Support for dissertation and postdoctoral research in Japan in the humanities and social sciences

Open for applications, next deadline is December 1st 2015.

The Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Fellowship Program provides recent PhD recipients and ABDs (please see program eligibility requirements) with opportunities to conduct research in Japan under the leadership of a host researcher. Fellows are encouraged to advance their own research and at the same time closely collaborate with young Japanese researchers and contribute to Japanese research communities.

Selection Process

Fellows are selected by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) based on nominations made by the SSRC Japan Advisory Board. The SSRC Japan Advisory Board recommends to JSPS up to 20 candidates annually from the social sciences and humanities. Award offers are made by JSPS in early-summer for fellowships that must commence between June 1 and November 30 (long-term) or June 1 and March 31 (short-term).

Fellowship Topics

Applications are welcome from all social science and humanities disciplines and need not be explicitly related to the study of Japan. Projects must include work with colleagues and resources in Japan and propose a single, continuous stay in Japan from 1 to 12 months (short-term) or 1 to 2 years (long-term).

Eligibility

Scholars who have previously received funding from JSPS for 12 months or longer are not eligible to apply for JSPS fellowships.

JSPS does not extend fellowships to scholars employed in the institutions under jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Defense.

In addition:

Candidates for the Long-term Fellowship must possess U.S. citizenship or permanent residency status. Permanent residents must provide a copy of a permanent resident card (“green card”). Researchers of Japanese nationality are  not eligible.

Candidates for the Short-term Fellowship must possess U.S. citizenship or permanent residency status. Permanent residents must provide a copy of a permanent resident card (“green card”). Citizens of other countries may be eligible if they have completed a master’s or Ph.D. course at a U.S. university and, upon completing the course, have for at least three continuous years conducted high-level research in the U.S. Researchers of Japanese nationality are not eligible. Foreign researchers doing research at a Japanese research institution at the time of application are not eligible.

Application Requirements

The application for an SSRC nomination to the JSPS Postdoctoral Research Fellowship requires an application form, a project description, a letter of recommendation, and a letter of invitation from a host institution in Japan. In addition:

Applicants for 12-24 month (long-term) fellowships must submit a copy of a Ph.D. diploma from a university outside Japan dated no more than six years prior to April 1, 2015 or a letter from their institution stating the date the applicant will officially receive the degree.

Applicants for 1-12 month (short-term) fellowships must submit a copy of a Ph.D. diploma from a university outside Japan dated no more than six years prior to April 1, 2015 or a letter from their institution stating that the applicant is a Ph.D. candidate within two years of receiving a Ph.D.