"Brain, culture and society" research fellowships at the Paris Institute for Advanced Study in 2021-22

The Paris Institute for Advanced Study welcomes applications from high level international scholars and scientists in the fields of the humanities, social sciences, cognitive sciences, and neurosciences for a research stay of five or ten months during the academic year 2021-2022 within the framework of its “Brain, Culture and Society program”.

The Paris IAS gives its research fellows the unique opportunity to work freely on the project of their choice at the interface of neuroscience, the cognitive sciences and the humanities and social sciences. They benefit from the scientific environment of the Institute and receive support for creating contacts with researchers in the academic institutions of Greater Paris.

Applicants may request a fellowship for one of the following periods:

• September 1^st, 2021 to January 31^st, 2022 (5 months)
• September 1^st, 2021 to June 30^th, 2022 (10 months)
• February 1^st to June 30^th, 2022 (5 months)

THE “BRAIN, CULURE AND SOCIETY” PROGRAM

The primary mission of the Paris IAS is to be a research centre anchored in the social sciences and humanities (SSH), with the aim of fostering a fruitful dialogue between researchers from different cultural and disciplinary backgrounds.

Within the framework of its “Brain, Culture and Society” program, the Paris IAS invites applications centred on the dialogue between the SSH, cognitive sciences and neurosciences.

The exponential development of scientific data on genetics and the brain gives us more and more insight on the functioning of the human being in its environment. It is becoming increasingly difficult and irrelevant to reflect on topics such as the Human, the mind and consciousness in the humanities and social sciences without taking into account the neuro-anatomic and neuro-functional data produced by life sciences and neuroscience in particular. Reciprocally, neurosciences cannot claim to understand the Human if they do not incorporate the knowledge built up by the SSH.

The Paris IAS has therefore chosen to open a privileged dialogue between the SSH, psychology and neurosciences, and in particular cognitive neurosciences, which study the neurobiological mechanisms and psychological phenomena underlying cognition (i.e. perception, memory, imagination, consciousness, reasoning, emotions, decision-making, identity, creativity, etc.). The IAS is particularly interested in dealing with societal challenges, such as child development, ageing and health; education and learning; social interactions; addictions; consequences of artificial intelligence, digital technologies and social networks; tolerance, aggressiveness and fanaticism; etc. The aim of this dialogue is to enable the SSH, as well as the brain sciences, to renew their approaches to classical objects and to invest new fields of research with bold and innovative interdisciplinary approaches.

LIFE AT THE PARIS IAS

The stay at the Paris IAS is intended to foster transdisciplinary collaboration among residents and with the local scientific community. To help residents move beyond their academic “comfort zone” and extend the boundaries of knowledge, the Institute provides them with an exceptional working environment and unfragmented time for their research. They organize their work freely, their only obligations being to participate in the weekly internal seminar and to be present at the Institute at least three days a week on average.

The IAS’s cook prepares a daily meal that allows residents to have lunch on site and invite their colleagues. A club area provided for them also encourages meetings and conversations. The working languages at the Institute are French and English.

The IAS communication team organizes actions with residents to promote and disseminate their work. It can be presented during workshops and conferences in the prestigious salons of the hôtel de Lauzun.

At the end of their stay, residents write a report on their activity.

After their stay, they become members of the alumni network of the IAS in Paris.

CONDITIONS OF ELIGIBILITY

Researchers from all countries are eligible.

This call for applications is open to:

• Senior university professors or researchers holding a position in a university or research institution or emeritus and having a minimum of 10 years of full time research experience after their PhD (at the time of the application). To be considered a senior, the applicant must have received her/his PhD before April 1st 2010.
• Junior scholars having a minimum of 2 and maximum of 9 years of research experience after the PhD. To be eligible and considered a junior, the applicant must have received her/his PhD between April 1st 2010 and April 1st 2018.

Applicants who have spent more than a total of 12 months in France during the 3 years prior to the application (that is, between April 1^st, 2017 and April 1^st, 2020) are not eligible.

CRITERIA OF SELECTION

The main criteria of selection are:

• the scientific quality of the project, its innovative and interdisciplinary character, its interest for the academic community and beyond;
• the career path of the applicant;
• the quality of the scientific contacts of the applicant in France, and the applicant’s capacity to collaborate with French scholars and research teams (organization of scientific events, participation in seminars, preparation of a joint research project for an application for international funding, etc.).

In its selection process, the IAS strives to ensure balanced and diverse promotions in terms of gender, origin and disciplines.

THE APPLICATION

The application, in English, must be submitted via an online application system (www.paris-iea.fr/en). Mail or e-mail applications are not accepted. See the application guide.

The application consists of an online form, including a summary of the research project for specialists and one for the general public (1500 characters maximum for each, spaces included), with the following attached documents:

• a curriculum vitae (10 pages maximum) including a list of publications and a list of the 5 publications considered as the most important by the applicant;
• a detailed research proposal (25 000 characters maximum, spaces included, bibliography not included). The proposal should include :
  • theme and research question
  • state of the art in the field, innovative character of the proposal and in particular the integration between SSH, cognitive sciences and neurosciences
  • methodology or theoretical framework, data/sources
  • expected outcomes for the discipline, other disciplines, and beyond the academy
  • work planning, timescales
  • existing or planned scientific cooperation and contacts in France
  • bibliography (books and articles cited);
• a letter of cooperation signed by a member of a university or research institution based in France. Preference will be given to projects conducted in cooperation with the partners of the IAS (see list below). The planned collaborations may include the organization of conferences and series of lectures or the preparation of a research project to be submitted to an international funding agency (like the ERC or the EU Horizon Europe program);
• in the case of Junior Fellows, two letters of recommendation from researchers of any nationality.

CALENDAR

Application deadline: Wednesday, June 10, 2020, 3:00 pm (Paris, France time)

Preselection: June 2020

Final selection: November 2020

CONDITIONS OF STAY

The Paris IAS provides its fellows with housing and a monthly remuneration. It also pays for their round-trip ticket to Paris.

Status and remuneration

Based on their status and situation, the fellows benefit from a remuneration or complement of remuneration. Its amount depends mainly on whether the fellows keeps part of her or his salary during the fellowship.

Housing

The Paris IAS provides apartments in the Pavillon Victor Lyon at the Cité internationale universitaire de Paris. This building, entirely refurbished, and located in a quiet park, offers 2-room to 5-room apartments, a conference room and other services.

Travel

Travel costs from the fellow’s home to Paris and back are covered by the IAS (economy class).

Insurances

The IAS’ fellows will need to get a personal insurance covering all risks during their stay, for themselves as well as the persons accompanying them.

Support for research

During their stay, the fellows will have a modern office in the premises of the Paris IAS, in the 17^th Century Hôtel de Lauzun, with a computer, Internet access, and a printer. The IAS provides meeting and conference rooms. As the IAS does not have labs, possible experiments must be made at a partner institution.

The fellows may receive financial support for the valorisation of their work and scientific activities, including the organization of events (colloquia, seminars, lectures, etc.), intersectoral exchanges and doctoral training. Help for the translation and publication of their research texts can also be proposed.

The Paris IAS and its partner institutions have signed agreements enabling the fellows to enjoy special access and borrowing privileges in the main Paris research libraries. In addition, the fellows can have most books and documents delivered directly from the libraries to the institute.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Paris IAS: http://www.paris-iea.fr/en

Contact: candidature@paris-iea.fr

PARTNER INSTITUTIONS

• Sorbonne Université
• Université Sorbonne Nouvelle-Paris 3
• Université de Paris
• Université Paris Nanterre
• Université Paris-Saclay (a cluster of 19 universities and research institutions)
• EHESS (École de Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales)
• EPHE (École Pratique des Hautes Études)
• ENS (École Normale Supérieure de Paris)
• FMSH (Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme)