Postdoctoral Fellowships

Are you a postdoctoral researcher thinking about your next career step?

Are you aiming to advance your intersectoral, interdisciplinary or international experience?

Are you looking for a young and dynamic university to host your research?

In that case you can apply for a Junior or Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship with the University of Antwerp as host institution!

The FWO Postdoctoral Fellowships fund promising junior and senior postdoctoral researchers with a view to develop their academic and transferable skills and enhance their career prospects.

The University of Antwerp allows you to work in a first class research environment located within the vibrant city of Antwerp while further increasing your academic and transferable skills.

The FWO junior and senior postdoctoral fellowships are intended to support researchers who have only recently or a few years ago completed their PhD, in developing an independent, international research career..

• You can apply for a 3 year Junior Postdoctoral Fellowship if your PhD was obtained not longer than 3 years before the 1^st of October of the year in which the fellowship would start, or will be obtained at the 1^st of June of that year at the latest. Consult the FWO-website.

• You can apply for a 3 year Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship if your PhD degree, with as reference point the date mentioned on the PhD degree, was awarded minimum three years and maximum six years before the 1^st of October of the year in which the fellowship commences. You can always apply for a senior postdoctoral fellowship if you have previously enjoyed a junior postdoctoral fellowship. In that case, the senior postdoctoral fellowship must immediately follow the junior postdoctoral fellowship. You must have a postdoctoral research experience of minimum 2 years on the 1^st of October of the year in which the fellowship commences. Consult the FWO-website.
  
  
• See the programme regulations for more details on eligibility conditions​
  

• The call opens in September, with a deadline the 1st of December.
• You contact a supervisor affiliated to the University of Antwerp
• You complete your application online, which is submitted to an FWO Expert panel.
  The deadline for submission is 1 December (17h00 CET), via the FWO e-portal
• If you are selected for the second round, you'll be interviewed by the panel between End of April and End of May. The dates on which the preselection results will be communicated as well as the very dates of the interview (per panel) can be found later on the FWO website. 
• Announcement of results: End of May, Beginning of June
• Start of fellowship: 1 October or 1 November 

• Support during the application phase
  • The proposal can be elaborated in a joined approach by you as fellow and a dedicated coaching team at the University of Antwerp composed of your supervisor, a research manager and an administrative support from the Grants Office
  • The Grants Office provides
    • Information on the FWO postdoctoral fellowships
    • advise on how to write your proposal and a dedicated training session “Grant Proposal Writing for Postdocs”
    • advise on institutional aspects and horizontal issues (open science, gender, ethics and research data management…)
    •  proofreading
    • mock defece in preparation of the interview
      
      
• An excellent research environment that supports international scholars

The University of Antwerp is a young and dynamic university with high standards in education, internationally competitive research and entrepreneurial approach. For several years the University ranks top-15 in the “Top 50 Universities Under 50 years”. The University has an excellent and long-standing track record as to participating in the FWO funding programmes. With no fewer than 88 nationalities represented among its staff members (and around 130 nationalities among its students) the University of Antwerp has an excellent international reputation and offers a well-suited setting for international scholars. The University holds the “HR Excellence in Research” logo and strives to offer staff the best opportunities for personal development.

• Working and living in Antwerp, a dynamic and prosperous city

Antwerp is a dynamic and prosperous city in the Flemish region in Belgium,  with a rich historical past and a vibrant cultural life. It also has a thriving fashion, design, food and nightlife scene. The city is well connected by train to major European cities like Brussels (30 minutes), Amsterdam (75 minutes), London (3 hours) and Paris (2 hours). Find out more about Antwerp on the University’s webpage Antwerp Life.

• Verify your eligibility for the Postdoctoral Fellowship call;
• Make sure you have an excellent project idea for an FWO Postdoctoral Fellowship which matches the expertise of a supervisor/host group at UAntwerp;
• Read the call documents carefully and make sure you fully understand what (applying for) an FWO Postdoctoral Fellowship is all about;
• Contact a supervisor/host group affiliated to the University of Antwerp;
• Get in touch with the Grants Office of UAntwerp by contacting Greet Hellenbosch, our coordinator FWO fundamental research;
• Write the proposal in close collaboration with your supervisor/ host group at UAntwerp;
• You can send your draft proposal (80% ready) to the Grants Office for feedback (November);
• Submit your proposal through the FWO e-portal in a timely way and at the very latest by the final submission deadline.
• If you are selected for the second round, you'll be interviewed by the FWO panel between End of April and End of May.  In April the Grants Office of the University of Antwerp organizes mock defenses in preparation of the interview.