Graduate Summer Fellowships at the Rapoport Center

Applications are now closed for Summer 2026. Please check back soon for Fall 2026 applications.

The Bernard and Audre Rapoport Center for Human Rights and Justice, housed at the University of Texas School of Law, is seeking one graduate student summer fellow to work half-time (20 hours/week) supporting the Center’s administrative and programmatic projects. Students with interest and expertise in the Center’s thematic priorities, which include reproductive justice, environmental and climate justice, peace, xenophobia and migration, and the gendered and racialized dimensions of work and livelihoods, are encouraged to apply.

The Rapoport Center operates as a vibrant, interdisciplinary hub for social justice research, teaching, networking, and advocacy. Among its projects it houses the Sissy Farenthold Fund for Peace and Social Justice. The Center and Fund regularly convene workshops and public events that bring together academics and activists; engage in research and publication of scholarship and reports; and support faculty and student research, creative work, and advocacy.

 The graduate summer fellow will be asked to:

  • provide administrative, writing, and research support for the Center’s priority projects;
  • work on the publication of the Center's Annual Review by drafting and editing articles;
  • serve as summer lead editor for the Center’s Working Paper Series;
  • coordinate the submission and judging process for the Center’s three writing prizes;
  • act as liaison and help with outreach to students and faculty at the law school and across campus; and
  • mentor undergraduate interns.

Eligibility

The fellowship is open to all currently enrolled UT Austin graduate and professional students and to UT students of all citizenship statuses.

Commitment

Selected fellows should be available 20 hours per week for 10 weeks. The majority of the fellowship should be completed in-person at the Rapoport Center in Austin.

Funding

Fellows will receive a stipend of $4000.

 

Application

Qualified students should submit the following materials via our online application system:

  • Cover letter (address your how this fellowship will benefit your professional development; demonstrate your familiarity with Center projects and activities, including your interest in themes mentioned above)
  • CV/Resume (indicate any relevant skills, foreign language proficiency, and software experience)
  • Transcript or academic summary (unofficial is fine; should include the courses you are currently taking)
  • Writing sample (8-10 pages; does not need to relate directly to human rights, although that is preferable)

In addition, three references (at least two must be UT faculty) who can speak to your professional or academic background must complete our short online reference form. Applications without references submitted by this deadline will be considered partially incomplete. 

Contact

For any questions, please contact Maia Borchardt at maia.borchardt@law.utexas.edu.

All Opportunities