The Security Studies Program currently has three active programs for visiting fellows:

Nuclear Security Fellows Program

With the support of the Stanton Foundation, the Security Studies Program hosts the Nuclear Security Fellows Program for junior faculty as well as pre-doctoral and post-doctoral scholars. The Nuclear Security Fellows Program seeks to stimulate the development of the next generation of thought leaders in nuclear security by supporting research that will advance policy-relevant understanding of the subject.  

National Security Fellows Program

The MIT Security Studies Program began hosting in the 1990s U.S. military officers earning war college credit as visiting fellows. Each academic year SSP welcomes one serving member of the United States Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps, and two serving members of the Army to participate in classes, and offer their unique expertise to our students.

Russian Foreign and National Security Policy Fellow

This two-year residential fellowship is for scholars of post-Cold War Russian foreign and national security policy.  We interpret this broadly, to include any aspect of Russia’s foreign relations including economic, political, military, or intelligence efforts.  The fellows participate fully in the activities of the Security Studies Program, and interact intensively with faculty, students, and other fellows.  Regular publication and other forms of outreach are central to the position. 

Inactive fellowships

Grand Strategy, Security, and Statecraft Fellows Program

Until 2023, the International Security Program at the Harvard Kennedy School and the Security Studies Program at MIT invited applications for a two-year pre- or post-doctoral fellowship in Grand Strategy, Security, and Statecraft. The program was open to applicants from political science, history, and other relevant disciplines. It is intended to support research addressing fundamental issues of U.S. grand strategy, foreign policy, and America’s role in the world.