Leuven Institute for Advanced Study – KU Leuven (Belgium)

Junior fellowships, May 2026 on ‘Why genocide? Structures, systems and human response’’

Leuven Institute for Advanced Study (LIAS) invites applications for visiting junior fellows within the project ‘Why genocide? Structures, systems and human response’ (18-29 May 2026).

The three available fellowships are intended for advanced Ph.D. students, postdocs or junior faculty members (tenure track) from European Universities. Applicants will be able to participate in expert workshops, discussions and lectures as well as actively engage with the LIAS community. During their stay, all fellows will have an office at Holland College so the informal contacts can be enhanced at coffee and lunch breaks.

Within the LIAS project the following perspectives will be highlighted during the stay of the senior fellows:

• Deconstructing the framework: Definitions and legislation
• Context and New Accelerators
• Excavating the Roots: The ‘Why’ of Structures and Systems
• Witnesses & Complicity: The ‘Why’ of Bystanders and Society
• Shaping the future: Education & prevention
• Living the aftermath: Trauma and consequence

Read more about LIAS ‘Why genocide’ here.

LIAS covers all travel and hotel costs for junior fellows for a stay up to 10 days in Leuven with a maximum of € 1,000 for the total stay.

To apply, please send your application to jelle.zeedijk@lias.eu no later than 20 March 2026. The applications will be reviewed shortly after this date and we will notify you about our decision by 30 March.

Your application should contain:

• a short motivation (max. 300 words), explaining how this LIAS project relates with your research and stating your preferred period of visit;
• a short academic CV.

For more information, please contact jelle.zeedijk@lias.eu