Embassy of the United States Baghdad, Iraq

Program Information:

The Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program for Iraq brings junior Iraqi scholars to U.S. institutions for faculty development, mentoring, and cultural exchange activities.  Multiple discipline-based cohorts consisting of several scholars each will spend 10 weeks at selected U.S. host institutions, where they will be introduced to new teaching and research methods, observe classes, attend seminars, and develop linkages with American faculty through weekly mentoring sessions.  On-going community engagement with university-identified host families, volunteers, or others in the broader local community will facilitate the scholars’ participation in outreach activities, including visits to historical sites and attendance at cultural events.  While introduction to new research methods in the scholars’ disciplines does constitute one component of the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program for Iraq, the program is not intended to provide a venue for individual research projects.

Objectives:

• Build higher education capacity in Iraq through faculty development and mentoring for junior scholars
• Foster long-term collaboration and institutional linkages between Iraqi scholars and U.S. academics
• Promote mutual understanding between Iraqis and Americans by facilitating the scholars’ engagement with the broader host campus community

Who Can Apply:

The competition is open to current full-time Iraqi university faculty members, who possess, at a minimum, an MA/MS degree and at least five years of university-level teaching experience or a Ph.D. and no more than five years of teaching experience. MA/MS holders who are currently enrolled in a doctoral program must possess at least three years of teaching experience. Applicants should have a commitment to classroom teaching and a desire to strengthen their teaching and leadership skills. Please note that this program is intended for full-time faculty only; Iraqi government officials are not eligible.

Applicants must demonstrate fluency in spoken and written English. 

Benefits:

The scholarship covers:

• An administrative stipend,
• Travel allowance and professional development funds,
• Furnished, individual apartment-style housing
• Round-trip international airfare to the U.S., and
• Accident and sickness insurance for the duration of the study program.

Policies of the Iraq Fulbright Program:

While there are overarching policies to which all Fulbright scholarship recipients from around the world must adhere to, there are also policies which are country-specific:

• Two-year home residency requirement: The J-1 visa is an exchange visa which requires all Fulbright scholarship recipients to return to their home country for at least two years upon successful completion of the program.
• Intention to return to Iraq: Your eligibility for a Fulbright scholarship is based, in part, on your intention to return to Iraq immediately following your program.  If you show intent other than to remain in the U.S. for a temporary, specific, limited period (such as applying for an immigrant visa to the U.S., asylum in the U.S., or residency in a country other than Iraq) you will be ineligible to receive the Fulbright scholarship. Please carefully review the J visa policies for further information.
• No-dependents: J visa sponsorship is offered only to the Iraq Fulbright scholarship award recipient.  J-2 visa dependents (spouses and children under the age of 21) cannot accompany the Iraqi scholarship recipient on his/her study program.

The Fulbright Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.