PKU-IIASA International Postdoctoral Fellowship Program
In 2018 Peking University (PKU) have partnered with IIASA to establish the PKU-IIASA International Postdoctoral Fellowship Program.
The new postdoctoral program is open to applicants of all nationalities and is aimed at training highly qualified early-career postdoctoral researchers to carry out research in fields of mutual interest at both PKU and IIASA, which include but are not limited to advanced methodology, technological, economic, and environmental challenges including pollution and risk analysis, energy, ecology, and ecosystems management, and natural resources including water.
PKU-IIASA Postdoc Fellows, will have the opportunity to develop international and interdisciplinary research skills and become part of a vibrant, dynamic, diverse, and international scientific research community both at PKU and at IIASA. This opportunity will give the fellows the chance to advance their skills and broaden their research interests.
Additionally, the fellows will gain first-hand experience in applying systems analysis to real-world problems and issues. The fellows will have access to a network of international collaborators, many of them with highly successful careers in their own specialized scientific areas, which can help in boosting future career prospects.
Postdoctoral students wishing to develop skills, experience and expertise in systems analysis, and in international and interdisciplinary research are invited to apply for a fellowship within the PKU-IIASA International Postdoctoral Fellowship Program. The exact time and sequence to be spent at both institutions shall be discussed and decided between the fellow and their host supervisors at both PKU and IIASA.
Applications process
The call for applications is now open. Please follow the links below to read more about the program, its eligibility and evaluation criteria, and to download the application form and quick application guide.
Within the framework of their Memorandum of Understanding, Peking University (hereinafter referred to as PKU) and the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (hereinafter referred to as IIASA) have launched the PKU-IIASA International Postdoctoral Fellowship Program, aimed at training highly qualified early-career postdoctoral researchers to carry out research in fields of mutual interest at both PKU and IIASA, which include but are not limited to advanced methodology, technological, economic, and environmental challenges including pollution and risk analysis, energy, ecology, and ecosystems management, and natural resources including water.
PKU-IIASA Postdoctoral Fellows will have the opportunity to develop international and interdisciplinary research skills and become part of a vibrant, dynamic, diverse, and international scientific research community both at PKU and at IIASA. This opportunity will give the fellows the chance to advance their skills and broaden their research interests. Additionally, the fellows will gain first-hand experience in applying systems analysis to real-world problems and issues. The fellows will have access to a network of international collaborators, many of them with highly successful careers in their own specialized scientific areas, which can help in boosting future career prospects.
Duration
The Program will offer initially two (2) postdoctoral fellowships every year. Each fellowship is to be awarded for 24 months. In general, a fellow (fellowship recipient) should register and conduct research at PKU for 12 months and at IIASA for 12 months. In addition, exchange visits by the fellow to IIASA when the fellow is at PKU and vice versa are expected; this will include a mandatory inaugural visit, to ensure co-design of the research and to strengthen collaboration between PKU and IIASA. The exact time and sequence to be spent at both institutions shall be discussed and decided between the fellow and their host supervisors at both PKU and IIASA. The extension of the fellowship beyond the first 12 months shall be subject to a joint mid-term evaluation.
Funding
PKU will pay fellows in RMB, even when fellows are working at IIASA. For each fellow, a monthly stipend of 15,000 RMB will be provided. While at PKU, a fellow may pay to live in the PKU postdoctoral flat or choose to receive a subsidy of 3,500 RMB per month and to find their own accommodation. While at IIASA, a fellow will be required to find their own accommodation, but will also receive an accommodation subsidy of 3,500 RMB per month (the equivalent in Euro). PKU will be responsible for bearing the costs of insurances for the fellow while they are at PKU. IIASA will be responsible for bearing the costs of the accommodation subsidy and health insurance for the fellow while they are at IIASA. Costs for relocation travel and the inaugural and subsequent exchange visits of the fellow between PKU and IIASA are borne by the receiving institution. The host supervisors of the fellow at PKU and IIASA are expected to cover the cost for conducting the collaborative research of the fellow and may cover extra travel expenditures.
Eligibility and Evaluation Criteria
The fellowship is open to applicants of all nationalities who are highly qualified early-career researchers. They must have received their Ph.D. no more than five years prior to the start of the appointment. Applicants holding tenure or in tenure-track faculty positions are not eligible. Each applicant must identify at least one faculty member from each institution who agrees to serve as his/her host supervisor. Selection is based on the academic excellence of the applicant, the quality of the proposed research project, compelling demonstration of the anticipated synergy of a joint postdoctoral project, and the commitment of the respective hosts at both institutions. The research proposal should include information on how the project will benefit from the research environments of both institutions and how the proposal interfaces the fellow’s own research interests with the research agendas pursued by PKU and IIASA. Applicants are advised to review the research section of the PKU webpage and the research section of the IIASA webpage.
Application
All application documents must be prepared in English and include all of the following in one PDF document:
1. PKU-IIASA International Postdoctoral Fellowship Application Form
2. Full CV or Resume
3. Two recommendation letters (preferably including one from the applicant’s doctoral supervisor)
4. An endorsement letter or e-mail from each of the envisaged postdoctoral supervisors at PKU and IIASA. The letter or e-mail should include detailed information on the added value of the research project and a clear statement of commitment regarding the physical and intellectual research environment that the supervisor will provide to the fellow.