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The Program in Arms Control & Domestic and International Security (ACDIS) is an interdisciplinary venture at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign that facilitates objective research, academics, and outreach about international security issues within the academic and policymaking communities.

ACDIS integrates insights generated by scholars from engineering, natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities to produce comprehensive analyses that do not reduce security issues to singular and simplifying explanations. International security challenges are approached as complex phenomena that can only be understood through examination of multiple causes and impacts.

Benefits of becoming an ACDIS Fellow:

• Funding: $3,000 per month. The Summer Support opportunity supports graduate students with up to two months of summer support with the possibility of annual renewal.
• Publications: Fellows may publish work in ACDIS publications, including research papers, policy briefs, and opinion pieces.
• Presentations: Fellows may present their work in ACDIS-sponsored events.
• Projects and Grant Coordination: Fellows may use the ACDIS network and resources to organize projects and coordinate grants.
• Spotlight on Research: Fellows have opportunities to showcase their research and activities on the ACDIS website.

Location: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, possibly including some travel if essential for the type of study undertaken.

Category: Research

Description: Paid ACDIS Director’s Fund 2023 Summer Support.

Duration: Appointments at least one month and a maximum of two months in length, with a preferred start date of June 1st and end date of August 7th. To meet individual needs, some flexibility with the beginning and ending dates is possible.

Eligibility:

• Candidates should display strong writing skills and interests closely related to ACDIS security interests; c.f. the ACDIS Areas of Specialization below.
• Highly motivated candidates in the social sciences and/or natural sciences and/or humanities. Work that interdisciplinary is also important.
• Preference will be given to applicants that have less than 2 months of other summer support.

Applicants must have been admitted to or be enrolled in a University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign graduate program. The opportunity is open to both U.S. and non-U.S. citizens.

Areas of Specialization among the affiliates & staff at ACDIS include, but not limited to:

1. Biosecurity
   1. This area includes overlap between detection of and defense against man-made and natural infectious agents and toxins and the biological effects of chemical weapons and large-scale releases of hazardous industrial chemicals. 
2. Energy
   1. This area includes aspects of the reliable delivery of energy supplies as affected by the type of energy technologies in use, man-made and natural interruptions of energy supplies, and the robustness of systems to prevention of and response to interruptions of energy supplies.
3. Environment
   1. This area includes persistent environmental effects of human activities, including subject areas such as climate change, deforestation, and soil degradation. There is overlap between this area and other Specialization Areas, but there are aspects of Environmental Security that bring in a different perspective and are thus suitable for development of a focused course list. 
4. Information
   1. Information Security includes not only what is usually called cyber security but also the role of information and communications technologies in shedding light on issues such as vulnerability of children and adults to domestic violence, oppression, and/or exploitation.
5. Food
   1. Food Security, meaning universal access to adequate nutrition, involves crop and animal sciences and agricultural engineering technology, as well as food transportation, storage, and distribution, and effects of interruption of food supplies resulting from natural disasters and conflicts. 
6. Nuclear
   1. Nuclear Security includes technology relevant to nuclear weapons, security aspects of commercial use of nuclear energy, and unintended and intentionally caused exposures to radiological hazards.
7. Physical
   1. Physical Security includes study of the unfolding and consequences of violent conflict, including hazards from exploding and unexploded munitions and land mines and from small arms. It can also deal with weapons delivery systems, forensic technology in national and international contexts, and use of remotely operated devices and robotics in surveillance, attacks, and explosives detection and disposal.
8. Water
   1. Water Security includes study of the interaction of technology and social organization in the delivery and quality of water at the household, community, national, and regional levels.
9. Other
   • Ethics, morality and culture of war
   • Ethnic conflict
   • Evolution of global security regime
   • Inter and intra-state conflict
   • Historically-based reexamination of war
   • Regional security and peacekeeping
   • Terrorism and Counterterrorism
   • Weapons systems 
10. Climate Action Gaming Experiment (CAGE) is a simulation of environmental policy interactions between different countries and geographic regions of the world and provides estimates of resulting environmental and economic impacts. CAGE facilitates examination of how countries weigh their environmental policy decisions based on interactions with others and how policies have affected regional well-being.

To Apply:

All applications must be submitted electronically. Upload the following, beginning the name of each file with your last name (e.g. Smith Cover Letter) to acdis@illinois.edu.

• A one-page Cover Letter that explains your interest in and how your qualifications match the ACDIS objectives.
• Resume summarizing your qualifications for the position.
• Copy of your post-secondary Academic Transcript(s) (unofficial transcripts are acceptable at this stage).
• A Writing Sample of three to five pages from a recent paper (excerpts are acceptable).
• A copy of an electronic communication or letter indicating approval by the applicant’s thesis advisor if available, or otherwise the applicant’s departmental graduate student advisor.
• The name, address, phone number and email information for two References.

Application Deadline: Monday, March 20, 2023