PhD Student Research Grants

CIS PhD Student Research Grants provide funding for MIT PhD student research projects that focus on international studies and require travel for field research and/or visits to archives. Recipients are expected to generate new empirical research in international studies. Research on a broad range of issues will be considered. 

More details

Standard Grants

$2,000 - $5,000

  • Generally used to support field research or archival visits of 2-10 weeks in duration. 
  • All MIT PhD students are eligible to apply.
Trailblazer Grants

Up to $15,000

  • Only PhD students who have advanced to candidacy will be considered for the Trailblazer Grant. 
  • Two grants are available per year

Trailblazer Grants provide resources for particularly ambitious research projects that may require extended field research and/or include costs for local research assistants, survey enumerators, etc. Applications for this more competitive grant should fully justify the need for additional resources and provide details on data collection, including power calculations for surveys and experiments.

Jeanne Guillemin Prize

The Jeanne Guillemin Prize is an endowed fund that provides financial support to women PhD candidates studying international affairs. Guillemin was a longtime colleague of CIS and a sociologist of science and national security. 

All women PhD candidates studying international affairs selected for a PhD Student Research Grant will also be considered for the Jeanne Guillemin Prize.

Application Requirements

Complete the application form. You will need to prepare and upload the following PDF documents:

  • Research statement (maximum 500 words for Standard Grants and 1,250 words for Trailblazer Grants)
  • CV

Separately, please ask a current dissertation advisor to email a letter of support to cis-info@mit.edu. If you are applying for a Trailblazer Grant, please ask your letter-writer to indicate their specific support for this more ambitious opportunity.

Eligibility

Applicants must have registered student status for the duration of the proposed research. It is the applicant’s responsibility to comply with MIT and departmental requirements regarding payment of tuition and fees. All grantees must comply with the MIT student travel policy. 

Students may apply for both grants with separate applications, but a single letter of recommendation. Each student may receive a maximum of two grants from CIS during their time at MIT. 

Deadline

The application deadline for 2025 grants has passed. Applications for 2026 grants will be due in March 2026, with results announced in mid-April.

Use of funds

Grants should be used to cover travel costs related to fieldwork (i.e., airfare, lodging, meals, etc.) and/or research-related costs (such as survey platform fees or research assistance). 

They may not be used for data purchases or as a “writing stipend.”