The Center for Korean Studies at the University of Hawaii welcomes affiliation requests from individuals applying for the Korea Foundation Fellowship for Postdoctoral Research program. This program is designed to support rising scholars with a recent Ph.D. in the humanities, social sciences, arts or culture on a Korea-related topic, who wants to apply for the Korea Foundation Postdoctoral Fellowship.
Once a fellowship is awarded by the Korea Foundation, the fellow will be invited as a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Korean Studies, being given access to the research facilities of the University of Hawaii at Manoa and the Center. The Fellows are expected to actively participate in the Center’s various academic events while they continue conducting academic research including the editing of his or her doctoral dissertation for publication.
Application Procedures for the Korea Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow
Scholars must apply for the Korea Foundation Fellowship via the KF online portal by the deadline specified by Korea Foundation. They should also submit a separate application to the CKS.
All application materials to CKS must be submitted in English by February 1, 2025 to the Center for Korean Studies Academic Support Specialist, telephone: 1-808-956-2212, email: paka3@hawaii.edu. A complete application consists of the following documents:
- A cover letter.
- A completed Korea Foundation Fellowship for Postdoctoral Research Information Form.
- A Curriculum Vitae: including educational experience, professional experience, fellowships and grants received, and a list of research accomplishments and publications.
- A detailed proposal outlining the research that will be undertaken while in residence at the Center. The proposal should not exceed five pages and should include a statement of objectives of the research, a description of the methodology, and a bibliography. It should also include a description of the academic and scholarly value of the proposal, a realistic plan of how the project will be carried out, justification for research at the University of Hawaii Center for Korean Studies, and the name of the CKS faculty with whom the applicant would like to work with.
- Ph.D. dissertation: Dissertation abstract, table of contents, chapter summaries, one sample chapter, and publication plan [Confirmation of Degree Conferral by June 30, 2023 required].
- Academic transcript of graduate degree.
- Two letters of reference from scholars with expertise in the area of the applicant’s intended research.
- A brief description of a lecture or other presentation the applicant proposes to deliver or indication of other ways in which he or she plans to contribute to the Center’s programs while in residence.
Per Korea Foundation:
- Fellowship recipients may not conduct research at the university from which he or she obtained his or her Ph.D. degree.
- Fellowship recipients must have obtained their Ph.D. within the past five years in the humanities, social sciences, arts or culture on a Korea-related topic.
- Fellowship recipients may not hold concurrent fellowships from either Korea Foundation or any other third-party institution.
- The fellowship research stipend will be an amount determined by the Foundation.
- South Korean nationals are required to submit evidence of their foreign citizenship or permanent residency by email after they have received an acceptance notice from Korea Foundation.
Please note that the Center's acceptance of affiliation request is conditional to the selection by the Korea Foundation for the Fellowship. The acceptance of affiliation request does not equate to acceptance into the Korea Foundation Postdoctoral Research Fellowship. These are separate applications.
Questions relating to the Center’s application procedures should be addressed to the Center for Korean Studies Academic Support Specialist, telephone: 1-808-956-2212, email: paka3@hawaii.edu.
Technical questions about the Korea Foundation Fellowship for Postdoctoral Research in North America may be answered by Korea Foundation’s Application Portal website: https://apply.kf.or.kr/main.nkf.
If you will require a J-1 Exchange Visitor visa, many technical questions may be answered by referencing the University’s Faculty & Scholar Immigration Services website: https://blog.hawaii.edu/fsis/.