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The Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Visiting Chair and Postdoctoral Program

The Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Visiting Chair and Postdoctoral Program

The Deutsche Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) / German Academic Exchange Service, with the generous support of the German Federal Foreign Office, has provided grant funding for the Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Visiting Chair and up to two postdoctoral fellows to undertake research and participate in related activities at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins University Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS). The overarching aim of this program is to deepen transatlantic relations by strengthening the Kissinger Center – and in it, the German/European perspective – in conducting research, providing teaching, and to inform and engage a wider audience in debates concerning the transatlantic relationship, international security, and the role of Germany and Europe in the future world order.

Through a regular series of high-level seminars, peer review sessions, and opportunities for direct engagement with senior foreign policy practitioners and leading scholars of statecraft and world order, the DAAD Postdoctoral Fellow(s) will focus their work on the theme, “the roles of the United States and Germany at a crucial moment in world history," and each Fellow is expected to complete a research paper related to the theme during the period of residence. DAAD Postdoctoral Fellows are closely integrated into the Johns Hopkins SAIS academic community and will be affiliated with the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs. A division of Johns Hopkins University, SAIS is a global institution that provides interdisciplinary professional education to prepare a diverse student body for internationally related positions of responsibility; to foster research, scholarship and cross-cultural exchange; and to contribute knowledge, expertise, and leadership to the global community.
 
The Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Visiting Chair is currently held by Dr. Marina Henke, Professor of International Relations at the Hertie School in Berlin.

Applications for postdoctoral fellows were open until January 14, 2025. The instructions remain below for reference and the call for applications is here.

The Paul H. Nitze School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) is pleased to announce the opportunity for outstanding scholars to conduct research in Washington, D.C., on “The United States, Europe, and World Order.”  
 
During the academic year 2025-2026, up to two post-doctoral fellowships will be awarded.  Both fellowships will be available for a minimum of nine (9) and maximum of twelve (12) months between July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.  Applicants should indicate their preferred start and end dates in the application. 
 
DAAD Post-Doctoral Fellows are closely integrated into the SAIS academic community and will be affiliated with the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs. A division of Johns Hopkins University, SAIS is a global institution that provides interdisciplinary professional education to prepare a diverse student body for internationally related positions of responsibility; to foster research, scholarship and cross-cultural exchange; and to contribute knowledge, expertise, and leadership to the global community. 
 
The Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs is home to a distinguished faculty of scholars and practitioners working to address some of today’s most complex global challenges. Through its innovative research, curricula, and programs, the Kissinger Center seeks to integrate historical scholarship with rigorous analysis of geostrategy and statecraft. 
 
The Fellowships are funded through a grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) with the generous support by the German Federal Foreign Office.
 
During the academic year 2025-2026 research and related activities will focus on “the roles of the United States and Germany at a crucial moment in world history.” DAAD Post-Doctoral Fellows will focus on this subject during a regular series of high-level seminars, peer review sessions, and opportunities for direct engagement with senior foreign policy practitioners and leading scholars of statecraft and world order. Each Fellow is expected to complete a research paper related to the theme during the period of residence in addition to continuing to work on their own research projects. The Fellows will also work with the Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Visiting Professor and the Kissinger Center on a German-US conference on issues of international security, historically informed statecraft and strategy and/or transatlantic relations taking place in Germany and a summer workshop on grand strategy and international security for early career academics and policymakers in Washington, D.C.  

Eligibility

Applicants for the DAAD Post-Doctoral Fellowships at SAIS must have a doctorate or be at the post-doctorate level, have demonstrated research capacity, and be fluent in English. EU and U.S. citizens are welcome to apply. EU citizens should be currently affiliated with a German university or research institution and be eligible for a J-1 visa. Preference will be given to those who are no more than 6 years beyond completing their dissertation, although others are also eligible. 

Salary

Each DAAD Post-Doctoral Fellow will receive a monthly salary of up to $6,000, minus U.S. taxes; access to a computer and shared workspace; internet access; access to Johns Hopkins University libraries and other facilities. Each Fellow is expected to take care of his/her accommodation and living expenses. A basic health care package is available for all Post-Doctoral Fellows. For non-US citizens one economy class roundtrip airfare will be provided. Furthermore, research funding of up to $3,000 for a 12-month stay will be available for each Fellow as well as one economy class roundtrip airfare to the above-mentioned conference in Germany. Health benefit premiums for accompanying dependents can also be covered ($560 per month if one dependent or $880 per month if more than one dependent). 

Application Procedure

Each applicant should submit the following (in English): 
  1. A statement of interest outlining why you are applying and what you hope to get out of this fellowship. 
  1. A 3 to 5-page double-spaced research statement that proposes a research project, including its relevance to the theme “The United States, Europe and World Order.” 
  1. Preferred appointment start and end dates, between July 1, 2025 and June 30, 2026. 
  1. A curriculum vitae.
  1. Three references with contact information.
Applications were due by 23:59 EST on January 14, 2025 using the following application portal: https://apply.interfolio.com/158990.
Applicants will be notified of their acceptance in February 2025.  

The 2025-2026 DAAD Post-Doctoral Fellowship begins between July 1 and October 1, 2025 and concludes on June 30, 2026 with the possibility of renewal for an additional twelve (12) months upon mutual agreement. For further information please visit the program website, the Kissinger Center website, or write to [email protected].

NATO 2030: Towards a New Strategic Concept and Beyond

Members of the 2020-2021 DAAD Postdoctoral Fellow cohort recently collaborated to publish a cutting-edge volume on the future of NATO, titled, NATO 2030: Towards a New Strategic Concept and Beyond, available online December 1st, 2021. Edited by 2020-2021 DAAD Fellows Dr. Jason Blessing, Dr. Katherine Kjellström Elgin, and Dr. Nele Marianne Ewers-Peters, NATO 2030 engages nineteen authors' insights into NATO's relationship with a variety of issues, ranging from strategic partnerships to emerging technologies. This volume contributes to critical conversations on NATO’s future vitality by examining the Alliance’s most salient issues and by offering recommendations to ensure its effectiveness moving forward.

Written by a diverse, multigenerational group of policymakers and academics from across Europe and the United States, this book provides new insights about NATO’s changing threat landscape, its shifting internal dynamics, and the evolution of warfare. The volume’s authors tackle a wide range of issues, including the challenges of Russia and China, democratic backsliding, burden sharing, the extension of warfare to space and cyberspace, partnerships, and public opinion. With rigorous assessments of NATO’s challenges and opportunities, each chapter provides concrete recommendations for the Alliance to chart a path for the future. As such, this book is an indispensable resource for NATO’s strategic planners and security and defense experts more broadly. Learn more about this work here.

Paradigm Lost? The European Union and the Challenges of a New World

"Is a new era dawning for the European Union? Is the Union’s vision of “ever closer union and a gradually expanding space of free movement of goods, services, people and capital still viable in a continent wracked by such disruptive influences as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, Brexit, new security challenges, digital transformations, more intense international competition, and internal disputes over issues ranging from the rule of law and common debt financing to the future of the euro? What role can and should the European Union play in this new world? What rules and values should guide it?"

Edited by Daniel S. Hamilton, Gregor Kirchhof, and Andreas Rödder, Paradigm Lost? The European Union and the Challenges of a New World explores these questions, drawing on the expert insights of its international and interdisciplinary authors. Supported by the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs and the Foreign Policy Institute at Johns Hopkins University's School of Advanced International Studies, this volume makes a unique contribution to the study of the European Union and its future.

Our Current Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Visiting Professor

  • Marina Henke, Professor of International Relations at the Hertie School in Berlin, Germany

Our Current Postdoctoral Fellows

Our Past Helmut Schmidt Distinguished Visiting Professors

  • Andreas Rödder, Professor of Modern and Contemporary History, Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Germany

  • Kristina Spohr, Professor of International History, London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom

Our Past Cohorts

The inaugural class of Postdoctoral Fellows (2018-2019 academic year):

• John-Michael Arnold, PhD in Public Affairs (Security Studies), Princeton University, USA
• Elias Götz, PhD in Political Science, Aarhus University, Denmark
• Liviu Horovitz, PhD, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
• Stephan Kieninger, PhD in Modern History, University of Mannheim, Germany
• Wencke Meteling, PhD, University of Tübingen, Germany

The second cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows (2019-2020 academic year):

• Cornelia-Adriana Baciu, PhD in Politics and International Relations at the School of Law and Government, Dublin City University, Ireland
• Tizoc Chavez, PhD in History, Vanderbilt University, USA
• Iulia-Sabina Joja, PhD in Strategic Studies, National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Bucharest, Romania
• David Kleimann, PhD in European, International, and Comparative Laws at the European University Institute (EUI), Florence, Italy
• Maria Snegovaya, PhD in Political Science from Columbia University, USA
• Frank Stengel, PhD in Political Science, University of Bremen, Germany

The third cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows (2020-2021 academic year):

• Colleen Anderson, PhD, Harvard University, USA
• Sebastian Biba, PhD, Goethe University Frankfurt, Germany
• Jason Blessing, PhD, Syracuse University, USA
• Susan Colbourn, PhD, University of Toronto, Canada
• Katherine Elgin, PhD, Princeton University, USA
• Nele Marianne Ewers-Peters, PhD, University of Kent, UK

The fourth cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows (2021-2022 academic year):

• Jason Blessing, PhD, Syracuse University, USA
• Jonas J. Driedger, PhD, European University Institute, Italy
• Payam Ghaledar, PhD, European University Institute, Italy
• Katarzyna A. Granat, PhD in Law, European University Institute, Italy
• Veronika Müller, PhD in Economics, University of Paderborn, Germany
• Shushanik Minasyan, PhD in Political Science, University of Bonn, Germany

The fifth cohort of Postdoctoral Fellows (2023-2024 academic year):

• Juliane Hornung, PhD, University of Munich, Germany


Our Funders

This professorship and the postdoctoral program are part of a multi-year program to enhance research on transatlantic relations at Johns Hopkins SAIS, funded by the DAAD with generous support by the German Federal Foreign Office.