3 Postdoctoral Fellowships (m/f/d) in Humanities and Social Sciences
Call for Applications of the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. Deadline: February 28, 2026
Duration: 12 months, starting on September 1st or October 1st, 2026.
The Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften, the Institute for Advanced Studies in the Humanities of Goethe University Frankfurt am Main in Germany, is seeking to appoint up to three postdoctoral fellows in the humanities or social sciences for the academic year 2026/2027.
Candidates should contribute with their individual research to the research focus Democratic Vistas. Reflections on the Atlantic World and to its outreach platform, the John McCloy Transatlantic Forum. Democratic Vistas looks at democracy from a genuinely interdisciplinary perspective. It understands democracy not only as a form of government, but also as a form of life. Corresponding to this expansive conception of democracy, Democratic Vistas creates a space for dialogue for researchers from a broad range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences. Geographically, the program focuses on the »Atlantic World« in a broad sense. Both classical transatlantic relations and the Atlantic World in its North-South dimension fall under its purview.
A) For one fellowship we encourage applications from scholars who study democratic forms of life from the perspective of the humanities.
B) Two additional fellowships funded by the Foundation for German-American Academic Relations will be awarded as Helga Haftendorn Postdoctoral Fellowships in the fields of transatlantic relations (history and present state), German or U.S. foreign and security policy, international relations with a focus on current global crises and security dynamics, transatlantic societies from historical and sociological perspectives, theory of international relations, ideally involving transatlantic dimensions.
For more information about Democratic Vistas, see: https://forschungskolleg-humanwissenschaften.de/index.php/en/projects/democratic-vistas
The fellows will be part of the Democratic Vistas academic community, a network of some 25 scholars from different disciplines in the humanities and social sciences at Goethe University, as well as of the community of fellows at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften.
What we offer:
We offer a grant of 2,400 €/month. The grant meets the criteria for tax exemption under the provisions of paragraph 3 no. 44 EStG (German Income Tax Act) Additional benefits include a return trip (to a max. of 2,000 €) from the fellows’ home / residence town to Frankfurt; a family allowance where appropriate and a mission allowance of up to 2,000 €/year. We also provide an office at the Forschungskolleg Human- wissenschaften in Bad Homburg (near Frankfurt) with technical support and a library service, academic and general support and a joint fellow lunch every day (Mo–Fr). Apartments in the guesthouse of the Kolleg are available for rent at the fellow’s own cost.
What we expect:
Fellows are expected to work on their projects and to take part in the academic events organized by the Forschungskolleg or by members of the Democratic Vistas community at Goethe University; participation in the research colloquium of the Kolleg is mandatory. Fellows will be asked to contribute to one or two outreach activities during their research stay (e.g. workshops with advanced high school students).
Eligibility: Candidates should have completed a doctorate in one of the disciplines represented in the Democratic Vistas group and should have proven potential to conduct and publish research at an international level.
Application: Please send your application in English in one PDF document (a 2–3 page research project, a CV and two letters of reference) to: application(at)forschungskolleg-humanwissenschaften.de
The letters of reference may also be sent directly from the referees.
Closing date is February 28, 2026.
If you have any questions, please address Iris Koban, Managing Director of Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften (i.koban(at)forschungskolleg-humanwissenschaften.de) or the heads of program of the Democratic Vistas research focus, Johannes Völz, Professor of American Studies (voelz(at)em.uni-frankfurt.de and Gunther Hellmann, Professor of Political Science (g.hellmann(at)soz.uni-frankfurt.de) at Goethe University.
For information on the working and living conditions at the Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften, see: https://forschungskolleg-humanwissenschaften.de/index.php/en/