The Paris Institute for Advanced Study welcomes applications from high level international scholars and scientists in the fields of the humanities and the social sciences for a research stay of five or ten months, during the academic year 2019-2020.

The Paris IAS will host around twenty guest researchers, allowing them to work freely on the project of their choice. The researchers will benefit from the scientific environment of the Institute and have the opportunity to create contacts with researchers in the academic institutions of Greater Paris.

Applicants may request a fellowship for one of the following periods:
- September 1st, 2019 to January 31st, 2020 (5 months)
- September 1st, 2019 to June 30th, 2020 (10 months)
- February 1st to June 30th, 2020 (5 months)

THE NON-THEMATIC PROGRAM

In order to enable a fruitful dialogue between researchers from different cultural and disciplinary backgrounds, the non-thematic bottom-up program of the Paris IAS is entirely based on free individual initiatives. It is open to any discipline and theme in the humanities and social sciences, and can have an interdisciplinary dimension.
Special attention will be paid this year to projects directly or indirectly related to the theme of the urban and the metropolises.
The excellence of the researcher and his/her project is the essential criterion for selection.

CONDITIONS OF ELIGIBILITY

Researchers from all countries are eligible.
This call for applications is open to:
- Junior scholars with or without a permanent position in a university or research institution, who have received their PhD no later than April 1st 2016. The applicants who have held their PhD for more than 9 years will be considered as senior researchers.
- Senior researchers holding a position in a university or research institution, or emeritus professors, having a minimum of 10 years of research experience after their PhD (received before April 1st 2008).
- The institute is bilingual. Knowledge of English is required. The applicants are also expected to understand written and spoken French, as scientific and social activities are held in French and English.
Applicants who have spent more than a total of 12 months in France during the 3 years prior to the application (that is, between February 15th, 2015 and February 15th, 2018) are not eligible.

CRITERIA OF SELECTION

The main criteria of selection are:
- the scientific quality of the project and its innovative character;
- the career path of the applicant;
- the quality of the scientific contacts of the applicant in France, and the applicant’s capacity to collaborate with French scholars and research teams (organization of scientific events, participation in seminars, preparation of a joint research project for an application for international funding, etc.).

THE APPLICATION

The application, in English or French, must be submitted via an online application system (www.paris-iea.fr/en). Mail or e-mail applications are not accepted.
The application consists of an online form with the following attached documents:

1) a curriculum vitae (10 pages maximum) including a list of publications and a list of the 5 publications considered as the most important by the applicant;

2) a detailed research proposal (25 000 characters maximum, spaces included, bibliography not included). The proposal should include :
- theme
- state of the art in the field, innovative character of the proposal
- methodology or theoretical framework
- expected outcomes
- work planning, timescales
- existing or planned scientific cooperation and contacts in France
- bibliography (books and articles cited);

3) a letter of cooperation signed by a member of a university or research institution based in France. Preference will be given to projects conducted in cooperation with the partners of the IAS (see list below). The planned collaborations may include the organization of conferences and series of lectures or the preparation of a research project to be submitted to an international funding agency (like the ERC or the EU H2020 program);

4) in the case of Junior Fellows, two letters of recommendation from French or international researchers.

CALENDAR

Application deadline: Tuesday, April 3, 2018, 3:00 pm (Paris, France time)
Preselection: beginning of May 2018
Final selection: beginning of October 2018
Notification of results: End of October 2018

CONDITIONS OF STAY

The Paris IAS provides its fellows with housing and a monthly remuneration (or complement of remuneration). It also pays for their round-trip ticket to Paris.

Housing :
The Paris IAS provides apartments in the Pavillon Victor Lyon at the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris. This building, entirely refurbished, offers 2-room to 5-room apartments, a conference room and other services.

Status and remuneration :
Fellows who maintain their status in their home institution benefit from a stipend. For others, the Paris IAS proposes a short term research contract with salary. In all cases, the remuneration depends on the fellow’s personal and professional situation and on whether she or he continues to receive pay from her/his home institution. The benchmark pay scale corresponds to prevailing standards in French academia.

Travel :
Travel costs from the fellow’s home to Paris and back are covered by the IAS (economy class).

Insurances :
The IAS’ fellows will need to get a personal insurance covering all risks during their stay, for themselves as well as the persons accompanying them.

Support for research :
During their stay, the fellows will have an office in the premises of the Paris IAS, in the 17th Century Hôtel de Lauzun, with a computer, Internet access, and printer. The IAS provides meeting and conference rooms.
The fellows may receive financial support for their work and scientific activities, including the organization of events (colloquia, seminars, lectures, etc.). Help for the translation and publication of their research texts can also be proposed.
The Paris IAS and its partner institutions have signed agreements enabling the fellows to enjoy special access and borrowing privileges in the main Paris university-based research libraries. In addition, the fellows can have most books and documents delivered directly from the libraries to the institute.