Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowship at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design

Fulbright Israel is looking for the brightest and most innovative scholars who aspire to research in Israel and join the Fulbright heritage.

Fulbright Israel administers the Fulbright Academic Program in Israel, and plans to award up to three U.S. postdoctoral scholars who seek to pursue research at the Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design. Grants are open to researchers in all academic disciplines and support research programs in Israel for up to 20 months.

Each candidate should try to arrange his/her institutional affiliations at the Fulbright Postdoctoral Fellowship at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design independently, including development of the research program for the proposed visit. According to Fulbright Israel policy, Fulbright postdoctoral fellows must hold official postdoctoral fellow status at their host institutions in Israel, including access to campus resources.

Please contact the Fulbright Israel office at [email protected] with any questions or assistance with identifying suitable hosts or contacts.

AWARD LENGTH 

Up to two academic years, minimum of one academic year.

AWARD DATES 

Grants may begin any time between July 2025 - May 2026, as agreed upon with host institution.

LOCATIONS 

Research activity will take place at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, Established in 1906, it is recognized as Israel’s preeminent art, design, and architecture academic institution, pioneering originality, creativity and innovation. Bezalel epitomizes the essence of Israeli art and design and has been a crucial catalyst in the country’s cultural development. Bezalel is known for excellently educating generations of aspiring artists, designers, and architects, furthering tolerance, and promoting freedom of expression and creative liberty that expand cultural horizons and impact conventional beliefs. The Academy’s innate strength is its ability to constantly imagine and re-imagine a better world and quickly translate these thoughts and theories into useful and practical applications and enterprises. In an ever-shifting social, technological, material and political environment, Bezalel’s investment in art and design research helps reveal new knowledge; new knowledge that leads to novel and inventive understandings of the world.

DISCIPLINE TYPE 

Applications are sought in all disciplines. If you are a researcher outside the creative field, please note that we expect applications to address the interaction between your discipline and the areas of interest at Bezalel. Please visit Bezalel’s website to review examples for the cross-disciplinary research and activities at the institution.

SPECIAL FEATURES 

During their grant period, Fulbright U.S. Scholars in Israel may apply for a short-term regional travel grant (five to 14 days) for participation in a variety of activities including faculty and student lectures, graduate or faculty seminars, curriculum development, public lectures, panel presentations, needs assessment, conferences, or some combination thereof. 

APPLICATION DEADLINE 

Monday, September 16, 2024

ACTIVITY 

Research

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS 

Ph.D. (or other terminal degree) required

STIPEND 

$95,000 ($47,500 per academic year for two years).

ESTIMATED TRAVEL AND RELOCATION ALLOWANCE 

• Reimbursement of Travel expenses of up to $1,700 (U.S. – Israel, under the Fly America act) for Fulbright fellows (and spouses)
• Partial reimbursement of children’s education expenses and fees.
• $30,000 research grant ($15,000 per academic year for two years)

SPECIAL AWARD BENEFITS 

• Limited accident and medical coverage for the grantee only
• Mandatory attendance at Fulbright Israel-sponsored arrival orientation
• Opportunities to participate in a variety of cultural and academic events organized by Fulbright Israel.

Eligibility requirements apply at the time of application. For full details on all Fulbright U.S. Scholar program eligibility requirements, visit CIES. In addition:

• To be eligible for a Fulbright fellowship, candidates must have received their Ph.D. degrees no earlier than July 2020. Additionally, applicants must receive their Ph.D. before they leave to Israel to begin their postdoctoral work.
• The Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design must provide grantees with Postdoctoral status, including access to campus resources (such a letter is not required at the time of application).
• Each candidate is responsible for arranging their institutional affiliations at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design independently, including development of the program of work for the proposed visit through contacts at the Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design.
• We accept applications from all disciplines. If you are a researcher outside the creative field, please note that we expect applications to address the interaction between your discipline and the areas of interest at Bezalel. Please visit Bezalel’s website to review examples for the cross-disciplinary research and activities at the institution.

Applicants and their grants must meet all of the following requirements at the time of application, unless specific exemptions apply:

• U.S. citizenship (permanent residence is not sufficient).
• Sound physical and mental health: selected candidates are required to submit a Medical History and Examination Report before their grants can be finalized.
• Grants shall not authorize engagement in pastoral, missionary, or other professional religious activities.
• Grants shall not authorize engagement in activities for which a license to practice medicine or nursing is required.
• Applicants are required to disclose any prior convictions of a felony or a misdemeanor, including Driving Under the Influence (DUI) or Driving While Intoxicated (DWI), but excluding minor traffic violations. FFSB regulations can be found here (Chapter 600/Section 626 Ineligibility Factors).

The following individuals are ineligible:

• Recent college graduates with limited professional experience are ineligible for consideration under the Fulbright Scholar Program. Instead, such applicants can visit the Fulbright Student Program.
• Graduate or doctoral students seeking funding to complete their degrees are ineligible for consideration under the Fulbright Scholar Program. Instead, such applicants can visit the Fulbright Student Program.
• Candidates who have resided abroad for five or more consecutive years in the six-year period preceding the date of application are ineligible. In this case, a period of nine months or more during a calendar year is considered to constitute a full year abroad.
• Employees and their immediate families (i.e. spouses and dependent children) of the U.S. Department of State and of public or private organizations under contract to the U.S. Department of State are ineligible to apply for a Fulbright grant until one year after termination of such employment.

Note: Recipients of a Fulbright Scholar grant are eligible to apply for another Fulbright Scholar grant two years after the date of completion of the previous grant. (For serial or Flex grants, the two-year period begins at the end of the final grant in the series.)

For full details on the Fulbright Post-Doctoral Scholar Program review process, visit CIES. During its review of the recommended pool of applications, Fulbright Israel applies the following criteria:

• Academic excellence is the primary criterion for the evaluation of candidates.
• In addition to describing the research planned, a post-doctoral project proposal should also provide a concise description of the broader cultural goals of a post-doctoral experience in Israel: what the candidate would like to learn about Israel, what activities, in addition to research, do they expect to become involved in, and how the candidate expects to share their Israeli experiences upon return to the US.
• Leadership qualities are an important evaluation criterion.
• Preference will be given to candidates who have not had substantial, recent professional experience in Israel.

Applicants might be invited for a Zoom interview with a Fulbright commission.

The Foundation reserves the exclusive right to determine, within the framework of applicable law and regulations, the qualitative standards for the evaluation of applications forwarded to it by the responsible agency in the United States. Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is not under any obligation to provide the reasons for its decisions regarding the allocation of Fellowships.

Please note: Candidates who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States will be given preference, provided their qualifications are approximately equivalent to those of other candidates.

INVITATION REQUIREMENT 

A letter of invitation is required.

INVITATION REQUIREMENT ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

A letter of invitation from Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design is required. Please contact the Fulbright program in Israel at [email protected] for assistance with identifying suitable host contacts.

LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY REQUIREMENTS 

None, English is sufficient.