Next application deadlines: January 15 and September 15, 2026 (23:59 CE(S)T)

Prepare your Application

Before reading on, please check whether you are actually applying for the general fellowship program/ a research stay or for an advertised position with an employment contract. For the latter, please refer to the specific job advertisement.

Please have ready the following documentation (as PDF files) and information, depending on the type of funding for which you wish to apply:

(1) Postdoctoral Fellowship/Research Fellowship or Senior Researcher Fellowship (with stipend)

• formal letter of application, stating dates of your desired stay (please pay attention to the minimum and maximum length of a stay stated on our website), sources of external funding (if any) and the concrete project or working group within the department you are interested in (for Dept. KSCL/II and AAK/III) / the general fit to the research themes of the research group (for RG Ahlers and ASTRA);
• a curriculum vitae, including publication list;
• a brief research proposal (maximum 750 words) in which the fit of your proposed research to a concrete project or working group of the department/research group is made clear;
• if possible, the doctoral certificate (this document is required in any case in the event of a successful application and may be requested subsequently)

(2) Predoctoral Fellowship (with stipend)

• formal letter of application, stating dates of your desired stay (please pay attention to the minimum and maximum length of a stay stated on our website), sources of external funding (if any) and and the concrete project or working group within the department you are interested in (for Dept. KSCL/II and AAK/III) / the general fit to the research themes of the research group (for RG Ahlers and ASTRA);
• a curriculum vitae, including publication list;
• a brief research proposal (maximum 750 words) in which the fit of your proposed research to a concrete project or working group of the department/research group is made clear;
• if possible, the master's certificate (this document is required in any case in the event of a successful application and may be requested subsequently);
• a letter of reference from your dissertation advisor.

(3) Research Stay (Visiting Predoctoral/ Postdoctoral/ Senior Research Fellow)

• formal letter of application, stating dates of your desired stay, sources of external funding, and the concrete project or working group within the department you are interested in (for Dept. KSCL/II and AAK/III) / the general fit to the research themes of the research group (for RG Ahlers and ASTRA);
• a curriculum vitae, including publication list;
• a brief research proposal (maximum 750 words) in which the fit of your proposed research to a concrete project or working group of the department/research group is made clear.

Application Process

Please first select the department/research group to which you wish to apply:

• Dept 2 "Knowledge Systems and Collective Life" (here)
• Dept 3, "Artifacts, Action, Knowledge" (here)
• Max Planck Research Group "Astral Sciences in Trans-Regional Asia" (here)
• Lise Meitner Research Group "China in the Global System of Science" (here)

It is no longer possible to apply to the Research Group of Katja Krause.

Timelines for the Application and Selection Process

Please note that the following timelines show the general workflow and are only an approximation of the actual schedule. The actual schedule for a selection round can vary by up to two weeks depending on public and school holidays or other labor-intensive events a the Institute.