Leo Baeck Fellowship

Aim of the Programme

The international Leo Baeck Fellowship Programme awards fellowships to doctoral students who carry out research into the German-Jewish Studies on history and culture. We welcome projects on any period or field (including literature, philosophy, history, musicology), and any region (such as Europe, Israel, the Americas). In addition to financial support for one year, the programme provides opportunities to exchange ideas with peers from around the world. It is open to doctoral candidates of any nationality, studying at any university. All fellows remain at their home institution, but come together for two workshops in the course of the fellowship, which are jointly organised by the Studienstiftung des deutschen Volkes, the Leo Baeck Institute London and the Leibniz-Institute for Jewish History and Culture – Simon Dubnow Leipzig.
The programme bears the name of Rabbi Dr Leo Baeck (1873-1956), who was one of the most important personalities of German Jewry in the 20th century. The Studienstiftung runs the programme with financial support from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and in cooperation with the Leo Baeck Institute London and the Leibniz-Institute for Jewish History and Culture – Simon Dubnow.

Programme schedule

Up to ten fellows will be selected for the programme in the academic year 2024/25. The fellowships run from October 2024 to September 2025. Regular workshops (PDF, 0.2 MB) and an intranet platform provide support for scholarship holders and enable them to present their research and discuss methodologies and findings with other fellows. Working languages are German and English. After the first year, students enrolled at a university in Germany, may apply for an extension of their scholarship within the framework of the Studienstiftung’s doctoral programme, subject to available funds. 

Funding

Fellows receive a grant of 1,550 € a month. In addition a monthly research allowance of 100 € is available. Fellows can also apply for supplements for health insurance (max. 100 €/month) and childcare, as well as travel allowances to support research trips and participation at conferences abroad. Contributions to tuition fees outside Germany may also be granted (max. 10,000 €). All funding is provided in accordance with the general regulations issued by the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF).

Requirements

  • University degree(s) with outstanding marks
  • Date of latest degree not before March 2020
  • Formal qualification for doctoral studies / acceptance on a doctoral programme at a accredited university
  • Research project focussing on German-Jewish Studies on history and culture

Application

Candidates are invited to submit the following documents in English or German:

  • Application form (DOC, 2.1 MB)
  • Cover letter outlining the motivation for participation in the programme (1 page)
  • Curriculum vitae with details on education, general interests and language skills
  • Photocopy of university degree(s), including marks and if possible ranking
  • Research proposal (5 pages)
  • Research schedule for the academic year 2024/25, including planned research trips
  • Letter of recommendation by the supervisor of the PhD project
  • Second letter of recommendation

We accept applications by e-mail (as a single pdf document please, the letters of recommendation may be submitted separately). Only complete application sets will be considered. Shortlisted candidates will be invited to two video-based interviews in April/May 2024.  

Application Deadline

The deadline for application is the March 1st, 2024.

Contact

Program Coordinator

Dr Peter Antes
Telephone: +49 228 82096 286
E-Mail: leobaeck(at)studienstiftung(dot)de

Secretary

Ms. Martina Lang
Telephone: +49 228 82096 285
E-Mail: lang(at)studienstiftung(dot)de

Further information and application forms