Position: Postdoctoral fellowship

 

Location: Institute for Social Research (IfS) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany

 

Start date: September 2025, duration of three months

 

Application deadline: April 20, 2025, 5:00 PM, CET

 

To honor the legacy of Max Horkheimer, philosopher, sociologist and long-term director of the Institute for Social Research, as one of the key founders of Critical Theory, the IfS is announcing the 2025 Horkheimer Fellowship. The Fellowship’s aim is to support critical scholars across the social sciences and the humanities to pursue a clearly defined research project. This year’s focus is on contemporary constellations of social and ecological crises ranging from legacies of toxic pollution to the climate crisis, extinction cascades and beyond. We welcome scholars with an empirical and/or theoretical background to critically engage with current socio-ecological transformations, including the ideological, economic, socio-psychological, affective, and political implications and mediations.

 

The Fellowship is primarily addressed to international postdoctoral scholars who will be invited to spend a three-month research visit at the Institute for Social Research. Successful applicants can expect a lively and collegial working environment at the IfS, integration into the Institute’s ongoing work as well as institutional support in organizing the research stay (including possible presentations, colloquia, or workshops). An internationally visible publication following the funding period should provide information on the project pursued during the research visit.

 

Remuneration

 

Successful applicants will receive a grant of €4,000 per month for their three-month stay at the IfS.

 

Location

 

The Institute for Social Research is a renown academic institution located in Frankfurt am Main. The IfS’s organizational and technical infrastructure, including a fully equipped workplace as well as project-related support staff, will be made available to the Fellow for the duration of the Fellowship. The Fellow is expected to be physically present at the Institute for the three months of the Fellowship.

 

Application and selection procedure

 

The Fellowship for the period of three months, beginning preferably in September 2025, will be awarded on the basis of a written application to the advertised Fellowship program. A committee composed of IfS members will select the successful applicant on the basis of the academic quality of their application and the applicant’s profile, in accordance with the objective of promoting diversity in academia and research.

 

Applications can only be submitted in English using the application form provided on the IfS website. The selection procedure will be completed in May 2025. Applications and questions regarding the Fellowship should be addressed to: horkheimer-fellowship@ifs-frankfurt.de