Description
The Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies at Harvard University is pleased to announce the competition for the 2026-27 An Wang Postdoctoral Fellowship in Chinese Studies.
For academic year 2026-27 the Fairbank Center will offer up to two post-doctoral fellowships to support participants in an interdisciplinary research group to study the social foundations of state power in China. Through this research theme, the group will examine how social structure, inequality, and ideology sustain state capacity and regime durability in contemporary China.
The 2026-27 An Wang research group will be led by Professor Yuhua Wang, Department of Government, and Professor Xiang Zhou, Department of Sociology. Xiang Zhou brings expertise on social stratification, causal inference, and survey data integration. His work on China’s inequality and mobility—spanning analyses of Gini trends, returns to education, and the structure of opportunity—provides the empirical foundation. Yuhua Wang contributes complementary strengths in political institutions, state formation, and authoritarian governance. His research on the long-run trade-offs between state strength and ruler survival, the infrastructural reach of the modern state, and ideological control in academia frames the project’s political and historical dimensions.
Building on recent empirical studies, the group will seek to understand how China’s evolving social stratification, informal institutions, and value changes underpin both the endurance and adaptation of its authoritarian state. With China’s ongoing social transformation—mass education expansion, rural–urban integration, digital governance, and renewed ideological campaigns—this is an opportune moment to build cross-disciplinary frameworks linking social stratification to state durability.
The Fairbank Center will recruit up to two An Wang Postdoctoral Fellows to contribute to this research: a junior scholar working on inequality, mobility, or public opinion in China, and/or a junior scholar focusing on governance, ideology, or compliance. Disciplinary homes may include sociology, political science, economics, communication, history, or area studies. Methodological approaches may include—but are not limited to—causal inference, spatial analysis, computational text analysis, and archival or ethnographic research.
Postdoctoral candidates with relevant research interests are encouraged to apply. The application deadline is January 15, 2026.
Expectations:
The one-year fellowship period is from August 1, 2026, to July 31, 2027. The An Wang postdoctoral fellow/s will be based at the Fairbank Center, Harvard University for the in-person fellowship.
As part of the interdisciplinary research group, the primary responsibility of the An Wang postdoctoral fellow/s will be to conduct their proposed research project under the mentorship of Professors Wang and Zhou. They are expected to participate in workshops and collaborative projects led by the faculty mentors. Over the course of the 2026-2027 academic year, the An Wang postdoctoral fellow/s will have opportunities to share their research and engage with a community of Harvard and Boston-area researchers working on contemporary China. The fellow/s will participate in the vibrant academic community at the Fairbank Center for Chinese Studies.
Total annual stipend for An Wang Postdoctoral Fellow: $67,600 over 12 months. This postdoctoral fellow position is eligible for Harvard University’s subsidized comprehensive medical, dental, vision, and other benefits. In addition, $3,000 in An Wang research funding for scholarly activities will be available to the appointed fellow.
The fellowship will be subject to all rules and regulations of Harvard University.
More information is available at https://fairbank.fas.harvard.edu/affiliation-2/an-wang-postdoctoral-fellowships-2/
Requirements
A strong working knowledge of Chinese and English is required.
A doctoral degree in a relevant field is required. Candidates must provide confirmation of successful completion of their terminal doctoral degree, in the form of a diploma or a certificate of completion from the degree-granting institution, or a letter from the institution’s Registrar, as soon as available and no later than July 1, 2026.
Applicants may not be more than five years beyond the receipt of their doctoral degree at the start of the fellowship. Harvard University doctoral degree recipients are not eligible for this fellowship.
Applicants must notify the Fairbank Center of any changes to the information provided in their application that may impact eligibility. Failure to communicate such changes may result in disqualification.
Harvard is an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, creed, national origin, ancestry, age, protected veteran status, disability, genetic information, military service, pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions, or other protected status.
To Apply:
Applicants must submit the online application by January 15, 2026. All application materials must be in English. Two to three academic letters of recommendation are required.
More information is available on the Fairbank Center website https://fairbank.fas.harvard.edu/affiliation-2/an-wang-postdoctoral-fellowships-2/
