#  Visiting Researcher Appointments 

 



 ##  

  expand\_more  

 
  

 

### Visiting Researcher Appointments

These appointments are intended for scholars who wish to conduct independent academic research on Harvard’s campus. Graduate students from other universities who wish to take courses for credit while visiting Harvard should instead apply through the [Graduate School's Special Student program.](https://gsas.harvard.edu/program/special-students)

The department is only able to sponsor a limited number of visitors at a time. All visiting research appointments in NELC require the sponsorship of a NELC faculty member and the approval of the NELC faculty and the Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs. Visitors will meet regularly with their faculty sponsors during the appointment, so faculty do not sponsor researchers while on leave. You do not need to have a confirmed faculty sponsor before applying.

Appointments are made for a minimum of 3 months and a maximum of 12 months at a time. All visitor appointments are unpaid, and do not come with any funding from the University. Space on campus is very limited, and we do not offer office space to unpaid researchers except on very rare occasions.

Harvard may sponsor visas for some visiting researchers. Given the administrative time involved, requests for visa sponsorship will be considered as a factor when determining whether the department will be able to approve a request.

### Application Procedures 

If you wish to apply for an appointment as a visitor to the department, please follow the application procedures below.

Submit your application to <NELC-research@fas.harvard.edu> at least 6 months before your desired start date. Please note that it may take up to 2 months to receive notification of whether your request was approved.

If you need a letter of support from a faculty sponsor in order to apply for a funding opportunity, please submit your application at least 2 months before you wish to receive the letter of support.

**Tenured or tenure-track faculty at other universities, please submit:**

1. Cover letter that includes the following information:
    1. Your home institution and title (specifying whether it is a tenure-track or tenured appointment and providing the U.S. equivalent of the title, if applicable)
    2. Requested start and end dates of your visit to Harvard
    3. Preferred faculty sponsor(s)
    4. Funding source for the visit. If you do not have external funding and would be self-funding your visit, please see #4.
    5. Whether Harvard visa sponsorship would be required
2. 1-2 page research statement that outlines your research and how appointment as a Visiting Scholar at Harvard would support your research
3. Current CV
4. *If entirely self-funded:* signed letter confirming you understand that this would be an unpaid appointment with no expectation of compensation

**Postdoctoral Fellows and other recent PhDs, please submit:**

1. Cover letter that includes the following information:
    1. Requested start and end dates of your visit to Harvard
    2. Preferred faculty sponsor(s)
    3. Funding source for the visit and amount
        1. Funding must meet the [NIH minimum amount for postdocs](https://www.niaid.nih.gov/grants-contracts/salary-cap-stipends). Personal funds may not be used towards this minimum.
    4. How this appointment would support your research
    5. Whether Harvard visa sponsorship would be required
2. Research proposal
3. Current CV
4. Letter of recommendation from PhD advisor
5. Writing sample
    1. *If writing samples are not in English, please provide proof of English proficiency such as a passing TOEFL test score*

**Students and others who do not have a doctorate (for research appointments only, no enrollment in courses), please submit:**

1. Cover letter that includes the following information:
    1. Requested start and end dates of your visit to Harvard
    2. Preferred faculty sponsor(s)
    3. Funding source for the visit. If you would be self-funding your visit and are not an active student at a university, see #5.
    4. Whether Harvard visa sponsorship would be required
2. 1-2 page research statement that outlines your research and how appointment as a Harvard Fellow would support your research
3. Current CV
4. Minimum of 2 writing samples
    1. *If writing samples are not in English, please provide proof of English proficiency such as a passing TOEFL test score*
5. *If entirely self-funded and not an active student:* signed letter confirming you have at least $42,000 in funding per year and the funding source(s)

**All others, please submit:**

1. Cover letter that includes the following information:
    1. Your current employer and title and confirmation that you hold paid employment
    2. Requested start and end dates of your visit to Harvard
    3. Preferred faculty sponsor(s)
    4. Whether Harvard visa sponsorship would be required
2. 1-2 page research statement that outlines the reason for your request
3. Current CV

### Reappointment of Current Researchers

Current researchers interested in reappointment should check their offer letter to confirm whether reappointment is possible. Reappointment requests should be submitted at least 3 months before the end of your current appointment. It may take up to 2 months to receive notification of whether your request was approved.

**To apply for reappointment, please submit:**

1. Updated CV
2. Updated research statement that includes the following information:
    1. Requested dates of reappointment
    2. Reason for reappointment request
    3. Funding source(s) for period of reappointment