ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellowship for All, 2026-2027

Applications are being received for the 2026-2027 ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellowships. The ETH Postdoctoral Fellowship program, known as ETH Fellows, is designed to support exceptional early career researchers at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. This initiative nurtures promising postdoctoral talent, with nearly half of its alumni advancing to professorships within a few years of completing the fellowship. It offers a prestigious stepping stone for researchers seeking to establish their independent academic careers.

Applicants are encouraged to submit proposals that reflect their own innovative ideas. The programme is structured to reward those who demonstrate both scientific excellence and the potential to lead their own research projects. To ensure robust support, each application must be backed by an ETH Zurich professor who will serve as the fellow’s mentor.

Given its competitive nature, with a success rate of approximately 25% in previous rounds, the fellowship is open to candidates from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, provided they meet the rigorous eligibility requirements. The program is designed to cultivate future academic leaders, with 40-50% of alumni securing professorships within years of completion.

Program Details

• Host Institution: ETH Zurich, Switzerland.
• Study Field: Postdoctoral research across various disciplines.
• Duration: Two years (non-extendable).
• Number of Fellowships: Limited, with a competitive selection process.
• Target Group: Early career researchers from any country holding a PhD or nearing completion, with a strong track record of scientific achievement.

ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellowship Benefits

The fellowship provides a comprehensive financial package to support your research career:

1. Full salary coverage (100% based on ETH standards).
2. An annual researchresearch allowance of CHF 12,000 for travel, mobility, and research-related expenses.

The salary structure is as follows:

• Year 1: Gross salary of CHF 92,500 (Total of CHF 106,400).
• Year 2: Gross salary of CHF 97,200 (Total of CHF 111,800).
• Total: Combined gross salary of CHF 189,700 (CHF 218,200 in total rates).

The total rates must be used for budgeting. This includes 15.0% social security contributions to be paid by ETH Zurich.

ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellowship Eligibility

Candidates must satisfy the following criteria to be eligible for the fellowship:

• Possess a doctorate (PhD) at the time of application or be set to complete it within the next six months. If already awarded, the PhD must have been conferred no more than two years before the submission deadline.
• Applicants who have not yet completed their doctorate must submit a certification of the planned date of their defense signed by the advisor or department chair. The examination or defense/viva voce must have been completed by the time the fellowship is started (and no later than six months after the deadline).
• Applicants who earned their PhD from ETH Zurich or the University of Zurich will not be considered.
• Have at least one peer-reviewed publication or be a recipient of an award for their doctoral research.
• Not having resided or primarily worked in Switzerland for more than 12 months within the three years preceding the application deadline.

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• Not have been affiliated with ETH Zurich, EPFL Lausanne, any ETH domain research institute (such as PSI, WSL, Empa, or Eawag), or the University of Zurich for over six months in the same period.

How to Apply for the ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellowship

Interested candidates in this program should follow the steps below to complete their application:

• Contact a potential ETH Zurich mentor well in advance to secure their support and obtain an invitation letter, which must be included in your application.
• Prepare your research proposal independently using the project description template provided by ETH Zurich (download link available below).
• Gather two external reference letters. Ensure that your referees send their letters directly to the Grants Office ([email protected]) at least 10 days before the submission deadline, including proper letterhead and signature.
• Submit your complete application electronically in PDF format via the ETH Zurich grant application system (eResearch). The application call typically opens about one month prior to the deadline.
• Complete all mandatory fields, upload the required documents, and verify that your mentor has also submitted their supporting documents.
• If needed, you may save your progress and resume the application later before the final submission. Once you submit your application, no further changes can be made.
• For any issues or mistakes, promptly contact the eResearch support team at [email protected].

Important documents and templates

1. FAQ (PDF, 252 KB)
2. Template project description (part 1, project details) (DOCX, 29 KB)
3. Template project description (part 2, accompanying information) (DOCX, 28 KB)
4. Ethics self-check (PDF, 362 KB)

ETH Fellows are expected to commence their fellowship no later than eight months after the submission deadline. If a later start date is necessary, approval must be secured from the Grants Office. Interviews, which last approximately 15 minutes, are conducted online, so please keep all potential interview dates available until you receive your specific appointment.

The evaluation process involves an initial written review by the ETH Zurich Research Commission, followed by an online interview for shortlisted candidates. The interview dates are tied to the deadlines as indicated below and will be conducted via video call.

Submission deadlines are set for 1 March and 1 September at 17:00 Swiss local time. Should a deadline fall on a weekend, it will be moved to the following Monday at the same time. Candidates will be informed of interview invitations within two months of the deadline, and final funding decisions are typically communicated about four months later. For more details on the ETH Zurich Postdoctoral Fellowship, please visit the official page. To be the first to see latest opportunities, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.