Dahlem Postdoc Fellowships

DAHLEM POSTDOC FELLOWSHIPS provide funding for highly qualified postdoctoral fellows with at least six months of international research experience* to conduct their own research within one of the university’s outstanding collaborative research projects. In addition, international research stays are supported in order to allow researchers to build up a full year of international research experience by the time they complete their DAHLEM POSTDOC FELLOWSHIP.

Fellows are given the opportunity to expand their academic profile by experiencing early independence combined with professional guidance. During their stay they are integrated into research groups and assigned a professor as scientific advisor.

As members of DAHLEM RESEARCH SCHOOL, Fellows benefit from a tailored qualification program and the opportunity to develop teaching and leadership skills. Furthermore, DAHLEM POSTDOC FELLOWS are supported in obtaining funding for follow-up research projects at Freie Universität Berlin.

Freie Universität Berlin offers 15 Postdoc Fellowships.

Each research fellowship will be awarded for 14 months. Applicants must submit a project plan based on the research fields/ key topics of the participating host research projects of Freie Universität Berlin.

Female postdoctoral researchers and returnees from phases of international mobility or after a career break e.g. due to family reasons are especially encouraged to apply.

Eligibility Criteria

Applicants have to submit a project plan based on the research fields/ key topics of the participating host research projects of Freie Universität Berlin (listed here).

The call is open to postdoctoral researchers of all disciplines and all nationalities who

• hold a doctoral degree (the dissertation must be submitted and proof must be available by the application deadline)
• completed their doctoral degree no longer than four years prior to the deadline (the date on the doctoral certificate applies). For applicants with children, one year per child will be added to the permitted duration.
• have at least six months' international research experience, three months of which must be an uninterrupted stay.

All applicants must be able to demonstrate, at the point of the application deadline, at least six months’ research experience during the doctoral or postdoctoral phase, in a country different to the country in which they completed their PhD. Applicants who completed both their doctorate and any postdoctoral periods solely in one country, do not meet this requirement. Three months of the international research experience should be an uninterrupted stay.

Applicants with between 6 and 12 months' international research experience have to include an international research stay in their project plan, with the aim to give them a full 12 months' international research experience by the end of their DAHLEM POSTDOC FELLOWSHIP. In this case, the international stay becomes a mandatory part of the fellowship. For applicants with 12 months' international research experience or more, an international stay is optional.

Benefits

• 14 months' research funding, starting November 1, 2017
• An employment contract at level TV-L FU E13 (which refers to the collective agreement for the public area of Berlin and translates into an annual net salary of approx. 25.600 to 33.400 Euro, depending on previous work experience and marital status)
• Social security and health insurance included
• A monthly research allowance (300 Euro for office-based/ 600 Euro for field-trip-based/ 900 Euro for lab-based projects)
• Travel allowance for research stays of up to six months at an international research institution
• One-time reimbursement of travel costs when moving to Berlin
• A fully funded intensive German course
• A tailored qualification program delivered by Dahlem Research School

Participating Host Projects

Humanities and Social Sciences

• Affective Societies - Dynamics of Social Coexistence in Mobile Worlds (CRC 1171)
• Berlin Graduate School Muslim Cultures and Societies (BGSMCS)
• Center for Area Studies (CAS) 
• Dahlem Humanities Center (DHC)
• Friedrich Schlegel Graduate School of Literary Studies
• Graduate School of East Asian Studies (GEAS) 
• Graduate School of North American Studies (GSNAS)
• Topoi - The Formation and Transformation of Space and Knowledge in Ancient Civilizations

Natural and Life Sciences

• Berlin Mathematical School (BMS)
• Dynamics of Aging (DynAge)
• NanoScale
• Protonation Dynamics in Protein Function (CRC1078)