Postdoctoral Fellowships of The Branco Weiss Fellowship – Society in Science of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH Zurich)

About the Scholarship/ and University
The Branco Weiss Fellowship – Society in Science is a unique postdoctoral program. It awards young researchers around the world with a generous personal grant, giving them the freedom to work on whatever topic they choose anywhere in the world, for up to five years.

This research fellowship is designed to support postdoctoral researchers after their PhD and before their first faculty appointment. The fellowship program was initiated and financed by the Swiss entrepreneur Dr. Branco Weiss, who passed away in October 2010. The program is based at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETH).

Requirements
The ideal applicant has the competencies to design a surprisingly novel and scientifically rigorous research project which blazes new trails, profiting from the freedom uniquely offered by the fellowship. You are eligible for the 2020 campaign if:

• You officially hold a PhD on January 15, 2020
• You have obtained your PhD a maximum or five years prior to January 15, 2020
• You do not hold or have held a faculty-equivalent position (e.g. assistant professor or lecturer)
• Your project departs from the mainstream of research in your discipline
• You have a record of outstanding scientific achievement
• You demonstrate in the proposal a willingness to engage in a dialogue on relevant social, cultural, political or economic issues across the frontiers of your particular discipline

If you have applied before and were not selected, you are welcome to apply again. The following reasons for delays after attaining your PhD are acceptable due to the parental leave (max. one year per child) and inability to work due to illness or accident.

Applicants must explain their reasons for applying for an extension and provide relevant documents. The number of weeks that the research work was interrupted is accepted as an extension.

Awards/ Grants
Apply with a groundbreaking research idea to secure financial support for up to five years working at an academic institution of your choice anywhere in the world. The fellowship will support international applicants for CHF100,000 per year. It also covers all legitimate costs of research including salary and/ or equipment, travel expenses, consumables, and personnels.

Application Process
To be eligible as the applicants for this opportunity, international applicants need to enrol at any university in any subject or course you wish to study. Afterwards, the applicants are eligible to submit required material and documents for your online application starting October 2020. In applying the fellowships, applicants must submit required documents, which are:

1. Letter of motivation including a statement explaining why your research differs from the mainstream (max. 1 page)
2. Your proposed research project (max. 4 pages, including references)
3. Curriculum Vitae (max. 4 pages)
4. Copies of your three best publications
5. Application form (including a reasoning of why you believe that you are a perfect candidate for a Branco Weiss Fellowship (max. 1000 characters).

For further information, it is strongly advised to visit this Scholarship Link.