Kohli Fellowships
for Sociology

The Kohli Fellowship for Sociology promotes researchers who have successfully finished their dissertation with excellent success. We provide financial support for a two-year postdoctoral stay at the WZB in Berlin or the EUI in Fiesole/Florence. This time should be used to engage in a new research project, to advance publications, and to develop research collaborations.

Kohli Fellow at the WZB

As Kohli Fellow at the WZB you will form part of a vibrant intellectual community and participate in the scholarly life of your host research unit. You will have a contact person amongst the staff of the WZB who will support you during the time of your Fellowship. Within the scope of your project, you have the opportunity to conduct field work, participate in internal training seminars and at national and international conferences, and organize your own workshop. Throughout your time as a postdoctoral researcher, we aim to respond to your individual needs and those of your project, and to support you in your career development.

The call for applications for the Kohli Fellowship 2024 at the WZB closed!

Kohli Fellow at the EUI

As Kohli Fellow at the EUI you will join the Max Weber Program for Postdoctoral Studies at the institute. You are appointed to one of the faculty at the EUI as your advisor, who will help you develop and expand your qualifications while you work on your own research project. Within the scope of your project, you have the opportunity to conduct field work, participate in internal and external training and national and international conferences, and organize your own workshop. Throughout your time as a postdoctoral researcher, you are part of the Max Weber Program which allows you to connect with fellow post-docs and participate in the events offered by the program.

Applications for a Kohli Fellowship at the EUI will be possible again in 2024.

Application

Scholars of all nationalities whose research relates to the respective institute’s research program are eligible to apply for the Kohli Fellowship for Sociology. We particularly welcome research projects with a focus on life course and generational issues – but other topics are equally considered. Applicants must have held their doctoral degree for no longer than three years before the starting date of the fellowship. Applicants must have submitted and defended their doctoral dissertation before the contract begins.

The Kohli Foundation for Sociology and the WZB are currently accepting applications for the Kohli Fellowship for Sociology. The application should include the following documents:

  • A letter of motivation
  • A Curriculum Vitae, including the names of two referees
  • A research proposal for the project to bei undertaken during the time of the fellowship (max. 3000 words)
  • Graduation certificates
  • An application form, including a brief statement of the preferred research unit for hosting the research stay at the WZB (see below)

Selection

Successful candidates are chosen in close consultation with the academic host institutions on the basis of scholarly excellence, a research proposal outlining a project to be pursued as Kohli Fellow, and an interview in person or by video. Kohli Fellows are expected to reside either in Berlin or Florence and actively participate in the intellectual life of their institute. The Kohli Foundation for Sociology particularly welcomes applications from women and scholars belonging to academically underrepresented groups. We select one fellow per year.

Important dates (WZB)

October 25, 2023

Deadline for the application for the Kohli Fellowship for Sociology (WZB) 

Winter 2023/2024

Interviews, Selection
and Notification
of Fellows

OCTOBER 1, 2024

Start
at WZB

Important dates (EUI)

Summer 2024

Deadline for the application for the Max-Weber Program

winter 2024

Interviews, Selection
and Notification
of Fellows

SEPTEMBER 2025

Start
at EUI

Kohli Fellowship 2023 at the EUI

The first Kohli Fellowship for Sociology was awarded to Camille Portier. She completed her PhD in 2023 at Cornell University and previously earned an MSc in Sociology from the University of Oxford. At the EUI, Camille Portier will shift her focus from studying how occupational characteristics shape people’s outcomes and life chances to work contexts and occupational outcomes that structure careers across the life course. 

© European University Institute, 2023