Public Scholars Fellowship

The Moynihan Public Scholars Fellowship takes inspiration from Senator Daniel Patrick Moynihan's celebrated career, which exemplified the vital connection between rigorous research and broad public engagement. Moynihan demonstrated how scholarly work could inform public service and spark meaningful debate beyond academic circles. In an era of increasing polarization and partisan echo chambers, we seek fellows who share Moynihan's commitment to pursuing bold, heterodox ideas that challenge conventional wisdom and reach across ideological divides.

Public Scholars join a dynamic society of fellows that creates unique opportunities for intellectual exchange across career stages and disciplines. Through regular interaction with promising postdoctoral and undergraduate fellows, Public Scholars become part of an intellectual community that bridges generational and professional divides to foster meaningful dialogue on pressing public issues.

Public Scholars will be chosen for their demonstrated excellence in communicating complex ideas to broad audiences through academic research, journalism, policy writing, media appearances, or other forms of public engagement. We particularly value applicants who have shown an ability to foster substantive dialogue across different viewpoints and backgrounds.

The cornerstone of the fellowship is the Moynihan Public Scholars Seminar, a weekly forum where fellows gather to think, debate, and engage with ideas beyond partisan divisions. Meeting Tuesdays from 12:00–2:00 PM over lunch, the seminar creates a rare space where intellectual rigor meets open dialogue, bringing together fellows, faculty, and invited guests from diverse professional and ideological backgrounds. This community serves as an antidote to the increasingly polarized spaces of contemporary political and media discourse.