Philosopher in Residence Fellowship
Background
Innovative developments in modern scientific and technical disciplines are often accompanied by implications that require philosophical consideration and embedding. This is what the Philosopher in Residence Program aims to do, and thus to promote both discourse within the sciences and public debate about them. Furthermore, this Fellowship is to be located within the framework of the TUM Agenda 2030, which pursues a stronger integration of the humanities.
The new program is supported by the TÜV Süd Foundation.

Please note
There is currently no call for applications for this fellowship program.
Calls will be published once a year on the TUM-IAS website.
Target Group
The Philosopher in Residence Fellowship is aimed at internationally leading and emerging representatives of the field of philosophy wishing to carry out a joint project with a TUM professor (or several TUM professors, if cooperation in a group is suitable) from the fields of natural sciences, engineering, life sciences including medicine and health sciences, economics or social sciences. Applicants are completely free in their choice of topics.
Objective
The Fellowship is scheduled for twelve months – four of those will be spent at TUM. We promote philosophical engagement with the latest research and innovative approaches in the above areas.
Funding
The TUM-IAS Philosopher in Residence is endowed with €30,000 for research-related costs, travel expenses and housing. In addition, the TUM-IAS Philosopher in Residence receives an award of €70,000. The publication of the results and the organization of a workshop at TUM-IAS are expected.
Conditions
The program is designed for internationally renowned scholars with doctoral degrees and advanced experience in philosophy whose interests lie across disciplines, i. e. natural sciences, engineering, life sciences including medicine and health sciences, economics or social sciences.
How to apply
The applicant submits the following documents:
- cover page (available for download)
- CV (no more than 5 pages),
- list of publications (please highlight the 3–5 most important publications of the past 5 years),
- supporting letter (1–2 pages) by a TUM professor (Host),
- supporting letter by the dean of the TUM professor’s School,
- statement of purpose (no more than 5–10 pages) jointly signed by the candidate and the hosting professor, describing how the Fellowship would contribute to scientific innovation, and the specific issues to be investigated (including their social relevance, if applicable). The statement of purpose should also include the following elements:
- an abstract,
- a budget plan,
- a time plan regarding the candidate’s projected period(s) of stay at TUM,
- an outline for an international, interdisciplinary workshop/colloquium, to be organized at the TUM-IAS during the Fellowship period,
- list of 4–6 international peer-reviewers without any conflict of interest; if applicable, also a list of persons that should be excluded from reviewing the proposal