US Arctic Chair
The Fulbright Arctic Chair is part of the Fulbright Distinguished Chairs Programs. Awards in this program are viewed as among the most prestigious appointments in the Fulbright Scholar Program.
The Fulbright Arctic Chairs program in Norway and the United States officially began during the 2010-11 academic year. Thanks to a generous grant of 6 million NOK from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this four-year pilot initiative will promote transatlantic mobility in the increasingly high-profile field of Arctic Sciences.
US citizens with a Ph.D. in Arctic Biology, Arctic Geology, Arctic Geophysics , Arctic Technology, or a closely related field focusing on polar and High North issues, and 5-10 years of experience, are eligible to apply for an Arctic Chair grant. The Arctic Chair for US scholars is a seven month grant to do research and lecture at at the University Centre in Svalbard (UNIS) or, in close collaboration with UNIS, at one of the four Norwegian universities that jointly govern UNIS (universities in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim and Tromsø. One award is given to a U.S. scholar each year. Chair funding will be offered for a maximum of seven months, but the grantee may extend his/her stay beyond the 7-month grant period.
The US Arctic Chair is expected to offer lectures in English, conduct research, as well as engage in the scholarly community inside and outside of the host institution. In collaboration with his/her host university the Arctic Chair will lecture and conduct research within any of the following 4 academic areas: Arctic Biology, Arctic Geology, Arctic Technology and Arctic Geophysics. The Chair is expected to engage with faculty inside and outside the institution, give public lectures, seminars, supervise Master’s and Ph.D. candidates with their research and writing, as well as mentoring. Finally, the Chair is expected to attend Science Week in the United States in 2013, together with all of the other Arctic Chairs, marking the end of this 4-year project. Travel and hotel expenses for Science Week 2013 will be funded by Fulbright.
Terms of this grant include:
- Maintenance grant of NOK 100.000,- per month for 7 months. This amount will cover maintenance and housing for the grantee in the U.S. There is no financial support for dependents but family members may accompany grantee to the site.
- Allowance of NOK 30.000,- for round-trip international travel, including excess baggage allowance, shipping costs, etc for grantee only.
- Travel budget of NOK 60.000,- that may be used towards attending and presenting at seminars and conferences in the United States and Norway during the concurrent academic year of the grant.
To apply
Awards are published in CIES' annual awards catalogue. You can find everything you need to know about how to apply for a Fulbright scholarship on CIES' website, including an electronic version of the catalog: www.cies.org.
Application deadline is always August 1 for the following academic year.
Please contact the Fulbright office in Norway, or Jean McPeek at CIES in Washington, DC for more information
