We are looking for students to serve as Teaching Assistants in Physics/Global Studies 280 - Nuclear Weapons, Nuclear War, & Arms Control - for the Spring of 2025

This introductory course deals with interesting science and its implications for important and urgent public policy questions.

• We are looking for Graduate Students who have interests and expertise in the subjects covered by the course.
  • Particularly in Physics & Political Science - though we do have TAs from other graduate programs.
  • We also hope for applicants that could serve as TAs longer than one semester,
• Physics/Global Studies 280 is designed to help the students make informed judgements about nuclear armaments and arms control.
  • It generally attracts talented and enthusiastic students from across campus, and past TAs have found teaching it to be very rewarding.
• This course is taught as Advanced Composition (intensive writing). Topics include:
  • • Physics of Nuclear Weapons and Weapon Effects
    • Threats Posed by Nuclear Proliferation and Nuclear Terrorism
    • Ballistic Missiles and Anti-missile Systems
    • Approaches to Nuclear Arms Control and Disarmament
• TAs will work together as a team with Professor Matthias Grosse Perdekamp (Physics). Duties include:
  • • Attending Lectures
    • Grading Four Short Essays and One 6-page research paper
    • Grading One Midterm and One Final Exam (assisted by the senior staff)
    • Meet with small groups of students each Monday in two 1-hour "writing labs" that will focus on the principles of good writing and help students improve their essays
    • Candidates should have an interest in the subject matter of the course and writing experience.

Information about the Spring 2023 edition of the course click here.

If interested - please contact - Sarah Pierson (ACDIS) schess@illinois.edu or Professor Matthias Grosse Perdekamp mgp@illinois.edu as soon as possible.

Applications are open for the Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellowship, a highly competitive national fellowship program that provides recent college and graduate school alumni with the funding and opportunity to work with one of more than two dozen participating institutions in Washington, DC, including leading think tanks and advocacy groups that focus on international security and diplomacy issues.

We have scheduled two information sessions for prospective applicants to learn more about the fellowship. Professors and career advisors are welcome to join as well. Registration is not required to join the calls. The Zoom links to the information sessions are posted on our website at Information Sessions

Scoville Fellows are supervised by senior-level staff members at their host institutions and may work on a range of issues including nuclear and conventional arms control and nonproliferation; atrocity prevention, conflict resolution, and peacebuilding; diplomacy; emerging technology threats; environmental security; and global health security. They contribute to their host organizations' goals through research, public education, advocacy, and by writing articles, blog posts, fact sheets, letters to the editor, op-eds, and/or reports. In addition, fellows often help organize talks and conferences and attend coalition meetings, policy briefings, and congressional hearings. Benefits of this fellowship include salary, basic health insurance compensation, mentoring, moving costs to DC, meetings with policy experts, a modest stipend for professional development purposes, and an entrée into an increasingly influential network of alumni working for domestic and international NGOs, the federal government, academia, and media.

The Scoville Fellowship has helped launch the careers of our alumni, many of whom are now employed by domestic and international NGOs, the federal government, academia, and media. A list of the jobs and graduate school activities of former Scoville Fellows related to international peace and security may be viewed at Post-fellowship Careers

Upcoming Application Deadlines

Spring 2025 Fellowship–October 15, 2024

Fall 2025 Fellowship–January 6, 2025

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Promotes "the study of advancement and dissemination of a knowledge of American Foreign Relations"

At the low student rate for SHAFR Membership of only $20.00 per year, students receive regular member benefits (see poster) in addition to numerous special opportunities, events, and resources, including

• Special Graduate Student Access to the Annual SHAFR Conference
  1. The 2025 SHAFR Conference will be held from June 26-28 at the the Renaissance Arlington Capital View. The Call for Papers is now open. Full details about the conference can be found at https://www.shafr.org/shafr2025.
  2. Special events for graduate students will be announced in the Spring.
• Upcoming SHAFR Fellowships & Grants for Graduate Students
  1. SHAFR offers fellowships and grants to support graduate student research travel, dissertation writing, and language training. Awards range from $2,000 to $25,000. The next application deadline date is October 15th.
  2. A full list of grants/fellowships is available at https://shafr.org/fellowships-grants.
• Virtual Roundtable – Preparing a Successful SHAFR Grant Application
  • SHAFR will hold a virtual roundtable on Wednesday, September 18th at 3:00pm (PST) / 6:00pm (EST) with four experienced members of SHAFR who have either received SHAFR grants in the past, sat on selection committees for grants, or both!
  • The panel will discuss the ins and outs of crafting a successful grant proposal, and answer questions from the audience about the process.
• Virtual Roundtable – How to Assemble a SHAFR Panel
  • In support of the SHAFR Conference call for papers SHAFR will be holding a webinar on Tuesday October 8th at 11:00am (PST) / 2:00pm (EST) with four SHAFR members with experience organizing panels for conferences.
  • The panel consists of scholars at various stages of their careers, and will provide tips, tricks, and strategies on successfully organizing a panel that could be accepted to the SHAFR (or any other) conference.
• SHAFR Summer School: “Writing the History of U.S. Foreign Relations in an Age of Crisis” w/ Alvita Akiboh and Michael Brenes (Yale University)
  1. SHAFR is accepting applications for their annual Summer School, taking place at Yale University the week of June 21-25, 2025, an opportunity to connect with the field’s top scholars for an intensive week of collaboration on questions about the role of historians of the United States and the world.
  2. The deadline for applications is December 15, 2024. More information is available at Click Here
• SHAFR Graduate Student ListServ
  1. Student members of SHAFR are able to connect with one another through a students-only ListServ – a perfect place to discuss issues, pose questions to peers, find conference panelists, collaborate on projects, and more!  

"It's not an exaggeration to say it played a critical role in the rest of my career path. ... I'm nothing but a fan of this program. I applaud the Council for having it." Phillip Gordon, National Security Council (1998-99 IAF)

• Want to learn more about the US Department of Homeland Security and the research the agency and component agencies do to enhance your research interests and career goals?
• Interested in learning from top scientists and subject matter experts in homeland security related areas?
• Seeking to network with your peers and members of the academic and scientific communities in government facilities conducting research in DHS relevant areas?

 If you answered “Yes”, to the above questions, the HS-POWER program is for you!

HS-POWER is open to undergraduate and graduate students majoring in a broad spectrum of homeland security related science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines as well as DHS mission-relevant research areas which includes social sciences.

Undergraduate students receive $750 per week and graduate students will receive $950 per week. Appointments will be for 10 consecutive weeks during the months of May-July. Onsite daily participation is required, however, virtual appointments may be available for some appointments. As a participant in the HS-POWER Program, you will participate in quality research experiences with federal research facilities and other DHS-STEM focused entities nationwide.

For additional details and an application for the program, click here.

If you have any questions, contact them at dhsed@orau.org or find more information on their website. 

Weapons of Mass Destruction Branch in NYC looking for an intern!

UNODA provides substantive support in the area of the disarmament of weapons of mass destruction (nuclear, chemical and biological weapons). It supports and participates in multilateral efforts to strengthen the non-proliferation of WMD and in this connection cooperates with the relevant intergovernmental organizations and specialized agencies of the United Nations system, in particular the IAEA, the OPCW and the CTBTO Preparatory Commission, in addition to supporting relevant multilateral treaties such as the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons, the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons and the Biological Weapons Convention.

Internship Information - Click Here