THE EKSOC FELLOWSHIP PROGRAMMES

EkSoc Fellowship Programmes

In order to strive for excellence in research and education, as well as to build a network of international cooperation, the Faculty of Economics and Sociology at the University of Lodz invites Visiting Fellows – researchers who come to the Faculty for a short period to establish joint research projects and provide fresh insights to enrich the education of our students. Fellows are expected to engage in joint publications and grant applications with researchers from the Faculty. In return, the Faculty considers these Fellows its guests and compensates for their efforts.

The Faculty is looking for researchers who:

• specialise in a wide range of research interests in social sciences, especially in economics, urban and regional studies and planning, econometrics, statistics, demographics, business studies, finance, or sociology;
• demonstrate a strong publication record, including JCR papers; 
• have sufficient proficiency in English to carry out the research and teaching activities.

This programme is addressed to international postdoctoral scholars and professors who do not hold Polish citizenship nor a permanent residency in Poland. When applying, candidates must meet both of the following conditions:

1. have a valid, current international affiliation
2. have been awarded a postdoctoral degree (in systems where such a degree exists), or hold a position of at least associate professor at their current affiliation. 

Contractual responsibilities of a Senior Fellow:

•  to conduct 60 hours of classes – each candidate should propose two original courses that could be offered to students as elective classes;
•  to engage in research cooperation with at least one research team from our Faculty.

Remuneration and benefits:

• a lump-sum remuneration of 5000 EUR;
• a publication bonus for articles published in highly ranked journals*;
• an office or a workplace with Internet access and a computer (if needed);
• an allowance towards accommodation costs;
• free use of the Faculty’s facilities and resources;
• the possibility to attend courses and seminars held at the Faculty.

This programme is addressed to international researchers with a doctoral degree and who do not hold a position of associate professor at their current affiliation. 

Contractual responsibilities of a Junior Fellow:

• to conduct approximately 60 hours of classes – the workload is to be individually determined, but the preferred amount is about 60 hours; thus, it is recommended that each candidate propose two original courses that could be offered to students as elective classes;
• to engage in research cooperation with at least one research team from the Faculty.

Remuneration and benefits:

• remuneration of 700-1750 EUR, depending on the number of conducted classes;
• a publication bonus for articles published in highly ranked journals*;
• an office or a workplace with Internet access and a computer (if needed);
• an allowance towards accommodation costs;
• free use of the Faculty’s facilities and resources;
• the possibility to attend courses and seminars held at the Faculty.

This bonus refers to additional, effect-based remuneration. The Polish Ministry of Education and Science has established a list of recognised journals with specific points assigned. Every journal scores 20, 40, 70, 100, 140, or 200 points, and the final scoring roughly depends on the journal’s impact factor (with some exceptions).

If, within two years of concluding the stay at the Faculty of Economics and Sociology, a team of co-authors, which consists of the Fellow and at least one researcher from the Faculty, manages to publish (or at least receive official confirmation that the paper was accepted) an article ranked sufficiently high on the list mentioned above, the Fellow will receive a bonus upon a separate contract. 

The bonus must be in accordance with the general Faculty provisions of research bonuses; hence, there are some additional conditions:

• since the Ministry list of recognised journals may evolve, the basis for the publication bonus is the same version of the Ministry list as in the case of other bonuses in the current year;
• the calculation of the bonus is based on the Ministry list, but only journals listed in either Scopus or Web of Science can be considered;
• the minimum threshold score on the Ministry list for a journal to be qualified for the bonus is set at 100 points for Senior Fellows and 70 points for Junior Fellows;
• in case of n co-authors (with the Fellow included), the Fellow receives a square root of 1/n as their portion of points to be included in the bonus;
• the publication bonus rate is 10 EUR per point and the maximum total publication bonus for each Fellow is set at 10,000 EUR

To apply for any of the Fellowship Programmes, you should send the following information to fellowship@uni.lodz.pl:

• a research CV with a list of publications and research grants;
• an admission survey;
• an initial research plan, including the aims and research questions that you wish to realise during your stay at the Faculty of Economics and Sociology, as well as a general description of your scientific interest.

All applications will be considered, and a representative of the Faculty will contact applicants within 30 days.

Fellows are selected competitively on the basis of the applicants’ qualifications, research experience, the quality of the submitted research plan, as well as its relevance to the Faculty’s profile. Scholars selected upon their initial application might be asked for further details, such as:

• a copy of their Ph.D. diploma or the highest qualification;
• confirmation of the current affiliation and position;
• copies of three publications – URLs are sufficient if the publications are available in open access.

All scholars with a strong research record and rich teaching experience are invited to take advantage of the opportunity to come to the Faculty of Economics and Sociology of the University of Lodz and engage in educational and scholarly work.