Membership List
PONARS is a network of over 140 academics, mainly from North America and post-Soviet Eurasia, advancing new approaches to research on security, politics, economics, and society in Eurasia. Its core missions are to connect scholarship to policy on and in Eurasia and to foster a professional community, especially of mid-career and rising scholars, among those committed to developing policy-relevant and collaborative research.
Decisions on membership are made by the PONARS Executive Committee, though only a limited number of new members can be admitted each year. Applications should be submitted by September 1 of each year to be considered during the Executive Committee’s only regular meeting, which usually takes place in mid-late September.
Specific criteria for membership have evolved as the organization itself has evolved. Current eligibility considerations include the following requirements. Applicants must:
- Hold a PhD, DPhil, or kandidat nauk degree (or their country’s equivalent);
- Have a permanent academic base in North America or post-Soviet Eurasia (unfortunately, resource constraints keep us from expanding more broadly), with the exception of people who left a permanent academic base in a post-Soviet country because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine;
- Be mainly engaged in academic scholarship (not, for example, government service, journalism, public commentary, consulting, or political activism). The kind of academic focus PONARS seeks is typically reflected by primary employment in a university, academy of science, or research institute;
- Pursue academic research (a) that has a strong empirical focus on the post-Soviet region and (b) that has important policy implications that could be developed through participation in PONARS;
- Show evidence of scholarly leadership potential in their disciplines as they relate to post-Soviet Eurasia. This is typically evidenced by academic publications (most important) as well as training, international fellowships, and conference participation;
- Be committed to actively engaging with their academic peers and policy audiences through PONARS platforms and activities;
- Have a strong command of written and spoken English.
Applications are especially (though not exclusively) welcomed from individuals who:
- Have earned a PhD, DPhil, or kandidat nauk degree within the last ten years;
- Do not already have a high public profile on policy issues;
- Have earned a reputation for collegial collaboration and cooperation with scholars in Eurasia, Europe, and North America;
- Complement rather than duplicate areas of expertise already represented in the PONARS network;
- Add to the diversity of PONARS perspectives.
If you are eligible and would like to apply, please send the following to adminponars@gwu.edu:
- One-page cover letter outlining your reasons for wanting to join PONARS.
- Curriculum vitae.
- An original draft policy memo of no more than 2,000 words in English that draws important policy implications from your academic research, that has not previously been published (or committed to publication) elsewhere, and that may be considered for publication in the PONARS Policy Memo series. Please refer to other policy memos for examples. Please see the policy memo guidelines.
- Contact information (not actual letters) for three scholars who can talk about your work, research program, collegiality, and other qualifications. These references may include members of PONARS.