Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship 2026 (f_m_x)

Area of research:

Other

Job description:

The Research Institute for Sustainability at GFZ (RIFS) is an international, inter-, and transdisciplinary research institute in Potsdam, Germany. The main focus of the institute is to integrate different types of knowledge to support a transformation of society towards sustainability. Its research approach is transdisciplinary, transformative, and co-creative. As part of its Fellow Programme, the RIFS awards the Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship.

RIFS is looking for applications from highly talented mid-career professionals, from Germany or abroad, who have worked for at least ten years on issues related to sustainable development and have the potential to serve as change agents. The proposed project should have a long-term impact that unfolds beyond the Fellowship. It should address a particularly relevant aspect of sustainability with particular effectiveness or effectively address a relevant aspect that has so far received too little attention. Applicants should bring innovative ideas from their respective fields in science, the arts, civil society, business, politics, or other areas of society and have gained professional experience in different countries and cultures.

The Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship is awarded for one year and will commence in the first quarter of 2026. The fellowship can be flexibly adapted to the candidate’s life situation, for example divided into intervals. The chosen candidate is expected to pursue the project on site in Potsdam during the entire term and to contribute to the work of the institute.

The Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellowship is supported by a discretionary budget of up to 30,000 €, which can be applied to cover travel expenses, publication fees, support for organizing workshops, or production costs for artistic work. The fellowship’s benefits include a monthly stipend and financial compensation to cover additional living costs during the stay in Germany.

If so, we look forward to receiving your application in English. Applications must be received by 31st March 2025, 23:59 CEST. To apply, please submit the following documents:

1. A letter of motivation (6,500 characters max.), outlining your prior experience at the interface of science and another sector of society, explaining how you intend to build a bridge between different sectors and how you became aware of the call.
2. A project proposal (15,000 characters max., plus references), outlining the activities you wish to pursue during your tenure as a Klaus Töpfer Sustainability Fellow. The proposal should specify the project title, activities, research fields, expected outputs/aims, work plan, financial and/or physical resources and timeline, and highlight the intended long-term impacts.
3. A current CV (10,000 characters max., plus key publications), outlining your career path and five most important achievements.
4. Two letters of recommendation (these must include the names and contact details of referees).

Please use our online application form only. The fellowship will be awarded in late 2025. The selection process will involve a committee including external advisors who will receive the applications.

Diversity and equal opportunities are integral components of our human resources policy. The RIFS actively promotes diversity and explicitly welcomes applications from all qualified individuals, regardless of ethnic and social origin, nationality, gender, sexual orientation and identity, religion/belief, age and physical characteristics. Anyone who has been recognized as severely disabled will be given preferential consideration in the event of equal suitability and qualification in accordance with the provisions of the German Social Code IX.

Your personal data will be processed for the purpose of conducting the selection procedure on the basis of Art. 6 para. 1 b, Art. 88 GDPR in conjunction with Art. 26 of the Data Protection Act for the State of Brandenburg. After completion of the procedure, application documents will be deleted in compliance with data protection regulations. The selection process will involve a committee including external advisors who will receive the applications. Your personal data will, of course, be treated confidentially and will be communicated to the involved person exclusively for the purpose of evaluating your professional suitability within the framework of this selection procedure. Once the procedure has been completed, the personal data will also be deleted there in compliance with data protection regulations.

In case of any further queries relating to the field of activity, please contact Christina Camier either via email or phone +49 331-62 64-277 33.

The Research Institute for Sustainability at GFZ (RIFS) conducts research with the aim of investigating, identifying, and advancing development pathways for transformation processes towards sustainability in Germany and abroad. The institute was founded in 2009 as the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) and has been affiliated with the GFZ Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences under its new name since the 1st of January 2023 and is thus part of the Helmholtz Association.

This research center is part of the Helmholtz Association of German Research Centers. With more than 42,000 employees and an annual budget of over € 5 billion, the Helmholtz Association is Germany’s largest scientific organisation.

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