Fellowships for Doctoral Students

The IEG announces calls for applications for doctoral students twice a year, usually in December and June. The application deadlines are 15 February for a stay beginning in September and 15 August for a stay beginning in March of the following year.

The Fellowship

The Leibniz Institute of European History (IEG) in Mainz awards 6 to 12-month fellowships for doctoral students in European history, the history of religion, and other historical disciplines.

The IEG funds PhD projects in European history from early modern to contemporary history. We are particularly interested in projects

with a comparative or cross-border approach,
on Europe in its relation to the wider world,
on topics of intellectual and religious history,
with digital tools and methods, or
on environmental history.

The fellowship provides funding primarily for the writing-up of PhD dissertations; preparatory research, language courses, and the revision of book manuscripts are not eligible for funding.

We particularly welcome applications from qualified women.

What we offer

Funding and accommodation for a minimum of 6 to 12 months
A monthly stipend of €1.650
A family allowance (€250 for partner, €400 first child, €100 every other child). Please contact the fellowship office for any questions regarding your family situation and how to apply for the allowance
An affordable room in our residency with shared kitchen and bathroom. Option for a partner room
Workspace in our open-plan offices or library
Mentoring by the Institute’s academic staff

Requirements

Please also read our FAQ.

History, religious history, historical theology, or another historically oriented discipline; minimum degree: MA, state examination, diploma, ecclesiastical examination

The working languages at the IEG are German and English. Good English language skills are therefore required to participate productively in all academic activities.

The fellowship comes with a residence requirement in Mainz for the entire duration of the award period. Depending on availability, fellows with partners can expect to be accommodated in one of the double rooms in the residency. Special arrangements, subject to negotiation, are possible for fellows with children. For family-friendly arrangements, please contact the fellowship office.

Fellows are expected to be active members of the IEG research community and to participate in the weekly colloquia and scholarly activities. Fellows will present their work in progress at least once during their stay. PhD fellows are welcome to participate at all other academic events, such as workshops or conferences.

By accepting the fellowship, fellows commit to providing the Institute’s library with a copy of academic publications that have benefitted from the IEG research fellowship.

By the application deadline, candidates should have worked on their dissertation for a maximum of three years; justified exceptions are possible.
Fellowship calls are announced twice a year, either for a fellowship starting in March or in September. These dates indicate the earliest possible start of a fellowship. Fellowships may begin up to six months after the announced date; later starts require an application to the subsequent call.

At the time of application, the dissertation should be conceptually mature and the source research should be sufficiently advanced to ensure that a 6 to 12-month research stay at the IEG in Mainz is conducive to completing the dissertation.

As a non-university research institution, the Institute does not conduct examinations or award academic degrees. Dissertations are completed under the responsibility of the respective supervisor at the home university.

IEG fellowships are financed by federal and state funds. The research fellowships are intended solely for the purpose of working on the proposed research project at the IEG. Therefore, gainful employment or other financial support is not permitted during the funding period.

Application

Applications must be submitted online via our application portal. To apply, please fill out the online application form linked in the call for applications.

Required information: 1. CV and, if applicable, list of publications 2. Table of contents of the dissertation project 3. Project description of the dissertation project (max. 15,000 characters, excluding footnotes and spaces) 4. Detailed work and time schedule for the research stay at the IEG 5. Copies of university certificates 6. Language certificates, if applicable

Applications can be submitted in either English or German. We recommend choosing the language you are most proficient in.

Reference letters

Applications should be supported by two reference letters in German or English, the first by the main academic supervisor of the dissertation, the second by an external referee (other university or related discipline).

It is the candidate’s responsibility to obtain the reference letters which should be written by academics who are authorized to supervise doctoral theses at a university.

Please inform the referees of your application well in advance.

The referees should send their reference letter in PDF format directly by email to application@ieg-mainz.de by the application deadline.

The reference letter should contain information about the research question, methodology, structure, and results of the research project and provide an assessment with regard to the current state of research on the topic. They should address the applicant’s academic qualifications as well as the exposé and the work and time schedule for the fellowship stay in Mainz.

Date of notification

The selection process may take up to three months due to the thorough review of applications. We kindly ask for your patience. Selection meetings for the award of fellowships for doctoral students take place in May and October and candidates will be informed about the outcome by email after the selection meeting. Please refrain from making inquiries in the meantime.

In the event of rejection, you are welcome to reapply if your project has developed significantly and differs substantially from your initial application.