The Center for Eastern European Studies (CEES) is the University of Zurich’s hub for interdisciplinary and contemporary studies of a vast region comprising the former socialist states of Eastern Europe and the countries of the post-Soviet space. The CEES has set up the CEES Fellowship Program in order to build up knowledge, foster ties with scholars and institutions from Eastern Europe and around the globe, and stimulate interdisciplinary thinking. The aim of the program is to support scholars who wish to pursue their individual research projects and engage in scholarly exchange.
For the spring semester 2027, the CEES offers 5-6 residential fellowships to highly talented and innovative young or mid-career scholars from the field of social sciences or humanities with a research focus on historical or contemporary topics related to Russia, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, or Central Asia. The scholarship is for a period of up to four months starting in mid-February 2027.
While we welcome research proposals on all topics related to the study of Eastern Europe and post-Soviet Eurasia, for the spring semester 2027 fellowship program, we are particularly interested in applications from scholars with an interest in geopolitical trends, economic connectivity and/or transnational social and/or cultural issues related to the South Caucasus region.
The deadline of application is October 12, 2026.
About the CEES Fellowship Program
The CEES Fellowship Program is typically set up as a four-months (one semester) residential fellowship at the University of Zurich. During this period, the CEES Fellow is expected to pursue her or his independent research in residency and to participate actively in the scholarly activities of the CEES. The Fellow will have access to the relevant libraries and the interdisciplinary community of experts associated with the CEES. The Fellow will hold a workshop presentation on his or her research topic. The Fellow is also expected to publish her or his findings in one of the CEES publication outlets.
Funding includes a stipend for living expenses during the period of stay of up to four months, travel and administrative costs in Switzerland. In addition to library access, the fellow will have use of a workspace and other necessary facilities at the CEES. The CEES will help the Fellow with finding housing in the Zurich area. Please note that we can only consider applicants who are enrolled or employed at their home university.
Application
A complete application should be sent to CEES by October 12, 2026, consisting of the following materials:
- A letter of motivation
- A research proposal (3–5 pages)
- A curriculum vitae (including a list of publications)
- A short writing sample (article or book chapter length)
- A short proposal for a presentation to be held at CEES
- Two letters of recommendation and/or names of two referees
All materials listed above should be written in English and sent in the form of a single PDF document to:
cees@isos.uzh.ch
The CEES Fellowship Program is funded by the Department of History and supported by the University of Zurich.
For further information visit at: https://www.cees.uzh.ch/de/Fellowship-Program.html
