New postdoctoral researchers at ETH Zurich are supported through the institution’s postdoctoral fellowship program (ETH Fellows). Young researchers who have already shown scientific brilliance in their early careers are to be supported by the initiative.

The possible host, must be an ETH Zurich professor and be prepared to serve as the fellow’s mentor, and the candidate must submit an application jointly. Only one applicant from a professor may be submitted for each review session. The host (group) and the ETH Fellow must exhibit strong synergy. Since the fellowships are designed to provide early support for achieving academic independence, candidates who put forth their own projects will be given preference. It is crucial that candidates develop their own ideas, and write the application themselves, and that the mentor and applicant did not work closely together before the fellowship.

Details

• Opportunity type: Fully Funded
• Opportunity: Scholarship
• Scholarship level: Post Doctorate, Fellowship
• Location: Switzerland
• Deadline: 09.01.2024

Deadline & Submission

• Submission deadlines each year: 1 March and 1 September, 17:00 Swiss local time
• ETH Zurich grant application system: eResearch
• The call is usually open in the system about one month before the deadline.
• Outside office hours, no support can be provided for problems with electronic submission.
• Applications should be prepared well in advance (the application template can be found below) and potential host professors must be contacted early enough. 

An ETH Fellowship has a two-year limit and cannot be extended. There are a certain number of fellowships available each year, making the fellowship competitive. In the most recent rounds, the success rate was around 25%. All candidates, regardless of gender or background, are highly urged to apply. We keep an eye on success rates to prevent biases.

Eligibility

• A doctorate (PhD) or the completion of a degree within six months must be held by candidates at the time of the application deadline. Doctoral (PhD) applicants must have earned their degrees no more than two years before the application date. The examination date or the defense/viva voce date is the crucial date.
• A confirmation of the anticipated date of their defense, issued by the adviser or department chair, is required from candidates who have not yet finished their doctoral degree. Before the fellowship begins (and no later than six months after the deadline), the test, defense, or viva voce must be finished.
• Candidates with PhDs from the University of Zurich or ETH Zurich will not be taken into consideration.
• In the three years preceding the application deadline, applicants may not have lived or engaged in their primary activity (job, study, etc.) for more than twelve months in Switzerland.
• A candidate may not have spent more than six months of the three years prior to the application deadline doing their primary activity (job, study, etc.) at either ETH Zurich, EPF Lausanne, a research institute affiliated with the ETH domain (PSI, WSL, Empa, or Eawag), or the University of Zurich.
• Candidates must have at least one peer-reviewed scientific publication, or their PhD thesis must have won a medal.
• Applications that do not meet the eligibility requirements will be denied formally.

Benefits