Paris Institute for Advanced Study Research Fellowships 2020/2021 for International Researchers

The Paris Institute for Advanced Study is launching three calls for applications for research fellowships in 2020/2021 open to researchers of all nationalities.

Application Deadline: 15th April 2019
Eligible Countries: International

To Be Taken At (Country): France

About the Award: 

1. one call for 5 or 10-month fellowships in the “Blue Sky Research” program, open to all disciplines and themes in the humanities and social sciences.
2. one call for 5 or 10-month fellowships in the “Brain, Culture and Society” program. This call is for researchers willing to conduct a project at the interface between neuroscience, cognitive science and the humanities and social sciences.
3. one call for 5 or 10-month fellowships in the “Dark Clouds” program. This call is for research and solution into significant and urgent threats that are the future of our societies.

Blue Sky Research: The Paris Institute for Advanced Study welcomes applications from high level international scholars and scientists in the fields of the humanities and the social sciences for a research stay of five or ten months, during the academic year 2020-2021.
The Paris IAS will host around twenty guest researchers, allowing them to work freely on the project of their choice. The researchers will benefit from the scientific environment of the Institute and have the opportunity to create contacts with researchers in the academic institutions of Greater Paris.


Brain, Culture and Society: The Paris Institute for Advanced Study welcomes applications from high level international scholars and scientists in the fields of the humanities, social sciences, cognitive sciences, and neurosciences for a research stay of five or ten months during the academic year 2020-2021 within the framework of its “Brain, Culture and Society program”.
The selected fellows will be given the opportunity to work freely on the project of their choice, at the interface between the sciences of the brain, the humanities, and the social sciences. They will benefit from the scientific environment of the Institute and have the opportunity to create contacts with researchers in the academic institutions of Greater Paris.
Dark Clouds Research: In addition to the “Blue Sky” programme, whose themes are totally open, the IAS, aware that there are significant and urgent threats to the future of our societies, has decided to devote part of its resources to supporting work aimed at meeting these challenges.
The “Dark clouds” programme, like the “Blue Sky” program, leaves the researcher complete freedom of choice of theme, on the sole condition that he or she responds to these vital issues with fundamental research.
Type: Research

Eligibility: Researchers from all countries are eligible.
This call for applications is open to:

• Junior scholars with or without a permanent position in a university or research institution, who have received their PhD no later than April 1st 2017. The applicants who have held their PhD for more than 9 years will be considered as senior researchers.
• Senior researchers holding a position in a university or research institution, or emeritus professors, having a minimum of 10 years of research experience after their PhD (received before April 1st 2009).

The institute is bilingual. Knowledge of English is required. The applicants are also expected to understand written and spoken French, as scientific and social activities are held in French and English.
Applicants who have spent more than a total of 12 months in France during the 3 years prior to the application (that is, between February 15th, 2016 and February 15th, 2019) are not eligible.
Selection Criteria: The main criteria of selection are:

• the scientific quality of the project and its innovative character;
• the career path of the applicant;
• the quality of the scientific contacts of the applicant in France, and the applicant’s capacity to collaborate with French scholars and research teams (organization of scientific events, participation in seminars, preparation of a joint research project for an application for international funding, etc.).

Duration of Program: Applicants may request a fellowship for one of the following periods:

• September 1^st, 2020 to January 31^st, 2021 (5 months)
• September 1^st, 2020 to June 30^th, 2021 (10 months)
• February 1^st to June 30^th, 2021 (5 months)

How to Apply: The application, in English or French, must be submitted via an online application system (see the guide “How to apply“). Mail or e-mail applications are not accepted.
The application consists of an online form with the following attached documents:

• a curriculum vitae (10 pages maximum) including a list of publications and a list of the 5 publications considered as the most important by the applicant;
• a detailed research proposal (25 000 characters maximum, spaces included, bibliography not included). The proposal should include :
  • theme
  • state of the art in the field, innovative character of the proposal
  • methodology or theoretical framework
  • expected outcomes
  • work planning, timescales
  • existing or planned scientific cooperation and contacts in France
  • bibliography (books and articles cited)
• a letter of cooperation signed by a member of a university or research institution based in France. Preference will be given to projects conducted in cooperation with the partners of the IAS (see list below). The planned collaborations may include the organization of conferences and series of lectures or the preparation of a research project to be submitted to an international funding agency (like the ERC or the EU H2020 program);
• in the case of Junior Fellows, two letters of recommendation from French or international researchers.

Visit the Program Webpage for Details