James H. Billington Fellowship

The Kennan Institute seeks applications from scholars who have received their Ph.D. within the past 10 years for the James H. Billington Fellowship to conduct research on Russian history and culture. The Billington Fellowship was established in 2016 in tribute to the co-founder of the Kennan Institute, former Director of the Wilson Center, and former Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington. Dr. Billington made enduring contributions to the field of Russian Studies, and in our nation’s ability to understand and maintain bridges of dialogue with the Russian people. He was not only the author of The Icon and the Axe (1966), Fire in the Minds of Men (1980), and Russia in Search of Itself (2004), among other seminal works; he was the visionary behind the Open World Leadership Center, which has facilitated the travel of over 24,000 individuals from Eurasia to the United States to meet with members of Congress and visit across the United States.