggle. Solution: narrow to a single paper or a concrete policy brief with a clear title and milestones.

2. No clear CHS connection: If your proposal could be done anywhere, reviewers may pass. Solution: explain how Harvard resources, the US visit, or Greek collaborations are essential to your project.

3. Overambitious methodology: Proposing large-scale data collection or complex software development within a year often fails. Solution: propose a pilot or a well-scoped case study and explain future scaling.

4. Poorly chosen sample of work: Submitting a low-quality or irrelevant sample undermines your application. Solution: pick your most polished, relevant piece; edit for clarity.

5. Late or careless submission: Missed uploads, wrong file types, or last-minute submissions create avoidable errors. Solution: finish documents early, test the upload, and submit days before the deadline.

6. Ignoring readability: Dense jargon or discipline-specific language confuses multidisciplinary reviewers. Solution: write for an intelligent reader outside your subfield and have a non-specialist read your proposal.

Address these traps and you’ll dramatically improve your chances.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: I’m based outside Greece. Can I still apply? A: Yes. Being based in Greece is preferred but not required. If you’re remote, explain how you’ll remain connected to CHS and Greek partners (regular online meetings, collaboration agreements, or periodic in-person visits if feasible).

Q: Must I speak Greek? A: English fluency is required. Knowledge of modern Greek is preferred because it eases engagement with local institutions and sources, but lack of Greek is not an automatic disqualifier if your project doesn’t rely on Greek-language materials.

Q: Can I apply if I defended my PhD very recently? A: Yes, as long as your defense occurred by December 1, 2025. The fellowship targets early postdoc researchers.

Q: Are teaching duties part of the fellowship? A: No formal teaching load is listed. The fellowship is research-focused. But you may be expected to present your work at CHS events and to engage with program activities.

Q: Will the stipend cover travel and living costs? A: The $12,000 stipend is intended to support living and research costs. Taxes, institutional overheads, and exact coverage depend on your personal circumstances and any host institution rules.

Q: When will decisions be announced? A: The application materials don’t specify exact notification dates. Plan for a review period of several months after the February 6 deadline and check the CHS site or contact program staff for updates.

Q: Can I apply to other CHS fellowships the same year? A: No — applicants may not apply to other CHS fellowship programs during the same application cycle.

Next Steps — How to Apply

Ready to move forward? Here’s a short action plan you can execute this week:

1. Draft a 200–250-word project summary that states your research question and the one-year deliverable.
2. Identify two referees and email them a one-page abstract plus the deadline; ask if they’re willing to provide a reference if requested.
3. Choose a sample of work that best represents your approach and trim it under 10,000 words if needed.
4. Write the 1,000-word proposal using the recommended mini-structure: Aims, Significance, Methods, Timeline, Outputs.
5. Prepare your CV and export everything to PDF.
6. Upload documents and enter referee contacts well before February 6, 2026.

Ready to apply? Visit the official opportunity page and submit your application here: https://forms-greece.chs.harvard.edu/fellowship-ai-ethics-application/

If you want, paste a draft of your 1,000-word proposal here and I’ll help tighten it to maximize clarity, fit, and persuasive force.