Paris IAS

The Paris IAS is an independent research entity created in 2011 that regroups 11 major universities and research institutions in the Ile-de-France Region (Université Paris 3 Sorbonne Nouvelle; Université Paris Cité; Université Paris-Nanterre; Sorbonne Université; Université Paris-Saclay; Université Gustave Eiffel; École pratique des hautes études; École des hautes études en sciences sociales; École normale supérieure; Inalco-Institut National des Langues et Civilisations Orientales; Fondation Maison des Sciences de l’Homme). It benefits from the strong support of two founding members, the City of Paris and the Ile-de- France Region, which have provided the IAS with first-class facilities for work and for residents’ accommodation, as well as of the French Ministry for Education, Research and Innovation through the Labex RFIEA+, for invitations and research projects.

Fellows are high-level international researchers. FIAS fellowships at the Paris IAS are meant to provide them with outstanding research conditions and unfragmented time to develop an innovative, trans-disciplinary, and field-changing research project of their choice in the social and human sciences, neurosciences, and humanities. With Paris being the largest grouping of scientists in Europe, fellows will be in the midst of this scientific hive, with easy access and opportunities to interact closely with local colleagues and other fellows.

In the FIAS program, the Paris IAS offers 10-month fellowships, from September 1st to June 30th.

The Paris IAS is located in the Hôtel de Lauzun, a 17th century mansion in the very heart of Paris, on the Île Saint-Louis.

The fellows benefit from workspaces and access to IT infrastructure, in-house research facilities and other relevant resources (including special access to a network of university libraries in Paris and a document delivery service at the institute), and logistical and financial support for the organization of scientific events or for other initiatives related to their work (intersectoral collaborations, doctoral training, publications). The Paris IAS also provides fully equipped apartments to its fellows in a building located in the park of the  Cité universitaire internationale de Paris with easy access to the Institute.

The fellows’ projects at the Paris IAS can be in any disciplines and themes in the social sciences and humanities (SSH). Nevertheless, we are looking for projects that do more than just add another brick to the wall of conventional knowledge. The Paris IAS funds groundbreaking, far reaching interdisciplinary research that helps inform the big scientific and social questions of our times.

Accordingly, the different selection instances of the fellowship place a strong emphasis on the following 4 criteria:

• Scientific excellence and innovation of the research project and the candidate.
• A strong interdisciplinary focus of the proposed project, with clear capacity to have an impact beyond their discipline, their field, and beyond academia. Projects that do not respond explicitly and convincingly to such criterion need not apply.
• Research questions that clearly and convincingly seek to address societal challenges or that offer innovative insights into the functioning of humans and societies.
• Solid plans for collaboration with host institutions, other fellows, and the Greater Paris research community. For this reason, a collaboration letter from a local research institution is requested of all applicants (collaborations with the member institutions of the Paris IAS listed above have a priority).

The Paris IAS values collective intelligence and interdisciplinarity. Fellows are expected to contribute generously to discussions and to the communal life of the Institute, during the compulsory weekly internal seminar, lunches together, and beyond. They will also be requested to give at least one public lecture.

In addition to these criteria, fellows can choose to participate in our two thematic programs. This is not mandatory, but it can provide selected fellows with additional opportunities for collaboration and outreach:

• For projects at the interface between SSH and the cognitive and neuro-sciences, the “Brain, culture and society” program will pay attention to research in society-body-mind-brain interactions having a potential impact on major societal challenges, such as physical and mental health and bioengineering, education and learning, group conflicts and violence, and adaptation to changing natural, industrial and urban environments.
• For projects focusing or with repercussions on urban challenges, the “City of Paris” program will promote connections and activities with the local administration, notably on topics around urban environmental transition and in the inequalities of education systems.

For more information see https://www.paris-iea.fr.