The John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellowship was established in 1966 as an endowment with funds from the Federal Republic of Germany and German industry as a lasting legacy to the memory of the slain U.S. president.
Each year, up to three fellowships are granted on a competitive basis to post-doctoral German scholars who are in the process of writing the Habilitation or an equivalent work.
Fellowships provide a stipend of $65,000 for 10 months of residential research between September and June; other benefits, such as health insurance, are included. Fellows join other visiting researchers at CES as part of the Visiting Scholars Program.
This Fellowship is administered by the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Final selections are made by the CES Steering Committee. Fellows are expected to attend a weekly Visiting Scholars Seminar, where work in progress is presented to colleagues for feedback.
Applications for the 2025-2026 academic year are now open and will close on Monday, November 11, 2024.
To be eligible for a John F. Kennedy Memorial Fellowship, applicants must:
Preference is given to applicants who intend to have academic careers in Germany. Applicants currently living in the United States are not eligible. Harvard graduates or recipients of previous residential fellowships are eligible to apply after seven years.
