Council for Higher Education & The Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities call applications for Excellence Fellowship Program for International Postdoctoral Researchers in Israel

New Delhi, August 31, 2021: The Council for Higher Education in Israel and the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities announces the call for the excellence fellowship program in Israel for outstanding international postdoctoral researchers. This program signifies Israel’s commitment to the promotion of international scientific collaborations and to the advancement of world-class research. Through this initiative, Israel offers recent PhD graduates (up to four years from graduation), of all academic disciplines, the opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research in Israel with leading scientists and scholars in their field.

A maximum of twenty fellowships will be provided to incoming post-doctorates conducting research in one of Israel’s universities; fellowships will be allocated in Sciences, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM), the Humanities and the Social Sciences. The fellowships will be awarded for two years for $47,000 per year.

The postdoctoral fellows in the program will have the opportunity to engage in innovative research in one of Israel’s globally recognized universities, to actively collaborate with their supervisors, and to cultivate their academic skills in a vibrant and challenging entrepreneurial environment.

Eligibility:

1. The fellowship program is open to international candidates who have received a PhD from a recognized higher education institution outside of Israel less than 4 years from the time of application (not including parental or medical leave), or who will receive a PhD from a recognized higher education institution outside of Israel prior to the commencement of the fellowship.

2. Candidates who will be commencing a postdoctoral position in Israel before January 1, 2022 may not apply.

3. Candidates are required to have been accepted to a post-doctoral position under the supervision of a faculty member at one of the following Israeli universities (in alphabetical order): Ariel University, Bar-Ilan University, Ben-Gurion University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Open University of Israel, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University, University of Haifa, Weizmann Institute of Science.

4. Candidates are required to have the commitment of the university to provide the required financial contribution for the fellowship: At least 25% of the 160,000 NIS (40,000 NIS per year) in the Humanities and the Social Sciences, and at least 50% (80,000 NIS per year) in the fields of STEM.

5. Candidates are expected to commit all their time to research. They are not allowed to be engaged in work part time in the industry or be doing their internship at hospitals, etc.

Application Timeline:All materials should be submitted in one PDF file by October 1, 2021 to Mrs. Batsheva Shor, the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities, at the following address: [email protected] the Subject: “Application Material for Dr. _________________”.

Application Process:

Candidates should apply directly to the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. The materials should be submitted in English in one PDF file per candidate, except for the recommendation letters. The materials to be submitted (in order) include the Application form, Application, Letter of recommendation from the host supervisor (on a formal letterhead), Commitment letter signed by the rector of the host university on formal letterhead, CV and list of publications, including journal rankings and impact factors, short description of research including preliminary results (if applicable). Candidates who have not yet finished their PhD are required to submit a confirmation from the relevant authority that the candidate will fulfil all of his/her academic obligations prior to the commencement of the fellowship, and is expected to receive his/her doctoral degree no later than the end of the first year of the fellowship. The candidates are also required to submit two letters of recommendation, up to 2 pages each, by their authors, printed on official stationery, directly to the Academy at: [email protected] the Subject: “Recommendation Letter for Dr. _____________” by October 1, 2021.

Selection Process

A committee comprising members of the Israel Academy of Science and the Humanities, the Israel Young Academy, and leading scholars and scientists in Israeli academia, will select the fellows based on academic and research excellence. Awardees will be notified by January 15, 2022.