Deadline: January 31, 2026
Applications are open for the JSPS-UNU Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme 2026. UNU offers Postdoctoral Fellowships to provide young scholars and policymakers, especially from the developing world, with a multidisciplinary context within which to pursue advanced research and training that are of professional interest to the successful applicant and of direct relevance to the research agenda of their selected thematic programme.
Since the start of the Fellowship Programme at UNU-IAS in 1996, more than 250 young researchers — 70% of whom are from the developing world — have benefited from collaboration with UNU and Japanese scholars.
Programme Details
Jointly organized by the UNU and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), the JSPS–UNU Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme is designed to provide promising, highly qualified young researchers with the opportunity to conduct advanced research in sustainability under host researchers at domestic universities and research institutions across Japan in cooperation with UNU-IAS.
This fellowship is aimed at candidates who have completed their doctorates in the past six years (with the period of maternity/paternity leave subtracted) and have professional and/or research experience. UNU-IAS Tokyo acts as the nominating authority for the JSPS–UNU Postdoctoral Fellowship Programme. Nominated fellows will be considered members of their host institutions and are required to carry out their research under the supervision of their host researcher. It is possible for fellows to conduct research at UNU-IAS if mutually agreed upon by the host university.
Research Areas
Under this programme, fellows are expected to conduct research in one of the thematic areas listed below under the supervision of the host researcher. The proposed research must be policy-relevant and incorporate gender issues within the research agenda.
- Governance for Climate Change and Sustainable Development (GCSD)
- Biodiversity & Society (BDS)
- Water & Resource Management (WRM)
- Innovation & Education (IVE)
Benefits
- Airfare: a round-trip air ticket (based on JSPS regulations)
- Maintenance allowance: JPY 362,000 per month
- Miscellaneous: a settling-in allowance of JPY 200,000 and overseas travel insurance
The award amounts are subject to change by JSPS.
Eligibility
- Applicants must hold a doctoral degree at the time of application (received on or after 2 April 2020 with the period of maternity/paternity leave subtracted, counting 4 weeks as a month) or be scheduled to receive a doctoral diploma by the end of July 2026 after passing the dissertation defense.
- Applicants must be citizens of countries that have diplomatic relations with Japan.
- Japanese nationals (including dual citizenship holders) and permanent residents of Japan are not eligible to apply.
- Those who have previously been awarded a Standard or Pathway Fellowship under the JSPS Postdoctoral Fellowship for Research in Japan are also not eligible.
Application
Interested and eligible candidates are invited to fill out the application form by 31 January 2026 (23:59 JST). The form must be filled out in English.
Note that the host researcher must be confirmed before applying for the fellowship. Applicants are responsible for finding and negotiating an agreement with a host researcher at a Japanese institution as the UNU-IAS Fellowship Committee cannot support the process. Furthermore, UNU-IAS researchers are not eligible to become host researchers.
For more information, visit JSPS-UNU Postdoctoral Fellowship.
