KWI@Thyssen Fellowship April – September 2027

The Thyssen@KWI Fellowship addresses excellent researchers from the humanities, cultural studies, and the social sciences. It is most generously funded by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation: https://www.fritz-thyssen-stiftung.de/en/.

The Thyssen@KWI Fellowship is awarded twice a year to an outstanding international researcher in the humanities, cultural studies, or social sciences whose project aligns with KWI’s research agenda and contributes to ongoing conversations at the institute. We invite applications from scholars who have established an independent research profile and made significant contributions to their field.

Applicants must have completed a PhD and have already gained several years of postdoctoral research experience (R3 level of the European Framework for Research Careers). International researchers are encouraged to apply. German nationals are eligible only if they can demonstrate substantial international research experience acquired during and/or after their PhD. As a fellowship for individual researchers, the program does not accept applications from groups or teams.

Selected fellows will receive a fellowship contract (not a full-employment contract) and a monthly allowance of €4,000 (pre-tax). This allowance is intended to cover accommodation, insurance, and living expenses. Partial reimbursement of travel expenses for arrival at and departure from KWI may also be provided. Any additional travel costs, including conference-related expenses, must be covered from the fellowship allowance. The institute provides fellows with research infrastructure, office space, technical support, library services, event and research management, as well as administrative and communications support.

Expectations:

• Candidates must hold a completed PhD in the humanities, cultural studies, the social sciences, or closely related fields and demonstrate an established research profile. They should also have approximately five or more years of postdoctoral experience (R3 level). Applicants are expected to work on a research project that is distinct from their PhD research
• Applications are open to international researchers. German scholars may apply if they have substantial international research experience during or after their PhD, including extended research stays or collaborations abroad, and relevant professional contacts.
• We expect the Thyssen@KWI Fellow to be present at the institute at least 3 days a week. The fellow will be expected to participate in entry and exit interviews.
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We kindly ask you to apply in the form of one single PDF file (max. 20 MB) which must be submitted electronically to international.fellowship(at)uni-due.de with the subject line: "Thyssen@KWI-Fellowship". The application deadline is 17 August 2026. For further questions, please contact international.fellowship(at)uni-due.de or click here https://www.kulturwissenschaften.de/kwi-international-fellowship-programmes/. 

Call for Applications (PDF)