Atul Sethi, Juliane Schultz and Izoldi Kammenou share their enthusiasum about recipes from their respective home countries India, Germany and Greece, in a courtyard at Science City.

FAQs

What is Society in Science and what are its major goals?

Society in Science - The Branco Weiss Fellowship is a unique worldwide fellowship program. Founded in 2002 and coordinated by the ETH Zurich, it aims to support research on the frontiers between science and society. It provides a platform for researchers in natural sciences, engineering and social sciences with a desire to extend their scientific work to cover specific social and cultural questions and perspectives. The fellowship is international and trans-disciplinary in nature.

What is unique about Society in Science?

In comparison to other fellowships, Society in Science is unique in several respects. It brings social and cultural dimensions into research laboratories and makes them an integral part of research. The program is targeted at those who are at postdoctoral level, actively engaged in research, and intend to remain so for the duration of the fellowship. No change of disciplinary identity is sought. Fellows are expected to remain in their established discipline but to broaden their work with new perspectives. The selection of institute or research unit best suited to conduct the research rests with the fellows. Fellows may undertake their research anywhere in the world at any institution, even at multiple locations.

Who is behind Society in Science?

Society in Science is financed by the late Swiss entrepreneur Dr. Branco Weiss and administered as a fund by ETH Zurich. The Director of Society in Science, with scientific and operational responsibility for the fellowship, is Professor Peter Chen, former Vice President of Research and Corporate Relations at the ETH Zurich. He is supported by the ETH strategy committee, who evaluate the applications and conduct interviews with short-listed applicants.

How many fellowships will be granted?

Up to ten fellowships are awarded every year. This is conditional on sufficient applications being received which satisfy stringent requirements regarding the personality and abilities of the applicants, and the relevance of their proposed projects.

Scientists from which disciplines are eligible to apply for a fellowship?

Society in Science is open to researchers at postdoctoral level in life and natural sciences, engineering, medicine and social sciences. The proposed research project has to take into account dimensions of both society and science.

What criteria must applicants satisfy?

Applicants must provide evidence of outstanding achievement in their particular scientific field. They must be willing to engage in a dialogue on relevant social, cultural, political or economic issues across the frontiers of their particular discipline. Finally, they must submit a project which satisfies scientific quality and relevance.

Where do applicants have to be in their career to apply?

Applicants must have officially completed their PhD by the end of the application period and they should not have received their PhD more than five years ago. Faculty members (assistant professors or lecturers) are not eligible and therefore should not apply.

What projects qualify for support?

Projects which combine natural scientific subjects with social and cultural perspectives, that are interdisciplinary by definition, will be supported. Applicants need to show these relationships and highlight the scientific and / or social relevance in their proposal.

How does the financial support work?

Financial support is given to fellows in the form of a personal grant. This is administered by the host institution via a three-way contractual agreement between the fellow, their chosen institution/s and Society in Science. Overheads must be covered by the host institution/s. In addition, an annual allowance is given for required travel etc.

How does the selection procedure work?

Incoming applications will be screened. External references will be requested only once the applicant has been short-listed. A final selection of applicants will be invited for interviews to present their project to the strategy committee in Zurich, Switzerland. The decision is typically communicated to candidates within one week of the interview.