Home

Fulbright – Israel Institute Post-doctoral Award

Program Overview

Fulbright Israel and the Israel Institute plan to award a fellowship to an American postdoctoral scholar who seeks to pursue research at Israeli institutions of higher education in the field of Israel Studies.             

Up to two years - $47,500 per academic year.

The grant, which will commence during the 2020/21 academic year, is open to researchers in all academic disciplines who study modern Israel. The grant will support programs of work in Israel for up to 20 months (two academic years 2020/2021 and 2021/2022). 

Host institution must provide grantees with Post-doctoral status, including access to campus resources. (proof of such letter is not required at the time of application). 

For the complete list of such institutions, click here. 

Each candidate should try to arrange his/her institutional affiliations in Israel independently, including development of the program of work for the proposed visit through contacts with possible host institutions. 

Please contact Noa Turgeman  at USIEF at NoaT@fulbright.org.il with any questions related to the financial contribution required by host institutions, or for assistance with identifying suitable host institutions or contacts. If you anticipate delays in obtaining the letter of invitation by the August 1 deadline, please contact Kaitlin Jewett, IIE at [email protected] and Noa Turgeman,U.S. Programs Officer, for additional guidance. 

USIEF is deeply grateful to the Planning and Budgeting Committee of the Council for Higher Education for the special budgetary allocation which has made it possible to expand this program.

Additional general information on the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program may be found on the website of the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES). Interested candidates can find country information on Israel on the Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs website or the Ministry of Tourism’s website.

Grant Benefits

  • USIEF and Israel Institute stipend of $47,500 per academic year (up to two years), payable in U.S. dollars.  In addition, each grantee may receive from his/her host institution a grant. 
  • Limited health benefits for the grantee only.
  • Orientation meetings (attendance compulsory) in Israel, as well as other grantee events in Israel during the course of the academic year.  

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility requirements apply at the time of application. For full details on all Fulbright U.S. Scholar program eligibility requirements, see the CIES website. In addition:

  • Candidates must be planning to begin a period of postdoctoral research at an accredited institution of higher education in Israel during the course of the 2020-21 academic year.  Individuals who have already begun postdoctoral research activities in Israel prior to the 2020-21 academic year are not eligible.
  • Candidates must have received their PhD degrees no earlier than August 2015
  • Candidates who hold tenure-track positions are ineligible.
  • Please note: only spouses and dependent children are eligible to receive visas, paralleling those awarded to Program Fellows.

 

Applicants must meet all of the following requirements at the time of application unless specific exemptions apply.

  • U.S. citizenship - permanent residence is not sufficient.
  • Recipients of a Fulbright Scholar grant are eligible to apply for another Fulbright Scholar grant two years after the date of completion of the previous grant. (For serial or Flex grants, the two-year period begins at the end of the final grant in the series.)
  • Candidates who have resided abroad for five or more consecutive years in the six-year period preceding the date of application are ineligible. In this case, a period of nine months or more during a calendar year is considered to constitute a full year abroad.
  • Recent college graduates with limited professional experience are ineligible for consideration under the Fulbright Scholar Program. Instead, such applicants can visit the Fulbright Student Program.
  • Graduate or doctoral students seeking funding to complete their degrees are ineligible for consideration under the Fulbright Scholar Program. Instead, such applicants can visit the Fulbright Student Program.
  • Sound physical and mental health: selected candidates are required to submit a Medical History and Examination Report before their grants can be finalized.
  • Grants shall not authorize engagement in pastoral, missionary, or other professional religious activities.
  • Grants shall not authorize engagement in activities for which a license to practice medicine or nursing is required.
  • Applicants are required to disclose any prior convictions of a felony or a misdemeanor, including Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), but excluding minor traffic violations.  FFSB regulations can be found here (Chapter 600/Section 626 Ineligibility Factors.)
  • Employees and their immediate families (i.e. spouses and dependent children) of the U.S. Department of State and of public or private organizations under contract to the U.S. Department of State are ineligible to apply for a Fulbright grant until one year after termination of such employment.

    Please note: Candidates who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States will be given preference, provided their qualifications are approximately equivalent to those of other candidates.

Evaluation Criteria

For full details on the Fulbright Post-Doctoral Scholar Program review process, see the CIES website. During its review of the recommended pool of applications, USIEF applies the following criteria:

  • Academic excellence is the primary criterion for the evaluation of candidates.
  • A career goal of returning to the United States to continue research and instruction in the field of Israel studies.
  • In addition to describing the research planned, a post-doctoral project proposal should also provide a concise description of the broader cultural goals of a post-doctoral experience in Israel: what would the candidate like to learn about Israel; in what activities in addition to research does he/she expect to become involved; how does the candidate expect to share his/her Israeli experiences upon return to the US.
  • Leadership qualities are an important evaluation criterion.
  • Hebrew/Arabic language proficiency is not an evaluation criterion, unless such proficiency is required in order to carry out the proposed plan of work.

The Foundation and the Israel Institute reserves the exclusive right to determine, within the framework of applicable law and regulations, the qualitative standards for the evaluation of applications forwarded to it by the responsible agency in the United States. The Foundation and the Israel Institute are not under any obligation to provide the reasons for its decisions regarding the allocation of Fellowships.

Application Procedures

The application deadline for Fellowships beginning in 2020/21 is Thursday, August 1, 2019.

The Fulbright Post-Doctoral Scholar Program is administered for the Department of State by the Council for International Exchange of Scholars (CIES).  Details on the program and on submission of applications may be found on the CIES website.

Those interested may also contact the CIES staff member responsible for the Middle East region for further information: Kaitlin Jewett, Institute of International Education; email: [email protected]