WENNER-GREN FOUNDATION DISSERTATION FIELDWORK GRANTS AND FELLOWSHIPS FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS

Application Deadline: 01 May, 2026

LOCATION: USA

This grant program funds doctoral or thesis research that advances anthropological knowledge. Their goal is to support vibrant and significant work that furthers our understanding of what it means to be human. There is no preference for any methodology, research location, topic, or subfield. The Foundation particularly welcomes proposals that integrate two or more subfields and pioneer new approaches and ideas.

ELIGIBILITY:

Applicants must be enrolled in a doctoral program (or equivalent, if outside the U.S.). Qualified students of any nationality or institutional affiliation may apply. Applicants must designate a dissertation advisor or other scholar from the same institution who will take responsibility for supervising the project.

To receive an award, applicants must fulfill all of their program’s doctoral degree requirements, other than the dissertation/thesis, before the start date listed on their application form. Successful applicants must provide proof from their department that they have completed all the necessary coursework and exams.

Unsuccessful applicants are welcome to reapply. But as part of their resubmission, they must explain how they have addressed the reviewers’ concerns, along with any changes to their plans.

Grantees must complete all requirements of their existing award, including submission of the final report, before applying for a new award. We don’t allow applicants to have more than one submission under consideration at the same time.

BENEFIT:

The maximum Dissertation Fieldwork Grant is $25,000. Grants are nonrenewable. There is no limit to the duration of the grant, and applicants may request funding to cover distinct research phases (for example, two summers) if this is part of the research design. Wenner-Gren awards do not include funds to cover institutional overhead or any fees related to the administration of our grants and fellowships.

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7 DOCTORAL POSITIONS AT THE CLUSTER OF EXCELLENCE “THE POLITICS OF INEQUALITY” BY THE  UNIVERSITÄT KONSTANZ

Application Deadline: 15 April 2026.

LOCATION: Germany

The Cluster of Excellence “The Politics of Inequality” at the University of Konstanz brings together researchers who study the political causes and consequences of inequality, focusing on how people perceive inequalities, how these perceptions influence collective mobilisation, and how political actors react.

ELIGIBILITY:

The Cluster offers doctoral positions to highly motivated graduates with an outstanding Master’s degree or equivalent, obtained in a field that is relevant to the Cluster’s research agenda. PhD candidates will pursue their doctoral research projects independently or as part of a project team in one of the Cluster’ interdisciplinary research projects.

The deadline for application is 15 April 2026. Candidates interested in applying for the advertised positions should indicate the PhD project they are applying for in both the statement of purpose and on the electronic application form. Accepted applicants will be enrolled in the Graduate School of the Social and Behavioural Sciences according to their main discipline and will specialise in “Inequality Research”.

All applications should be submitted through the online application portal of the University and include a motivation letter, a CV, a letter of reference, certificates, and/or a transcript of records.

Please apply exclusively via the University of Konstanz’s application portal.

Pre-selected applicants for the advertised positions may be asked to submit a 3-4 page research proposal and are invited to an interview in the first half of May.

Information about the different PhD positions can be found here:

Two Independent PhD positions

PhD position at the Working Group Comparative Political Economy / Prof. Dr. Marius R. Busemeyer

PhD position in the Cluster project: Inequalities in Climate Finance (ClimFin)

PhD position in the Cluster project: Students‘ Perceptions of Inequality and Fairness 

Two PhD positions in the Cluster project: Mobilizing Climate Inequalities: From Perceptions to Participation (MOCLI)

BENEFIT:

Successful applicants will benefit from:

Fully funded 4-year employment contract under Germany’s TV-L E13 pay scale (75%)

Access to a high-level international and interdisciplinary research environment

Enrollment in the Graduate School of the Social and Behavioural Sciences

Structured doctoral training, mentorship, and academic development

Opportunities for conference participation, publication, and research collaboration

State-of-the-art research infrastructure

In addition to academic excellence, the University of Konstanz offers an exceptional living and working environment

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