4 November 2021

In 2022, the IWM will launch a new fellowship program on “Digital Humanism”. This recently established research field defines an approach that describes, analyzes, and influences the complex interplay of technology and humankind and aims for a better society and life in the digitized era. The program is run by the Institute in cooperation with Hannes Werthner, one of the leading experts in the field and initiator of the Vienna Manifesto on Digital Humanism. Senior and Junior Visiting Fellows will be invited to the Institute to explore the urgent intellectual challenges at the complex interplay of humans and machines. During their stay at the Institute, they will work on crucial topics in the field, pursue interdisciplinary research, and organize lectures and discussions reaching out to the public audience in Vienna and beyond.

The first Visiting Fellow in the frame of the new program in May 2022 will be Edward A. Lee, the Robert S. Pepper Distinguished Professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) at the University of California at Berkeley. Lee is the author of “Plato and the Nerd – The Creative Partnership of Humans and Technology” (MIT Press, 2017), “The Coevolution: The Entwined Futures of Humans and Machines” (MIT Press, 2020), a number of textbooks and research monographs, and more than 300 papers and technical reports. Professor Lee’s research group studies cyber-physical systems, which integrate physical dynamics with software and networks.

The IWM now launches the call for applications of Junior Visiting Fellows who pursue research on these topics and their intersections with societal, economical, and geopolitical dimensions, as well as other research foci from the humanities and social sciences. Two fellows will be invited to spend a period of three consecutive months at the Institute. Their fellowships must overlap with the Senior Visiting Fellow’s month of residence.

Conditions

Junior Visiting Fellows will receive a stipend of EUR 2,700 per month to cover accommodation, living expenses, health insurance and any incidentals related to their stay in Vienna. In addition, the IWM provides her/him with office space including access to internet, in-house research and administrative facilities as well as an in-house lunch and other services free of charge. Travel expenses of up to EUR 1,000 can be reimbursed.

Eligibility

• must currently pursue their doctoral degree or have recently obtained a PhD
• must not be older than 35 years

Application

Applications have to be submitted via the Embark platform, including the following documents:

• a research proposal in English (max. 7,500 characters incl. spaces), containing a description of the project’s a) objectives, b) the state of the art, c) methods, and d) a work plan
• one paragraph of how the conducted research links to the Senior Fellow’s work
• a curriculum vitae
• a list of publications
• a letter of recommendation by a scholar familiar with the applicant’s academic work

Deadline for Application:

The Deadline for Applications is November 30, 2021. 

Selection

The finalists are selected by a jury of experts. Applicants are notified of the jury decision in due time. The jury is not required to publicly justify its decisions, nor to provide applicants individual feedback on their applications.

More information can be found on the Program page of this website.