Internet and Society Fellowship 2023: Call for Applications

The Alexander von Humboldt Institute for Internet and Society (HIIG) will be opening its doors again to new fellows in 2023! The fellowship is internationally and interdisciplinarily focused and offers a unique opportunity for innovative thinkers who wish to engage in the exchange of research experiences and set up new initiatives.

The fellowship

Our fellows are part of an international team of researchers and participate in the institute’s various active projects. Located in the heart of Berlin, the HIIG provides a dynamic and intellectual environment for fellows to pursue their own research interests and to actively shape their stay. We invite fellows to collaborate with an international and interdisciplinary team of researchers and offer a number of opportunities to share and discuss their ideas. These include, but are not limited to:

• writing and publishing papers in one of our open access publications
  
• commenting on current development in your field in form of Digital Society Blog posts
  
• holding presentations in one of our lunch talks 
  
• engaging in joint projects and workshops with other fellows and HIIG researchers
  
• participating in webinars and skill sharing sessions
  
• enjoying a (virtual) coffee, having inspiring conversation; and meeting our research directors and senior researchers during our regular fellow coffee talks
  

Key areas

For our 2023 class of fellows, we consider applicants who intend to pursue topics that address current pressing issues of our time and/or that fall within one of our research programmes, groups or projects. Please read the following information closely, and position yourself and/or your project within the suitable keywords.

• Knowledge & Society: Opportunities and risks of the platformisation of science; changes in academic knowledge creation and dissemination; assessment and governance of open science
  

• Data Governance: Conflict-solving normative, organisational and technical structures, processes and mechanisms; smart city governance
  
• Sustainability: Concepts for a sustainable digital society; sustainability & AI 
  
• Democracy & Digital Society: ProDemocratic tech; AI & democracy; resilience of societal institutions; digitalisation, international security and warfare
  
• Public Interest: Technology for the people; AI for good
  
• Digital Organising: Organisational development in a digital society; organising for grand challenges
  

Things to consider

Time Frame: Fellowships may range from a minimum of 3 months to a maximum of 6 months within the time span from March 1 to December 31, 2023. 

COVID-19: We cannot foresee the pandemic situation next year. Generally, there will be the options of completing the fellowship fully in person or partly virtually, depending on the state of the pandemic upon the start of the fellowship and your personal situation.

Financial Issues: The fellowship is unpaid. The HIIG covers the office desk fee and supports workshops as well as exchange formats of our fellows. 

Qualifications

• Master’s degree, PhD in process/planned (Junior Fellow) OR
  
• Advanced PhD, post-doctoral researcher (Senior Fellow)
  
• Fluency in English
  
• Research experience and a research project of your own that you plan to pursue
  

Application cocuments

• Up-to-date curriculum vitae
  
• Motivation letter explaining your interest in the HIIG Fellowship, research background, and your expectations (1 page)
  
• Research outline (max. 3 pages) including 

         A) your project, and how it responds to one of research programs,

         B) the specific work you propose to conduct during the fellowship,

         C) deliverables, products or outcomes you aim to produce

• Optional: one writing or work sample covering internet research (in English or German)
  

Application

Please read our FAQ and review the information carefully before applying. If you have any questions, please send an email to application@hiig.de. Please submit your application via this form by October 31, 2022, 11:59 p.m.