Applications for the 2017-2018 Nonproliferation Fellowship are now closed.
Pacific Forum is offering a resident fellowship to a young professional to work on its nonproliferation programs. Preference will be given to fellows from Myanmar or other Southeast Asia countries. The fellowship would run for up to one year with the possibility of extension or future employment based on performance and ability to attract new funding. The resident fellow will work on a mutually agreed upon research project dealing with nonproliferation and be expected to publish on this issue. The ideal candidate will also have an excellent record on developing and managing programs on nonproliferation. The position involves participation in conferences, interaction with US and foreign officials and experts, and extensive travel to Asia, the US mainland, and beyond. Other duties include assisting Pacific Forum senior staff.
Resident Fellowship
Pacific Forum will select a candidate to be a resident fellow at the Pacific Forum office in Honolulu for up to one year, and is expected to be full time (35 hours per week). The Pacific Forum will provide a modest cost-of-living stipend of $2,500 per month, along with one-time travel to/from Hawaii from the fellow’s place of residence. Fellows will spend approximately 50-60% of the time on a self-directed research project (with guidance from Pacific Forum senior staff), which should culminate as a research paper to be published in the Pacific Forum Issues & Insights series or another publication outlet. The remainder of the time will be spent on research supporting Pacific Forum programs, activities, and senior staff research.
Duties and responsibilities of the Nonproliferation Fellow
- Conduct research and analysis in the area of nonproliferation and other related topics and present research results at relevant conferences and workshops.
- Help direct and administer the Forum’s nonproliferation programs.
- Assist with the development of the next generation of nonproliferation specialists.
Eligibility and How to Apply:
- Candidates from Myanmar or Southeast Asian countries preferred
- Bachelor’s Degree with relevant work experience, Master’s degree preferred
- Proficient in English (verbal and written skills)
- Must be eligible for an extended stay in the US
Application Procedure
The application packet must include:
- Nonproliferation Fellowship application (Download Here)
- A cover letter detailing interests and why the Nonproliferation Fellowship will contribute to the applicant’s professional development.
- Curriculum Vitae
- A letter of recommendation
- Research proposal, outlining what nonproliferation-related question you plan to research and what your expected outcomes will be (Abstract max. 250 words, proposal max. 1,500 words)
Applications should be sent via postal mail or e-mail to:
Attn: Nonproliferation Fellowship Program
Pacific Forum
1003 Bishop Street, Suite 1150
Honolulu, HI 96813
Email: PacificForum@pacforum.org
For all program inquiries, please contact Ariel Stenek at ariel@pacforum.org +1(808) 521-6745.
Current Nonproliferation Fellows:
Mr. Kyaw Si Thu (MM) received a BA (Honors) in English in 2011 and an MA English in 2014 from Magway University in Myanmar. After receiving his degrees, he served as a freelance tutor for Magway University’s distance education program while preparing for civil service examinations. Kyaw Si Thu become a staff officer in the Department of Trade, Ministry of Commerce, Myanmar in August 2016. In this role, Kyaw Si Thu’s responsibilities are to arrange internal meetings and Joint Border Trade Committee (JBTC) meetings. He is also responsible for reviewing recommendation letters for Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), Memorandum of Agreement (MoA), and agricultural product contracts. Kyaw Si Thu has been a resident Nonproliferation Fellow with the Pacific Forum, a non-profit, foreign policy research institute based in Honolulu, Hawaii, since December 2017, and will return to his position at the Department of Trade in December 2018. Kyaw Si Thu’s research interests are economics and trade, especially how domestic companies and industries can participate in government trade promotion programs. Kyaw Si Thu is currently writing a research paper covering national models for managing the trade of strategic goods. This research paper will provide policy recommendations for Myanmar’s future implementation of a strategic trade control system. Kyaw Si Thu presented his findings in an international meeting on strategic trade controls in Hanoi, Vietnam, in July 2018. He has also co-authored a chapter on Myanmar’s strategic trade control system (forthcoming).
Mr. Phone Myint Naing (MM)received an BA in English in 2012 from the University of Meiktila and an MA in English in 2015 from University of Mandalay in Myanmar, specializing in psycholinguistics and language acquisition. He received a diploma in Political Science in 2016 from the University of Mandalay, where he focused on rule of law and political thought. He was a tutor with the Department of English at Mandalay University of Distance Education in 2016. Phone has served as a staff officer at Department of Trade under Ministry of Commerce, Myanmar since August 2016. His responsibilities include assisting policy makers in formulating policy for trade facilitation and liberalization and in effectively enforcing trade policy on flows of internal and external trade. He has been a Nonproliferation Fellow with the Pacific Forum, a foreign policy research institute based in Honolulu, Hawaii, since December 2017, and will return to his position at the Department of Trade in December 2018. Phone’s research interests include issues of Myanmar’s politics and economic affairs. At the Pacific Forum, Phone is writing a research paper on the non-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction with a special focus on strategic trade controls. His paper explores implementation of Myanmar’s strategic trade control system, which includes the establishment of a dual-use export control law and control list, enforcement, and government industry-outreach. Phone presented his findings in an international meeting on strategic trade controls in Hanoi, Vietnam, in July 2018. He has also co-authored a book chapter on Myanmar’s strategic trade control system (forthcoming).