The United States-Japan Foundation is creating a new annual competition recognizing the best social sciences doctoral dissertation on Japan produced in the U.S.
A committee of distinguished Japan specialists will review dissertations nominated by social science deans and/or department heads of PhD-granting U.S.-based research universities.
The "United States-Japan Foundation Scholar" Dissertation Award committee will define social sciences broadly to include—but not be limited to—anthropology, economics, history, political science, psychology, sociology, and related fields such as demography, finance, and global/regional studies. Applicants are not required to be U.S. citizens.
An honorarium of $2,500 will be awarded to the author of the dissertation that best uses Japanese sources and social science methods to provide fresh insights and innovative perspectives that have implications for Japan’s contemporary politics, economy, or social relations.
“The USJF is proud to honor excellent research in Japanese Studies by U.S.-trained social scientists," said Richard J. Samuels, a Trustee of the Foundation. "We hope this will draw attention to promising young scholars and deepen the public’s understanding of contemporary Japan," added Samuels, the Ford International Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and director of the MIT-Japan Program.
"Our goal is to provide some much-needed recognition to Japan studies in the U.S. today, and to offer encouragement to those who have chosen to enter the field," said USJF president Jacob M. Schlesinger. "Generations of prominent Japan scholars such as Dick Samuels have been vital to deepening trans-Pacific understanding and dialogue. They are every bit as important today, and we want to help foster the next generation."
The recipient will be honored at a public event, where the author will be invited to deliver a presentation at the March 2026 annual meeting of the Association for Asian Studies in Vancouver.
The committee will review doctoral dissertations that were accepted between January 1, 2024 and June 13, 2025, and submitted by the PhD recipient’s department head or academic dean. The deadline for completed submissions is June 15, 2025.
The winner will be announced by Sept. 2, 2025.
Nominations should be emailed to the USJF at scholars@us-jf.org and include a cover letter from the nominating university official that details the specific contributions made by the dissertation. Self-nominations will not be accepted. No more than two dissertations can be submitted by a single academic department.
The United States-Japan Foundation is an independent philanthropic organization working to strengthen bilateral ties and address shared challenges. We empower next-generation leaders and fund innovative initiatives, catalyzing collaboration and exchanges among stakeholders in search of solutions.
Submit questions to scholars@us-jf.org.