5 June 2009

The members of the Global Public Policy Network (GPPN) have agreed to launch a funded exchange programme for PhD students. The goal of the programme is to offer PhD students additional research resources and to introduce them to the academic culture, professional contacts, and employment opportunities of another country.

Columbia University in New York, the London School of Economics and Political Science in London, the National University of Singapore, and Sciences Po in Paris are all members of GPPN.

Participating students will have the opportunity to work informally with one or more advisors at the host university on their thesis research or related publications and presentations, and to attend conferences and workshops both at the host institution and within the wider national academic community.

“PhD students are essential to a vibrant intellectual life on any campus, and the rationale for student exchange at this level is just as compelling as it is for the Masters level,” said Scott Fritzen, Vice-Dean (Academic Affairs) at the LKY School. “It will be greatly welcomed by the growing number of PhD students at the LKY School, most of whom are working on topics that cross borders or even continents.”

Students registered for PhD studies at any GPPN institution who are conducting research in any policy-related discipline and who have successfully completed at least one year of their studies, including any compulsory Masters level courses, are eligible. At the LKY School, students must have passed their Qualifying Examinations. Each GPPN institution will be able to send two students per year and each exchange will be limited to a maximum of three months.

For application information, please contact GPPN PhD student exchange coordinator at