Deadline: May 25, 2023
Applications are open for the Arab Council for the Social Sciences Junior Fellows Program 2023-2024. This 12-month program assists emerging researchers in the Arab region, who have not been more than three years since their PhDs, to pursue their research and plans for publication, participate in research networks in the Arab region, and plan a research journey in the Arab region.
In this type of fellowship, the Arab Council for the Social Sciences strongly encourages applicants to mobility. During the fellowship period, applicants are particularly encouraged to plan their residency in another country in the region, and to associate with an institution or mentor in a different country than their current country or country of residence; applicants should submit a well-thought-out and well-thought-out plan for institutional engagement and mentorship; and in all cases, they should seek new institutional engagement and mentors other than those they have previously worked with.
This initiative complements the Council’s efforts to support and encourage the social sciences in the Arab region, especially in terms of investing in a new generation of researchers in the field of social sciences. This program is funded by a grant to the Arab Council for the Social Sciences from the Carnegie Endowment in New York.
Benefits
- The fellowship provides full support for 12 months (including living expenses plus research expenses) ranging from $20,000 to $36,000. The total amount is related to the price levels in the country in which the candidate proposes to reside during the fellowship period, as well as whether the candidate has other sources of income during the fellowship period. If the applicant qualifies for the shortlist, he/she will be asked to submit a budget estimating the cost of living, the cost of research, and specifying whether he or she has other sources of funding and/or income during the fellowship period.
Eligibility
- Applicant must be a national of an Arab country: Applicants must be holders of the nationality of an Arab country (by Arab state they mean the country affiliated to the League of Arab States) or refugees and/or stateless persons from Arab countries currently residing in the Arab region.
- Be Emerging Researchers: This program targets researchers who have not been more than three years since obtaining a PhD in Social Sciences (the degree may be obtained from Arab countries or abroad). Candidates must have earned a PhD at the time of application. Candidates who earned a PhD before 2020 are not eligible for this program.
- Demonstrate high quality academic qualifications and potential: Candidates must submit a project proposal (between 10 and 15 pages) based on their doctoral thesis. Proposals that are not based on or related to the doctoral thesis are considered inadmissible.
- Provide evidence of support for the proposed mentor and the proposed liaison institution: Upon application, candidates must submit a letter from an academic advisor working in an institution in the Arab region expressing a willingness to provide administrative and academic support and supervision to the fellowship for the duration of the fellowship itself. In addition, candidates must submit a letter from the proposed host institution addressed to the Arab Council for the Social Sciences confirming the ability of this institution to host the candidate during the fellowship period.
Selection Process
A multidisciplinary selection committee consisting of renowned Arab academics with well-established research and publication records and experience in regional research and teaching will review and select proposals that will be awarded funding. The selection procedure adheres to the highest standards of academic and ethical arbitration.
Final decisions are based on the following evaluation criteria:
- Contribution of the research proposal to knowledge (research questions, relevance, quality and originality)
- Feasibility of the proposed research plan (realistic time frame and research methods)
- Candidate competence (academic qualifications, current and potential publications)
- The candidate’s postdoctoral plan (mentor selection, institutional engagement, and plans to conduct research during the pandemic)
- Expected outputs (planned publications and career plan)
Application
Candidates must provide the following supporting documents:
- Detailed CV including publications
- One-page letter explaining the purpose of the application
- Proof of Arab nationality or residence in the Arab region (copy of valid passport or ID card)
- A project proposal (between 10 and 15 pages) explaining the activities that the candidate will work on throughout the fellowship period. Note that all proposals will be reviewed through an electronic system to monitor plagiarism
- A letter from an academic advisor working at an institution in the region expressing his willingness to supervise and guide the candidate’s work throughout the proposed fellowship period
- Detailed CV of the academic advisor
- An official letter from the proposed host institution, addressed to the Arab Council for the Social Sciences, confirming the ability of this institution to host the candidate during the fellowship period
For more information, visit ACSS Junior Fellows Program.
