Forum Basiliense Call for Applications

In response to the worldwide acceleration of social change, the University of Basel, Switzerland's oldest university, recently founded a new research center and platform for interdisciplinary dialogue: the Forum Basiliense. Now we are putting out our second call for applications for fellowships in Basel.

In 2025, the intellectual focus for the groups of international fellows and guests at the Forum Basiliense will be “Living in the Anthropocene”. In the last two decades, the concept of the Anthropocene, which addresses the challenges caused by human, societal, and industrial interventions and transformations on planet Earth, has been intensively discussed in the sciences and the humanities. Humanity now confronts how the traces and costs of our human activities have begun to define the essence of our recent geological period. The broad interdisciplinary skills, perspectives, and potentials offered by academia are needed to address sustainability, climate change, and the balancing of economics and ecology.

We encourage applications focused on this theme in any of the disciplines represented at the University of Basel.

We invite fellows for visits of three to six months during 2025, preferably during the spring or the autumn term. Fellows are expected to participate in events and in scientific exchange (a regular colloquium) during their stay.

Your Profile

You hold an excellent PhD or a junior professorship in any of the disciplines represented at the University of Basel. Fellowships are awarded based on scientific merit, the quality of the application, and how the application speaks to the theme of "the Anthropocene". We welcome applications from all over the world.

We offer

The Forum Basiliense is a highly interdisciplinary and collaborative platform. We strive to be an inclusive, supportive, and enthusiastic work environment for a team of fellows with diverse interests and personal backgrounds. The medium-sized city of Basel, which is located at the tri-national border of Switzerland, Germany, and France, is known for its high quality of life, multilingual inhabitants, international flair, and rich cultural environment.

The fellowships offer an exciting opportunity for highly motivated and proficient PostDoctoral scholars to contribute to a vibrant research community, expand their personal networks, and advance their own projects. As a fellow, you will be part of the lively and active research environment at the University of Basel and take part in scientific and academic events organized by the Forum Basiliense.
The fellowship grant offers CHF 5000 per month for the duration of your stay in Basel, travel costs, office space, subsidized accommodation at the University guest house, and other benefits.

To apply

Please include the following documents in your application:

• Project proposal (3-5 pages max.) describing what you plan to accomplish during your fellowship. Please indicate your contribution to debates around "the Anthropocene" and include how long you would like to stay in Basel (3-6 months).
• CV including publication list 2 reference letters

We look forward to receiving your completed application by 31 July 2024 via the University's online application portal.

For inquiries, please contact Dr. Julia Büchele (j.buechele@unibas.ch)