The PLuS Foundation Basel with the collaboration of the Société Internationale des Amis de Cicéron in Paris (SIAC – Association loi 1901 déclarée au Journal Officiel du 8 avril 2008 – Reconnaissance d’intérêt général du 16 juin 2008 – Siège: 9, avenue Sainte Foy, Neuilly-sur-Seine, F-92200) invites applications for a postdoctoral fellowship of two years from 01.10.2025 to support a study in the field of
Roman thought, from its relations with classical and Hellenistic sources and models to its fortune in the West up to the 18th century.
The subject may be developed in the context of the edition, translation or commentary of texts, including those of a purely philosophical nature, from the Republican period in Latin or the Imperial period in Latin or Greek. Monographic studies relating to the manuscript tradition, the presence or influence of Roman thought (including the art of oratory, law and political philosophy) and/or criticism of it in the indicated time period may also be considered.
The basic approach of the project must be strictly philological (without rejecting the digital approach) and exegetical, with a view to publishing the results in monographic form. In the selection of applications, preference will therefore be given to research projects that consider direct and in-depth access to literary sources from the Hellenistic period to the 18th century.
The following will be appreciated
- broad and/or interdisciplinary perspective of investigation
- originality of the topic and innovative character of the approach
- Significant contribution to the advancement of knowledge on the topic addressed by the project.
The resulting studies may be written in English, French, German or Italian.
Stipend, duration and eligibility criteria
Fellows are offered a stipend of 1.800 € per month which includes all potential levies and taxes. It is the fellows’ responsibility to check if the stipend is subject to taxation in their country of residence. The maximum duration of the fellowship is two years. The prerequisite for application is a completed doctorate (PhD) in one of the following subject areas: Classical philology; History of ancient and medieval philosophy.
An application may not be submitted more than eight years after completion of the doctorate.
The candidate will have to demonstrate at least passive knowledge of the following languages: Latin and Greek and a choice of two in addition to his/her own from English, Italian, French, Portuguese, Spanish and German.
Further particulars
- A fellow’s additional earnings may not exceed 12.000 € / year.
- The stipend is paid in instalments of which the first is paid at the start of the Fellowship to cover the first six months; further instalments are paid quarterly. At the end of the fifth month, as well as every six months thereafter, Fellows are required to submit a report on the status of their work. The disbursement of funds is conditional on the positive evaluation of the respective report by the Foundation
- A final report of two pages is to be submitted no later than three months after the end of the funding period; it will be published on the Foundation’s homepage.
- It is desirable that Fellows be affiliated with an established scientific institution such as a university or a research institute, as evidenced by a letter of confirmation from the respective institution.
Application procedure
The application may be written in English, French, German or Italian. The dossier is to be submitted electronically via the web-form on the Foundation’s homepage; it must contain the following documents:
- Completed application form
- CV incl. list of publications; in addition, candidates are required to submit a maximum of three of their publications of their choice (to be uploaded in separate pdf files via the web form)
- Detailed description of the research project that may not exceed a maximum of 25,000 characters (including spaces); it is to be structured as follows:
- Research question and research context
- State of previous research, detailing the innovativeness of the proposed project
- Applicant’s own previous research, if existing
- Objectives and expected results
- Approach in terms of method and theoretical horizon
- Feasibility of the project within the funding period, with details on eventually existing contacts and agreements with scientific institutions and the possibility of using libraries, including access to specific instruments, databases etc. already available at the time of application
- Objectives and expected results
- Project schedule and milestones
- Bibliography (limited to the most important titles)
Note:
The Foundation does not accept applications that are also submitted to other funding institutions at the same time or within six months. Relatives of members of the Beirat or the Stiftungsrat of PLuS up to the fourth degree may not submit an application.
Evaluation procedure and decision
All applications are reviewed by the Beirat of the PLuS Foundation, which will assess the applications received and may draw on the opinion pro veritate of external experts belonging to the Scientific Council of SIAC, in agreement with its President, Prof. Charles Guérin (Sorbonne Université).
The Commission undertakes to judge the applications received according to the criteria of their scientific quality. The Commission is entitled to exclude candidates who do not meet the participation requirements from the competition at any time; the decision to do so will be reasoned in writing.
The final decision is made by the Foundation’s Stiftungsrat, which publishes the result of the selection process on the Foundation’s homepage. The successful applicant will be notified of the decision via e-mail by 15.8.2025. The successful applicant may start their fellowship on 1.10.2025, after signing a funding agreement with PLuS. If the first-placed applicant withdraws her/his application, the fellowship will be offered to the next-placed candidate according to the ranking of their application. In consultation with the Foundation, the starting date may be delayed until 1.1.2026.
Grant decisions by the Foundation are not subject to appeal.
Complete application dossiers must be submitted by 15 March 2025 via the web-form.
Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.
For further information, please refer to info@patrumlumensustine.ch