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KWI Essen offers International Fellowships

KWI building with entrance area © KWI​/​UA Ruhr
The Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities (KWI) in Essen is offering fellowships for the duration of 6 months, from 1 April 2027 until 30 September 2027.

The KWI is the UA Ruhr’s interdisciplinary research college for the humanities and cultural sciences and stands in the tradition of international institutes for advanced study. It has been jointly run by the three partner universities since 2007. It offers a space for independent and innovative research in the humanities and various opportunities to engage and include the public. Currently, research at KWI focusses on the following areas: science studies, visual literacy, aesthetic practices, constellations of historical impact, dialogues between the cultural and social sciences. 

KWI International Fellowship Program

The KWI International Fellowship Program welcomes outstanding researchers from around the world working in the humanities, cultural studies, and social sciences. We particularly encourage applications from scholars whose research projects align with KWI’s research agenda and contribute to ongoing conversations at the institute. Applicants must have completed a PhD in the humanities or social sciences and have up to six years of postdoctoral experience (R2 level of the European Framework for Research Careers). Postdoctoral experience is calculated from the date of PhD completion. For the current call, applicants who completed their PhD in 2021 or later are eligible. Career breaks, for example for care-related reasons or as a scholar at risk, may be explained in the cover letter and will be taken into consideration when assessing eligibility The KWI International Fellowship Program is open to researchers from around the world. German nationals are eligible to apply only if they are currently employed at an international institution. As a fellowship for individual researchers, the program does not accept applications from groups or teams.

Expectations: 

• The fellowship should be dedicated to research linked to the programmatic agenda of KWI. Various project formats are possible: You might devote your time in Essen to finishing a book or a special issue, to finalizing a research proposal or setting up a research group. We also welcome plans to establish or substantiate collaborations with the universities of the Ruhr Alliance. 

• Fellows are expected to be present at least 3 days a week and to participate in entry and exit interviews. 

• Fellows are requested to actively take part in the Colloquium, lectures, conferences, reading groups and other academic events at KWI. Moreover, we expect the fellow to contribute to the KWI Blog. 

• Fellows are invited to actively take part in academic events at KWI. Selected candidates may have the opportunity to organize a workshop as part of the program, depending on available resources and scheduling constraints. While this is not a requirement for participation, applicants with an interest in hosting a workshop are encouraged to express their ideas in their application. 

• Fellows are not expected to teach, but always welcome to participate in lecture series and seminars at surrounding universities. 

• Publications deriving from the time of residence should mention KWI. 

• Knowledge of German is not required since the Fellowship Programme relies on a strong command of English. 

• Successful applicants are expected to begin their fellowship on the announced starting date (April 1). Due to our semester schedule and the design of the fellowship programme, the start and end of the fellowship are not negotiable.

Applications 

Please apply in the form of one single PDF-file (max. 20 MB) which must be submitted electronically to international.fellowship@uni-due.de. Due to IT safety regulations, applications via links to external platforms cannot be accepted. 

• The application deadline is August 17, 2026, 24:00 (midnight, CET). 

• The application must be submitted in English and must contain a CV, a list of publications, a PhD certificate, and a proposal sketching your KWI project (up to max. 5.000 characters). 

• Applications that are incomplete, submitted after the deadline, sent in multiple files, or include project proposals that exceed the specified length, will not be considered. 

• The fellows will be selected by a committee assembling members of the KWI governing board and the institute’s director. 

For further information, please see this link.

 

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