HCE Fellowships
Collaborate with us as an International Fellow
The Heidelberg Center for the Environment (HCE) welcomes outstanding international researchers whose work contributes to addressing critical environmental challenges and advancing the eco-social transformation.
HCE Fellowships offer the opportunity to join a vibrant interdisciplinary research community at Heidelberg University and to collaborate with leading scholars and partners across a wide range of environmental fields.
Our Fellows contribute to scientific exchange, collaborative research, public engagement, and innovative approaches to sustainability and transformation challenges.
An International and Interdisciplinary Research Environment
HCE brings together researchers from diverse disciplines and sectors working on topics such as climate change, biodiversity, water and food systems, sustainability transformations, environmental governance, health and environment, and related societal challenges.
Fellows become part of an active international network connecting researchers, institutions, and societal stakeholders across Germany and beyond.
Fellowship Formats
HCE offers two fellowship formats:
HCE Fellowships are flexible temporary affiliations for international scholars and experts collaborating with HCE members. These fellowships are generally based on external or self-arranged funding and can vary in duration.
In addition, HCE offers a limited number of funded Distinguished HCE Fellowships each year for highly qualified international researchers and experts. Distinguished Fellows receive financial support for short-term stays and are closely integrated into HCE activities and collaborations.
FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AND PRACTICAL SUPPORT
Distinguished HCE Fellowships provide financial support for short-term research stays at Heidelberg University.
Depending on career stage and funding availability, Distinguished Fellows may receive:
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Monthly fellowship stipends:
- Early-career researchers: €3,000 per month
- Senior researchers: €3,600 per month
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Travel allowances:
- Up to €1,350 for stays between 1–12 months
- Up to €2,100 for longer stays
- Accommodation support through Heidelberg University Guest House capacities where available
- Reimbursement of travel costs upon submission of receipts
Distinguished Fellowships are highly competitive and require nomination by an active HCE member.
WHAT FELLOWS CAN EXPECT
Fellows benefit from access to Heidelberg University’s research environment and infrastructure, opportunities for interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration, integration into HCE events and activities, as well as opportunities for lectures, workshops, and public engagement. The HCE management office and Heidelberg University Welcome Centre also support fellows with onboarding, networking, and integration into the HCE community.
Fellows are encouraged to actively contribute to the HCE community through lectures, collaborative research activities, workshops, seminars, and interdisciplinary exchange.
WHO CAN APPLY?
We welcome applications from early-career and senior researchers, interdisciplinary and transdisciplinary scholars, experts from policy, civil society, and practice, and individuals whose work aligns with HCE’s mission and thematic priorities.
Applicants should demonstrate a strong track record in research, innovation, or societal engagement related to environmental challenges and sustainability transformations.
All Fellows require the support or nomination of an active HCE member.
Interested in Becoming an HCE Fellow?
Prospective Fellows are encouraged to contact HCE members whose research interests align with their own in order to discuss potential collaborations and nomination opportunities.
View the HCE community and members here
For further information, please contact:
Dr. Max Jungmann
Executive Manager
Heidelberg Center for the Environment (HCE)
Heidelberg University
HCE Senior Fellows 2021-2023
Prof. Dr. Christian Frankenberg
Caltech, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, USA,.
His research is broadly focused on the global carbon cycle, especially using the vantage point from space (or air) to obtain a truly global (or regional) view on specific phenomena occuring at the interfacce between the Earth Surface (including terresial biosphere and anthropogenic activities) and the atmosphere. Frankenberg's current focus is on the study of solar induced chlorophyll fluorescence as well as atmospheric methane and carbon dioxide.
Prof. Dr. Katrina Smith Korfmacher
Director of Community Engagement Core, Environmental Health Sciences Center, Professor for Environmental Medicine at the University of Rochester Medical Center.
Prof. Smith Korfmacher is interested in collaborative decision-making processes involving communities and diverse stakeholders on environmental and public health problems at the local level. She designs, implements, and evaluates solutions to these problems, often addressing institutional barriers to collaboration through structural, leadership, and cultural changes.
HCE Junior Fellows 2021-2023
MA. Júlia Mascarello
Federal University of Santa Catarina | UFSC · Departamento de Economia e Relações Internacionais
Júlia's dissertation focuses on the interplay between international relations and science, technology, and innovation. The purpose of her project is to understand the relationship between Science Diplomacy and bioeconomy cooperation between Brazil and Germany. In Heidelberg, she will work with J.Prof. Rosa Lehmann (HCIAS) and Dr. Alex Giurca (HCE).
Dr. MA Sai
German Chancellor Fellow 2022-2023, Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
Sai's research interests include investment arbitration, energy dispute resolution, and environmental policy. As a Humboldt Fellow, she will work with Prof. Dr. Jale Tosun and conduct a research project on clean energy transition and international investment law in Heidelberg.
