Arab Council for the Social Sciences announces Young Fellows Program

Deadline: 25-May-23

The Arab Council for the Social Sciences is pleased to announce the launch of the tenth edition of the Emerging Fellows Program.

This 12-month program helps budding researchers in the Arab region, who have not passed more than three years since they obtained their PhD, in pursuing their research and plans to publish it, participating in research networks in the Arab region, and planning a research career in the Arab region. In this type of fellowship, the Arab Council for the Social Sciences strongly encourages applicants to move. During the fellowship period, applicants are particularly encouraged to plan to reside in another country in the region, and to associate with an institution or mentor in a country different from their own or their current country of residence. In all cases, they should look for new institutional liaisons and mentors other than those with whom they have previously worked.

This initiative complements the Council’s efforts to support and encourage social sciences in the Arab region, especially in terms of investing in a new generation of researchers in the field of social sciences.

This program is funded by a grant to the Arab Council for the Social Sciences from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Thematic Focus

• The Emerging Fellows Program is open to any major in the social sciences, humanities, and allied and interdisciplinary fields. Core majors include anthropology, demography, economics, history, political science, psychology, sociology, philosophy, literary studies, and art history. Associated and interdisciplinary fields include architecture, geography, education, law, public health, gender studies, cultural studies, media studies, development studies, and urban studies.

Fellowship Conditions

• The fellowship provides full support for a period of 12 months (including living expenses as well as research expenses) ranging from $20,000 to $36,000. The total amount is related to price levels in the country in which the candidate proposes to reside during the fellowship period, as well as whether the candidate has other sources of income during the fellowship period. If the applicant qualifies for the short list, he/she will be required to submit a budget estimating  the cost of living,
• The cost of research, and specifying whether he has other sources of funding and/or income during the fellowship period.
• Applicants must specify whether or not they will receive sources of funding and/or other income during the fellowship period. Fellows cannot accept any funding from any other organization for the same research project or for matters covered by the ACSS during the fellowship period. If the second offer covers the same research project or matters covered by the board, the fellow will then have to choose between the two fellowships. If the second fellowship/fellowship covers different matters, the fellow may be permitted to hold both scholarships. ACSS will contact the other funding agency to ensure that the terms are clear to all parties.
• Fellows are not permitted to hold a job during the fellowship period . However, they are allowed to do short-term consultancies and are encouraged to teach part-time. Earnings from these activities should not exceed $3,000 (three thousand US dollars) during the entire fellowship period (maximum remuneration of $3,000 over twelve months). Furthermore, fellows may not teach more than one course during a 12-month fellowship period . Exceptions to these guidelines may be made on a case-by-case basis.
• The fellowship recipients in this session must submit a well-thought-out budget or financial plan before signing the fellowship contract.
• The fellowship covers travel expenses at a rate of $900 for each fellowship holder who wishes to work with an institution outside his home country or outside the country in which he resides.
• The fellow is expected to attend and present his/her work during three activities (such as workshops, research forum and/or conference) organized by the Arab Council for the Social Sciences during the fellowship period. The Council will cover the expenses of participating in these events separately.
• Each fellow will be asked to submit a summary of his/her project to be published on the website of the Arab Council for the Social Sciences.
• Each fellow will be required to submit a working paper in Arabic to be published as a paper in preparation within the  Arab Council for Social Sciences working paper series . The working paper must be submitted to the Board during the ninth month of the fellowship.

Eligibility Criteria

• The fellowship is offered on a competitive basis to emerging scholars who meet the criteria. The Council is particularly interested in attracting Arab scholars who obtained their doctorates abroad to return to the region.
• To meet the eligibility criteria, applicants must:
  • To be holders of the nationality of an Arab country:
    • Applicants must be holders of the nationality of an Arab country (by the Arab state we mean the affiliated state in the League of Arab States) or refugees and/or stateless persons from Arab countries currently residing in the Arab region. Arab researchers residing outside the region are eligible to participate in the program, but only if
      • they hold Arab nationality, are refugees and/or stateless, and
      • do not hold a tenure-track  professorship  and/or do not have access to research resources at the institution in which they work. and/or the countries in which they reside when the application is submitted. All researchers, including those residing outside the Arab region at the time of application, are required to spend the 12-month fellowship period in the Arab Region.
    • To be emerging researchers : This program targets researchers who have not passed more than three years since they obtained a doctorate degree in social sciences (the degree may be obtained from Arab countries or abroad). Candidates must have obtained a PhD at the time of application. Candidates who obtained a PhD before 2020 are not eligible for this programme.
    • Demonstrate high quality academic qualifications and potential: Candidates are required to submit a   project proposal (between 10 and 15 pages) that builds on their doctoral dissertation. Proposals that are not based on or related to a doctoral dissertation are not accepted . The proposal should indicate the candidates’ academic qualifications and identify an important research question. Candidates must also submit a publication plan that is realistically in line with the fellowship schedule. Fellows should also write a three-year career plan that outlines their aspirations and expectations in pursuing their professional future. This should include details of the type of profession (teaching or research), the types of institutions they plan to consider and the countries

Selection Process

• A multidisciplinary selection committee made up of distinguished Arab academics with well-established research and publishing records and regional research and teaching experience will review and select proposals for funding. The selection procedure adheres to the highest standards of academic and ethical judging.
• Final decisions are based on the following evaluation criteria:
  • Research proposal contribution to knowledge (research questions, relevance, quality and originality)
  • Feasibility of the proposed research plan (realistic time frame and research methods)
  • Competence of the candidate (academic qualifications, current and potential publications)
  • The candidate’s post-doctoral plan (selection of a mentor, institutional affiliation, and plans to conduct research during a pandemic)
  • Expected outputs (planned publications and career plan)
  • By submitting the online application, candidates confirm their agreement, without any objection, to the results of the assessment and selection as decided and announced by the Selection Committee and the Arab Council for the Social Sciences.
  • The results will be communicated to the candidates during the first week of July 2023. Successful candidates will receive initial letters confirming their selection and, if necessary, requests for clarification and elaboration from the selection committee. Unsuccessful candidates will not be informed of the specific reasons for refusal.

For more information, visit Arab Council for the Social Sciences.