University of Geneva | Michel Mayor Fellowships

Overview

The program is intended to foster young interdisciplinary researchers in the field of “Life in the Universe” who have demonstrated scientific excellence in the early stages of their careers, and enable them to conduct interdisciplinary, fundamental, and high-risk research with the necessary independence and autonomy. We welcome applications from scientists interested in the origins of life, its evolution on Earth, as well as the search for life elsewhere.

Applications must be made by the candidate, with the agreement of two co-hosts from two different disciplines, willing to act as the mentors of the fellow. At least one of them must be PI at the University of Geneva (see list below). Applicants can select a suggested research topic (with an already identified pair of co-hosts) from the list below or develop their own project in synergy with the mentors. The fellowships are intended as early support towards academic independence.

Once appointed, Mayor Fellows become an integral part of their host teams and institutions, and have direct access to the outstanding international and interdisciplinary network of their host environment (ex: the network of the NCCR Genesis, EAI…). The maximum duration of a Mayor Fellowship is three years. The fellowship is competitive, with only a limited number of fellowships (usually one to two) available each year.

Eligibility criteria

At the time of the submission deadline, applicants must hold a doctorate (PhD) that must have been obtained for a maximum of two years prior to the expected starting date, although some flexibility could be considered.

Following the initial evaluation round, top-ranked candidates must be available for a remote interview.

The fellow will have two host researchers (mentors), at least one of them who must have a guaranteed position at UniGE for the entire duration of the proposed fellowship. A host can only host one Mayor Fellow at a given time.

The project must demonstrate thematic or geographic mobility of the candidate.

Applications

Applications are to be made by the candidate with the support of their prospective host(s). The application must include the following:

In a single pdf document named “MMF_Application_ApplicantLastName_FirstName.pdf”:

• a description of the original research project (3 pages), specifying the role and input of the candidate, as well as its interdisciplinary nature and relations to other research directions in the host groups and the Center.
• a budget for the planned project (1 table) for extra expenses (i.e. travels, lab needs, computing hours, …)
• CV of the candidate (in SNSF format: https://portal.snf.ch/)
• a list of publications
• a cover letter describing the candidate’s motivation and career goals

And separately:

• an invitation letter by one of the UniGE hosts, stating how the candidate is deemed to be excellent and a statement of support and resources available to the candidate, to be e-mailed by the author of the letter directly to cvu-admin@unige.ch until the application deadline (MMF_InvitationLetter_ApplicantLastName_FirstName.pdf)
• two external reference letters for the candidate, to be e-mailed by the author of the letter directly to cvu-admin@unige.ch until the application deadline (MMF_RefLetter_ApplicantLastName_FirstName_RefLastName.pdf)

There is one Mayor Fellowship call per year, opening on August 1st with a submission deadline on October 30th, 17:00 Swiss local time. Applications and reference letters should be sent directly to cvu-admin@unige.ch.

Evaluation procedure

The evaluation consists of two steps. First, the written applications (including reference letters) will be evaluated by the Mayor Fellowship Selection Panel. The results of this initial evaluation will be communicated to the applicants before December 1st. Second, candidates whose applications pass the first step will be invited to a remote interview by the Selection Panel at mid-December. The applicants will be informed by the CVU about the decision/offer no later than January 15th.

The interviews last about 30 minutes and are mandatory. They are conducted remotely.

During the interview, applicants will be asked questions about their proposed research projects, the choice of the research labs, the particular strengths and skills they would bring to the host labs and the Center, and how they would like the collaboration to develop, as well as about their future career prospects.

Funding

The duration of a Mayor Fellowship is 3 years, pending positive evaluation after 1.5 years, and cannot be prolonged beyond 3 years.

Application and more details: https://www.unige.ch/sciences/cvu/jobs/michel-mayor-fellowships