Application Deadline: January 15, 2027, 5 p.m. CET.
LOCATION: Switzerland
The Branco Weiss Fellowship—Society in Science is a community of exceptional young scientists who share a passion for taking research beyond the mainstream. Fellows are given the means to pursue their personal vision of a particular scientific project independently—in the best possible locations, anywhere in the world.
ELIGIBILITY:
You are eligible for the 2027 intake if:
You officially hold a PhD on January 15, 2027. This means that you have at least successfully passed your PhD defense before January 15, 2027.
You have obtained your PhD a maximum of five years prior to January 15, 2027.
You do not hold/have not 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 dialog on relevant social, cultural, political, or economic issues beyond the frontiers of your particular discipline.
You can confirm that you are willing and able to travel to the Greater Zurich Area and attend the annual symposium in person.
You can ensure that you are the only candidate your chosen mentor is supporting during this round.
Please note that we typically do not fund mainstream research projects that could also be funded by other scientific organizations.
If you have applied before and were not selected, you are welcome to apply again.
Only the following reasons for delays after attaining your PhD are acceptable:
parental leave
inability to work due to illness or accident
Applicants must send an official confirmation of their leave(s) via email to brancoweissfellowship@ethz.ch before they submit an application. It is advisable to send such documents before starting your application and ideally 1-2 months before the annual deadline. The number of weeks that the research work was interrupted is accepted as an extension (max. 1 year in total).
Only periods of full-time leave are taken into account.
Duration
Research projects should be conceived to last five years.
BENEFIT:
A Branco Weiss Fellowship amounts to max. CHF 600,000 for up to five years. It may be used to cover all legitimate costs of research (i.e., salary and/or equipment, travel expenses, consumables, personnel, etc.).
