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CSMC
CSMCCentre for the Study of Manuscript Cultures

Photo: BLUENIKA I Veronika Krebs

Doctoral Scholarships

Call for applications: PhD scholarships for international candidates

Please note that this call will be updated in due course. 

The Graduate School of the Cluster of Excellence ‘Understanding Written Artefacts’ at CSMC invites applications for doctoral scholarships within the Graduate School Scholarship Programme (GSSP) of the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), for a 3-year period of doctoral studies starting from 1 April 2025 onwards.

Awardees will receive a full scholarship (1300 EUR/month) plus health insurance and additional allowances (for details, see the GSSP Guideline for Applicants below).

Who can apply?

  • highly qualified, very motivated English-speaking international candidates (non-German citizens), in particular from the Global South
  • candidates holding a Master’s or equivalent degree in any discipline concerned with the study of manuscript cultures or written artefacts, regardless of region (for an exemplary list of disciplines, please click here).

Who cannot apply?

  • Researchers who have already obtained a PhD degree or have completed substantial parts of their doctoral studies at another institution
  • Persons who have taken their Master’s degree more than 6 years ago
  • Persons who have been living in Germany for 15 months or longer at the time of nomination (November 2024)

Language requirements

The working language at the CSMC is English and the doctoral dissertation (Dr. phil., Dr. rer. nat.) is written in either English or German. Therefore, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in English on at least level B1 (certified).

Knowledge of the German language is not required.

Selection and nomination

The application follows two steps: In a first step, a committee of PIs reviews all applications and makes a selection of promising candidates. The main criteria are the quality and innovative potential of the candidate’s research proposal, and its contribution to and compatibility with the Cluster’s existing research objectives.

In a second step, the selected candidates are nominated by the CSMC and submit their final application through a portal to the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD), who makes the final decision. More information on the process can be found in the GSSP Guideline for Applicants.

What we offer

Doctoral researchers will be integrated into a vibrant interdisciplinary research environment of more than 40 academic disciplines at two faculties (humanities, natural sciences) studying manuscripts and inscriptions. At Universität Hamburg, the option of co-tutelle (bi-nationally supervised doctoral degrees) exists.

Doctoral researchers present and discuss their research in colloquia, are closely guided by a supervising professor from their field and are encouraged to attend summer schools, workshops and talks offered at CSMC. They have access to facilities such as the artefact profiling lab and the library. Furthermore, doctoral researchers benefit from a workshop programme aimed at strengthening their soft skills. Their enrolment as doctoral students guarantees full access to all facilities and services of Universität Hamburg.

Required application documents and deadline

The following documents have to be submitted by e-mail as one PDF file by 10 October 2024 to the Coordinator of the Graduate School (contact: see below):

  • A detailed research proposal of the planned dissertation project, compatible with the Cluster’s research objectives
    Please structure it as follows and do not exceed 5 pages:
    • Abstract of the proposal
    • Research proposal
    • Work schedule outlined for 3 years (please create a chart in 3-month intervals), including research phases abroad (i.e. outside of Germany), if applicable.
  • A CV including personal information (first name, last name, date of birth, place of birth), the educational and professional background, any relevant publications, and language skills
  • A letter of motivation explaining the candidate’s academic and professional interests, and how the doctoral programme would in their opinion contribute to achieving their personal career goals (1 page)
  • Copies of B.A./B.Sc., M.A./M.Sc. and other relevant certificates.
  • One letter of recommendation from a professor of the candidate’s home university. Professors may use the DAAD template (PDF) or write their own letter (which then has to contain at least the same information as shown in the template).
  • Proof of English language proficiency at least at level B1.

Please do not submit any other documents than these.

Please submit a certified English or German translation for documents issued in other languages.

Contact

Dr. Merryl Rebello

Coordinator of the Graduate School

merryl.rebello@uni-hamburg.de( merryl.rebello"AT"uni-hamburg.de)