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Institute of Advanced Study
External shot of Institute of Advanced study at Cosin's Hall
The interdisciplinary collaboration opportunities have helped to solve research questions that were much broader than my initial questions
Professor Uwe Schlink (Michaelmas 2022 Fellow)
UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Leipzig (Dec 2022)

IAS Fellowships

The Institute of Advanced Study (IAS) was launched in October 2006 to mark the 175th anniversary of the foundation of Durham University. The IAS is home for growing big ideas.  It supports a broad and inclusive interdisciplinary community from across the full spectrum of Durham academics, where different perspectives are brought together to develop creative approaches to interesting and important problems. 

The IAS Distinguished Fellowship welcomes world-leading researchers to Durham, providing the time and space to work on projects and build future collaborations. Up to twenty visiting IAS Fellows will come to Durham each year to work with its scholars to spark new investigations and participate in a varied programme of activities.

Each year, the Institute sponsors several major interdisciplinary projects and a range of other research developments. Fellows are expected to collaborate with Durham colleagues carrying out such activities. 

Fellowships are usually available for a 3-month period between October and March each year.

IAS fellowships are normally available (October-December and January-March each year) based on nominations by Durham academics firstly in conjunction with IAS Major Project applications, and in most years there is a  later in the second phase of open applications and further nominations. Fellows come from across the disciplinary spectrum and from across the globe. IAS Fellowships include an honorarium, funds for travel, and accommodation within a Durham College.

Durham offers Fellows time and freedom to think, away from the demands of their everyday professional lives. By recruiting Fellows from all around the world, the IAS also fosters an exciting intellectual environment in which thinkers from diverse cultural and disciplinary backgrounds can exchange ideas.

The Call for Nominations for Fellowships in 2024/25 in conjunction with Major Project Applications is now closed. Please contact the IAS Manager, Linda Crowe (ias.manager@durham.ac.uk) if you have any questions in relation to the IAS's future Fellowship call for academic year 2025/26.