Jean d’Alembert fellowship program

Through its Jean d'Alembert fellowship program Université Paris-Saclay wants to allow highly qualified foreign scientists to stay for long periods (from 6 to 12 months) in one of the laboratories within its perimeter. Scientists from all disciplines and all countries are eligible. The content of the work project and the period of the stay must be decided with the Paris-Saclay host laboratory before the application.

Two different programs are offered:

• junior researcher fellowships for candidates who have obtained their PhD less than ten years before the date of the application,
• senior researcher fellowships for candidates who have obtained their PhD at least ten years before the date of the application.

Pour les deux programmes :

• The stay must take place between 1 January 2025 and 31 December 2026. The schedule must be defined when the laureate accepts the award proposal; it may be revised at a later date, provided that any changes are notified 4 months before the planned date of the stay.
• For a stay of strictly more than six months, the stay may be divided into two periods, one of which lasts six months.
• Stays of six months cannot be broken down into several periods.

Fellowship’s features

The fellowship will include:

• An monthly salary of € 2,800 net, which will be paid by Université Paris-Saclay during the presence in the lab (employment contract).
• A budget of maximum 10,000 € to cover expenses related to the laureate’s research activities in the host laboratory of Université Paris-Saclay. Applicants must mention in their scientific project the requested amount and the details of these expenses. Personnel expenses are excluded. Capital expenses are allowed only if they are necessary for the beneficiary’s research activities in the host laboratory.

Eligibility criteria

1. Doctoral degree or equivalent (obtained for less than 10 years at the time of the application for junior researchers).
2. Researchers employed at their foreign university or research institution on a permanent position for the full duration of the project (tenure track is accepted, not long term post-doctoral position).
3. Applicants who have been residing in France for more than six months at the time of application are not eligible.
4. French citizens can apply to the program, provided their usual place of residence and work has been abroad for at least five years at the time of application.

Supporting document required

1. A full CV including a list of publications.
2. A certificate drawn up by the applicant's home institution, certifying that the applicant may be employed by Université Paris-Saclay for the duration of his/her stay in the host laboratory.
3. Letters of recommendation, preferably from outside the Université Paris-Saclay perimeter (ideally 2 to 3 letters, written by people who are not close associates of the candidate).
4. A research project and possibly a training or seminars program, developed jointly with the host laboratory (no set template or format, ideally 5 to 10 pages). The project will also include a financial section with the expenses related to the research activities in the host laboratory (maximum 10,000 €).
5. A letter of commitment from the head of the host laboratory in France.

For the needs of the selection step, it is necessary to clearly mention which graduate school(s)/institute of Université Paris-Saclay is (are) involved in the project (to be seen with the host laboratory).

Selection criteria

Fellows will be selected only on the basis of the quality of the applicant and proposed project:

• Quality of the applicant’s scientific track record: professional background, impact and originality of the scientific contributions.
• Quality of the proposed project: importance in its field, relevance of the proposed approach, feasibility, available resources beside those of the Jean d'Alembert fellowship, expected impact for the host laboratory and more broadly for Université Paris-Saclay (scientific, training, innovation and transfer to industry).

Obligations of the laureates

Beyond their involvement in the host laboratory, laureates are expected during and at the end of their stay in France:

• To include in their publications relating to their research work during their stay at Université Paris-Saclay the following acknowledgement: "This work has been supported as part of France 2030 program ANR-11-IDEX-0003".
• To contribute to the collective dynamic of Université Paris-Saclay, in particular through one or more interventions within the graduate schools/institute.
• To produce a final five-page report on: their achievements during their stay, their contribution to the collective dynamic of Université Paris-Saclay, prospects for future collaboration with the host laboratory and, more broadly, the Université Paris-Saclay.

Deadline for application and application process

Applications must be filed at the latest on April 13, 2024, before midnight French time, on the web site: https://framaforms.org/universite-paris-saclay-jean-dalembert-program-2024-2026-application-form-1681213078

The final selection will be made on June 28, 2024, and the results will be communicated to the applicants in the following days. The laureates must express their acceptance of the fellowship within 10 days of notification of the result.

For more information or technical problem, please contact: programme.dalembert@universite-paris-saclay.fr.

Informations about previous calls

2023: 51 eligible applications, 15 for the "junior" section of the program and 36 for the "senior" section. 16 applications (31%) were selected by the jury, 4 "junior" (27%) and 13 "senior" (33%).

2022: 37 eligible applications, 12 for the "junior" section of the program and 25 for the "senior" section. 19 applications (51%) were selected by the jury, 6 "junior" (50%) and 13 "senior" (52%).

2021: 33 eligible applications, 12 for the "junior" section of the program and 21 for the "senior" section. 12 applications (36%) were selected by the jury, 3 "junior" (25%) and 9 "senior" (43%).