The Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics offers scientists and scholars from around the world opportunities to pursue their own work on Empirical Aesthetics at our Institute. These research residencies are contingent upon available space and resources at the Institute and the compatibility of a proposed project with our research areas.

The Institute’s Guest Program

Under the auspices of our Guest Program, doctoral and postdoctoral researchers are invited to work within one of our Departments or Research Groups for a fixed time period. The Program aims to foster scientific exchange and to initiate and reinforce lines of international cooperation. The Guest Program comprises two funded fellowships:

Junior Fellowships

The Junior Fellowships are available to scientists and scholars from both Germany and abroad who have not yet completed the Ph.D. Funding is available for a maximum of six months. 

Senior Fellowships

Senior Fellowships are available to scientists and scholars who have completed the Ph.D. within the past ten years. Only applicants from abroad or who are employed in a university or research institution abroad are eligible. The maximum funding period is 24 months. 

All participants in the Guest Program are provided with an office at the Institute as well as technical support and assistance with everyday matters. You are encouraged to make use of the Institute’s infrastructure and to take an active part in the academic and social life of the Institute.

Your application for the Guest Program should include a letter in which you express your motivation for applying, your CV, copies of relevant degrees and/or certificates, and an outline of your project. Please submit your application exclusively via our applicant management system. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis by a Fellowship Committee. The number of Guest Researchers we can host at a given time is limited. 

Guest Researchers with External Funding

If you have external funding at your disposal (or are planning to apply for it) and are interested in a fixed-term research residency at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics, then send a query via our applicant management system, and be sure to indicate which Department or Research Group you would be interested to work with. Acceptance of applicants is contingent upon approval from a given Department or Research Group and on the availability of space and resources at the Institute. 

Information for International Guest Researchers 

The Max Planck Society’s brochure Living and Working in Germany offers practical information for short-term residence in Germany.