Fellowship Program

Education and teacher training face many challenges today. Increasingly diverse classrooms, rapidly changing technologies, and volatile political environments are only some of the most visible issues. While these challenges confront educators and students locally in individual classrooms and institutions, they do so on an international scale, making for common experiences not only within Lower Saxony but also across national boundaries. International research and collaboration can therefore aid scholars and educators in identifying resources and developing strategies for improving education in the face of these challenges: approaches found in one system are often transferable to others, and variety in and of itself often inspires new solutions. 

At Leibniz University Hannover, education research and pedagogical training are priorities. The Leibniz School of Education (LSE) was founded to bring together the interests of research, teaching, and knowledge exchange for the teacher training programs in secondary, vocational, and special-needs education. Research on education is conducted in several institutes and centers, including the Institute of Education, the Institute of Vocational Education and Adult Education, the Institute of Special Education, but also in many other departments (for instance, in the fields of subject didactics). The LUH’s goal of becoming an internationally recognized center for educational research is also behind our current collaboration with regional partners (Leuphana University in Lüneburg) in launching the new Center for Empirical Educational Research (ZEB), which seeks to strengthen empirical research in Lower Saxony and improve the transfer of such research into policy decisions and pedagogical practice in local schools. 

Through the Future Education Fellowship Program, we seek to promote international exchange and collaboration by supporting both early-career and advanced scholars to pursue their research during stays of 1 to 18 months in Hannover. Fellows will work closely with peers based at LUH on research projects, publications, and other scholarly activities, and they will participate in the Fellowship Program’s events. In addition to candidates in the fields of pedagogy, educational research, and didactics, all scholars with work relevant to teacher training and current educational challenges are eligible to apply. More details on the LSE’s main areas of focus in teacher training can be found here.

We welcome proposals on a range of topics, including but not limited to

• Evidence-based teacher training and professional development (empirical and theoretical approaches; reflective practices)
• STEM education (instructional strategies; promotion of further/future study; recruitment for teaching; interdisciplinary engagement (integration with humanities))
• Technological challenges and affordances (digital transformation; effective implementation of AI and digital tools in teaching and assessments; dangers/problems with technology, including social/emotional issues; attention spans and critical thinking competencies; creativity)
• Social and political challenges (populism and political extremism; promotion of democracy; equity in increasingly socio-economically and culturally diverse populations)
• Education-related transfer; research in learning ecosystems, and science outreach.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS 

Candidates

Early-Career Scholars:

“Established Researchers” (R3)

We consider “established researchers” to be recognized in their field and to have demonstrated high-quality research output. They have developed their own research agenda and can conduct research independently. Candidates must have completed their PhD at the time of application (and have usually completed their PhD between 3 and 12 years ago). 

Advanced Scholars:

“Leading Researchers” (R4)

We define “leading researchers” as scholars who are internationally recognized as excellent in their field and typically hold permanent positions at their home institutions. We also acknowledge outstanding achievements beyond standard scholarly output, including leadership in research communities, public outreach, and advisory positions for policy development and implementation.

International Status

Candidates should bring with them significant international experience. International scholars who have spent at least 12 of the previous 18 months outside of Germany are eligible to apply. German citizens who have lived and worked outside of Germany for at least the past 5 years will also be considered.

LSE/LUH-Tandems/Partnerships

Fellows should work with peers at LUH in at least some capacity on their projects. Collaboration can take various forms, including writing publications for an established or ongoing project, or conducting the explorative work necessary for launching new research agendas.

Applicants who are already working with scholars at LUH should briefly describe the nature of their collaboration and how it features in the proposed project.

Applicants who have not yet developed relationships at LUH should provide the names of 1-2 scholars with whom they would be interested in working with a brief justification of these choices.

FELLOWSHIP BENEFITS 

Financial Support

Stipends

The program offers monthly fellowships of €3,000 for established researchers and €3,500 for leading researchers. Fellowship duration ranges from 1 to 18 months. Under some circumstances, it may be possible to divide the fellowship into multiple stays (interested prospective fellows must provide a rationale for this option).

Additional Benefits

• Monthly allowance for local travel,
• Family allowance for accompanying partners and children,

• One-time reimbursement of travel costs for arrival and departure (in accordance with the Lower Saxony Travel Expense Regulations (NRKVO and W-NRKVO)).

   

Research Environment 

Hannover and Leibniz University

Leibniz University Hannover, founded in 1831, is one of the leading technical universities in Germany and is known for interdisciplinary research and innovation. With more than 26,000 students, the university offers a diverse range of programs across natural sciences, engineering, humanities, social sciences, and economics. Other local institutions, such as the University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Hochschule Hannover), the Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media (HMTMH), the State Library of Lower Saxony (Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Library), further contribute to a vibrant scholarly environment in the city. Hannover’s many cultural offerings (it is a UNESCO City of Music), compact layout, good public transportation and bike lanes, and easy access to green spaces and nature make quality of life high. Its central location in Germany provides for easy access to many other cities (ca. 2 hours by train to Berlin and Hamburg, for instance). 

The Leibniz School of Education (LSE) and Educational Research

Above all, the Leibniz School of Education stands for research-based teacher education. As an academic institution for teacher training on equal standing with the faculties, it acts strategically in the university’s core areas of research, the promotion of early-career scholars, teaching, transfer, and internationalization. In doing so, it operates according to its own guiding principles: promoting professionalism, building networks, and encouraging innovation!

Research on education is conducted across the university. The Institutes of Education, Vocational Education and Adult Education, and Special Education are the main clusters, but many other institutes have researchers working on various related issues, not least the specialists for subject-specific didactics. The newly founded Center for Empirical Educational Research (ZEB), co-led with the Leuphana University in Lüneburg, further expands the scope of study and works to facilitate transfer between researchers, school educators, and policy makers. 

Future Education fellows will complete their projects in this milieu, where they have ready access to many institutes and centers across the university. Additionally, they should propose workshops or talks that showcase their work and engage the scholarly community (including students!), and they are urged to take advantage of other events at the LSE and beyond.

Apply here

Download: Call for Applications (PDF)