ESOC 2021 Mentorship Program Application Guidelines

We are pleased to announce the third year of the ESOC Mentorship Program. The purpose of this program is to support an international community of early-career investigators engaged in top-notch empirical and theoretical research on conflict. The one-year program term will be a source of relationship building, professional development, and access to research resources.

Background

Since its inception in 2009, more than fifty graduate students and post-docs have been supported by the Empirical Studies of Conflict Project (ESOC), and 25 ESOC alumni now hold tenure-track positions at leading research universities in six different countries. Given the unique position ESOC has in bridging resources across institutions, we developed this program to support the growing number of young investigators in our community.

Program Requirements and Eligibility

Once selected, each ESOC mentee will be paired with a faculty mentor from the ESOC community based on academic and career interests. Each mentee will have the opportunity to interact with their mentor as follows during the course of 12 months:[1]

• Engage in at least three one on one virtual meetings with their mentor to discuss research projects
• Attend a virtual introductory networking session with all mentors and mentees present  
• Participate in weekly Princeton ESOC lab meetings as desired
• Receive a CV-review and in-depth comments on at least one working paper, as well as feedback and advice on connections, conferences, tenure letter writes, and any other useful career guidance
• Visit their mentor for a 1-2 week campus visit to attend seminars and build relationships – lodging costs to be covered through ESOC funds. Should COVID-19 related travel restrictions prohibit a visit in the next 12 months, we encourage pairs to delay their visit until they are lifted.
• Present virtually at least once during the Princeton ESOC lab meetings, with more presentations encouraged and the opportunity to present in other labs as organized with their mentor.
• Attend the ESOC Annual Meeting – travel and lodging costs to be covered by ESOC Funds. Again, this will depend on travel restrictions in 2021 and 2022.

Candidates should generally be either at the postdoctoral fellow or junior faculty level planning to pursue a career in research. While we fully expect this program to bring in familiar faces already engaged in ESOC projects, it will be used as an opportunity to welcome scholars who bring fresh perspectives based on their backgrounds, countries and/or regions of focus, and unique research questions.

Application Process

ESOC leadership will review applications and select 4-5 mentees per calendar year. Interested applicants should submit their CV and a brief 1-2 paragraph statement on how engaging with ESOC network will be beneficial to their career. Please submit applications to Kristen DeCaires Gall, ESOC Assistant Director, at [email protected] with the subject line “ESOC Mentorship Program Application” by Wednesday, June 30^th, 2021, at 5 PM EST. Feedback to applicants will be provided approximately July 30^th, 2021.

[1] Applicants should be aware that due to COVID-19 related travel restrictions, portions of this program may have to be virtual. We will monitor the situation and adjust as needed.