The Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS)

The Arab Council for the Social Sciences (ACSS) is pleased to announce the launch of the third cycle of its Postdoctoral Fellowships Program for junior Arab scholars. This 9-month Fellowship program aims at enabling young researchers, up to three years out of the PhD, to pursue their research and publishing plans, become part of Arab research networks and plan a research career in the Arab region.

This initiative complements the efforts of the ACSS in supporting and promoting the social sciences in the Arab region, particularly in terms of investing in a new generation of social science researchers.

• Are citizens or nationals of an Arab country: An Arab country is defined by its membership in the “League of Arab States”. The term “national” refers to full-time and long-term residents of an Arab State, including those who do not have citizenship, as in the case of stateless refugees. Arab scholars resident outside the region at the time of application would be eligible, however only if they are not in a permanent, tenure-track position and/or do not have access to research resources from their institution and/or country of residence. Arab scholars residing outside the region will be expected to spend the period of their Postdoctoral Fellowship in the Arab region.
• Are junior scholars: This program targets scholars who are 0-3 years out of a PhD program in the social sciences (obtained from within or outside the Arab region). Applicants should have obtained their PhDs at the time of application.
• Show high quality academic credentials and promise: applicants are expected to submit a proposal (10-15 pages) that highlights their academic credentials and outlines a compelling research problem that the applicant  will work on during the Fellowship period. The applicant is also expected to provide a publications plan as well as a 3-year career plan.
• Provide proof of support by a proposed mentor: applicants should provide a letter at the time of application from an academic mentor based in an institution in the Arab region in which he/she expresses willingness to provide administrative and academic support and supervision to the prospective Fellow during the period of his/her Fellowship.

Fellowship Worth:

 

• The Fellowships will provide for 9 months of full support (living expenses plus research expenses) with a total stipend of an average of $32,000. This amount may largely depend on the respective price levels in the proposed country/countries of residence where the Fellow will be residing during his/her Fellowship as well as whether or not the Fellow will be having other sources of income throughout the Fellowship period. If shortlisted, applicants will be asked to provide a budget estimating (1) the costs of living, (2) the costs of research; and (3) to indicate whether or not they will be having any other sources of funding and/or income during the period of their Fellowship.
• Travel funding at an average of $900 for each Fellow will also be provided for those seeking affiliation with an institution outside their home country or country of residence.
• Additional funding at an average of $5000 per Fellow will be available for a second phase (up to 9 months) based on a proposal in which the Fellow requests to extend his/her work in new directions.

 

Applicants are required to fill out the online form and provide the following supporting documents: