The fellowship program on “Digital Humanism” aims to describe, analyze, and influence the complex interplay of technology and humankind, envisaging a better society and life in the digitized era. The program is run by the Institute in cooperation with Hannes Werthner, one of the leading experts in the field and initiator of the Vienna Manifesto on Digital Humanism. Senior and Junior Visiting Fellows are invited to the Institute to explore the urgent intellectual challenges at the complex interplay of humans and machines. During their stay at the Institute, they work on crucial topics in the field, pursue interdisciplinary research, and organize lectures and discussions reaching out to the public audience in Vienna and beyond.
The first Senior Visiting Fellow in the frame of the new program in May 2022 was Edward A. Lee, the Robert S. Pepper Distinguished Professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences (EECS) at the University of California at Berkeley and author of “Plato and the Nerd – The Creative Partnership of Humans and Technology” (MIT Press, 2017) and “The Coevolution: The Entwined Futures of Humans and Machines” (MIT Press, 2020). The second Senior Visiting Fellow in November 2022 was Allison Stanger, Russell Leng ’60 Professor of International Politics and Economics at Middlebury College, and the author of several books, including „Whistleblowers: Honesty in America from Washington to Trump“ (Yale University Press, 2019). The third Senior Visiting Fellow in June 2023 will be Ricardo Baeza-Yates, Director of Research at the Institute for Experiential AI of Northeastern University, Silicon Valley campus. He is also a member of the DATA Lab at the Khoury College of Computer Sciences.
Additionally, two Junior Visiting Fellows come to the Institute each semester, carry out their own research projects, and enjoy the possibility for an intensified collaboration and discussion with the Senior Visiting Fellow.
Candidates are expected to pursue research on digitization’s intersection with societal, economic, and geopolitical dimensions, as well as other relevant research foci from the humanities and social sciences. Two fellows will be invited to spend a period of three consecutive months at the Institute in fall 2023. Generally, fellowships start on the first day of the month and end on the last day of the month.
Conditions
Junior Visiting Fellows will receive a stipend of EUR 2,700 per month to cover accommodation, living expenses, health insurance and any incidentals related to their stay in Vienna. In addition, the IWM provides the fellows with office space including access to internet, in-house research and administrative facilities as well as an in-house lunch and other services free of charge. Travel expenses of up to EUR 1,000 can be reimbursed upon presentation of receipts.
Eligibility
Applicants must currently pursue their doctoral degree or have obtained a PhD not longer than four years ago at the time of application.
Application
Applications have to be submitted via the Embark platform, including the following documents:
* a research proposal in English (max. 7,500 characters incl. spaces), containing a description of the project’s a) objectives, b) the state of the art, c) methods, and d) a work plan
* a curriculum vitae
* a list of publications
* a letter of recommendation by a scholar familiar with the applicant’s academic work
Applications are to be submitted by 23 January 2023.
Selection
The finalists are selected by a jury of experts. Applicants are notified of the jury decision in due time. The jury is not required to publicly justify its decisions, nor to provide applicants individual feedback on their applications.
