With the motto “Risking Creativity,” the Institute for Advanced Study of the Technical University of Munich (TUM-IAS) serves as a flagship institute for top-level international research at TUM.
TUM-IAS awards Fellowships to distinguished scientists and gives them the necessary time and financial support to explore new venues, to develop novel research areas and to establish intensive international collaborations. TUM-IAS invites applications for the
Philosopher in Residence Fellowship
Background
Innovative developments in modern scientific and technical disciplines are often accompanied by implications that require deeper philosophical consideration and embedding. This is what the Philosopher in Residence Program aims to do: promotion of discourse between philosophy and other sciences and public debate about the conclusions of this interdisciplinary exchange. Furthermore, this Fellowship is to be located within the framework of the TUM Agenda 2030, which pursues a stronger integration of the humanities (e.g. Human Centered Engineering).
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 covered by TUM. Applicants are completely free in their choice of topics. It is not possible to apply for the Fellowship on one’s own, but the proposal is to be submitted jointly by the applicant and a TUM professor who acts as a host and close collaboration partner at TUM.
Duration/Stays at TUM
The Fellowship is scheduled for twelve months, at least four of which will be spent at TUM.
Funding and Fellowship Award
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 in the field of philosophy (degree and/or doctorate and/or a chair/current academic position in philosophy) from outside TUM with doctoral degrees and advanced academic experience (at least five years after the doctorate) whose interests lie at the interface of philosophy and one of the disciplines at TUM.
Further information regarding Risk Assessment and How to Apply can be found here: https://collab.dvb.bayern/x/DDKIB.
Submission: Applications are to be submitted online by Wednesday, February 11, 2026 (12 p.m./noon CET).
TUM-IAS explicitly encourages nominations of and applications from women as well as from all others who would bring additional diversity dimensions to the university’s research and teaching strategies.
More information on TUM-IAS and the Philosopher in Residence Fellowship is available on the TUM-IAS homepage: www.ias.tum.de
Questions can be directed to Dr. Annette Grötler, annette.groetler@tum.de.