The Oskar Morgenstern Fellowship is run by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, a university-based research centre working on political economy. The Mercatus Center describes it as a one-year, competitive and online fellowship for scholars, practitioners and graduate students from any discipline with an interest in political economy and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. Everything happens remotely: fellows meet for three weekend colloquia across the academic year, held as online seminar-style discussions built around a set reading list.
Because there is no residency and no travel, fellows take part from wherever they live and work. The programme is named after Oskar Morgenstern, the economist best known for developing game theory with John von Neumann. Recent cohorts have been genuinely international — the 2025–2026 class of 16 fellows came from universities and organisations across several continents.
Benefits & funding
- A total award of up to $2,250, made up of a stipend and all required readings.
- Three virtual weekend colloquia across one academic year, run as seminar-style discussion sessions with Mercatus scholars.
- All reading materials for the colloquia are supplied by the programme.
- Membership of the Oskar Morgenstern fellow and alumni network.
- Fellows are responsible for any applicable taxes on the honoraria provided, and should confirm with their own department that they may accept outside funding.
Eligibility
- Applicants must fit one of three routes: a graduate student in any discipline and from any university pursuing research on emerging technologies and AI; an active scholar at an academic or research organisation who teaches or researches emerging technologies and AI; or an active practitioner in research or policy related to emerging technologies and AI.
- Any nationality is eligible. The Mercatus Center states that any student, scholar or practitioner of any nationality, in the US or abroad, may apply.
- Open to every discipline. Applicants whose field is not on the listed examples are still eligible if they have an interest in how mainline political economy and emerging technologies relate to their own subject.
- People planning to start graduate school may apply; acceptance for students is conditional on enrolment in an accredited graduate degree programme.
- Applicants must be able to commit to attending all three virtual weekend colloquia during the academic year.
- Unsuccessful applicants may reapply in a later cycle.
Can you apply?
Open to all applicants
No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.
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Application process
- 1Wait for the cycle to open. The Mercatus Center announces new rounds through its newsletter; the 2026–2027 round has closed and the 2027–2028 round has not yet opened.
- 2Apply through the online application form linked from the fellowship page.
- 3Submit a cover letter of one to two pages.
- 4Submit a current resume or CV.
- 5Answer a short set of written questions in the form.
- 6Wait for review, which begins after the deadline. Decisions start to be announced around twelve weeks after the deadline.
- 7Accepted fellows receive the exact colloquium dates by the August before the programme year starts.
Program timeline
applications are closed; the Mercatus Center does not publish the deadline date for that round on the fellowship page
2026–2027 cycle
not yet open; the opening is announced through the Mercatus newsletter
2027–2028 cycle
About twelve weeks after each deadline
decisions begin to be announced
exact colloquium dates sent to accepted fellows
By August before the programme year
Fall or winter
one virtual weekend colloquium
Spring
two virtual weekend colloquia